Zamiwonga James Kati (4 January 1924 – 29 September 2006) was a South African politician and

anti-apartheid activist The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM), was a British organisation that was at the centre of the international movement opposing the South African apartheid, apartheid system and supporting South Africa's non-White population who were persecuted by ...

who represented the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...

(ANC) in the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

until his death in 2006. He joined the ANC in 1949 and was a member of the Umkhonto we Sizwe underground in the

Transkei Transkei (, meaning ''the area beyond he riverKei''), officially the Republic of Transkei ( xh, iRiphabliki yeTranskei), was an unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa from 1976 to 1994. It was, along with Ciskei, a Ban ...

Early life and activism

Kati was born on 4 January 1924 in Luheweni, a village in

Ngcobo Ngcobo (formerly Engcobo) is a town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Ngcobo is the main town of the Engcobo Local Municipality, which falls within the Chris Hani District Municipality of the Eastern Cape. It is situated in the weste ...

in the former

Cape Province The Province of the Cape of Good Hope ( af, Provinsie Kaap die Goeie Hoop), commonly referred to as the Cape Province ( af, Kaapprovinsie) and colloquially as The Cape ( af, Die Kaap), was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequen ...

. He joined the ANC in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

in 1949 and was first arrested in 1952 during the

Defiance Campaign The Defiance Campaign against Unjust Laws was presented by the African National Congress (ANC) at a conference held in Bloemfontein, South Africa in December 1951. The Campaign had roots in events leading up the conference. The demonstrations, ...

. After the ANC was banned by the

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

government in 1960, he became a leading member of its underground in the region that became the Transkei bantustan. He also joined the ANC's armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, where he was known by the ''nom de guerre'' Castro. He was detained for his political activities on several occasions and was imprisoned on

Robben Island Robben Island ( af, Robbeneiland) is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, north of Cape Town, South Africa. It takes its name from the Dutch word for seals (''robben''), hence the Dutch/Afrik ...

between September 1964 and July 1971. He served another six-year prison sentence in the 1980s. After the

democratic transition Democratization, or democratisation, is the transition to a more democratic political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction. It may be a hybrid regime in transition from an authoritarian regime to a full ...

, he testified to the

Truth and Reconciliation Commission A truth commission, also known as a truth and reconciliation commission or truth and justice commission, is an official body tasked with discovering and revealing past wrongdoing by a government (or, depending on the circumstances, non-state act ...

that he had been severely tortured while in detention.

Legislative career

Kati was not initially elected to Parliament in South Africa's first post-apartheid elections in 1994, but he joined the National Assembly during the legislative term that followed, filling a casual vacancy in the ANC's caucus. He was not immediately re-elected in the next general election in 1999 but returned on 3 July 2001, filling the casual vacancy that had arisen when Smangaliso Mkhatshwa was elected

Mayor of Tshwane The Mayor of Tshwane is the head of the local government of Pretoria, South Africa; currently that government takes the form of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (also known as the City ...

in 2000. Kati was re-elected in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, representing the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...

constituency, and at the time of his death, aged 82, he was the oldest serving Member of Parliament.

Personal life and death

Kati's wife died during apartheid while he was imprisoned. He was hospitalised in

Umtata Mthatha , formerly Umtata, is the main city of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Eastern Cape province of South Africa and the capital of OR Tambo District Municipality. The city has an airport, previously known as the K. D. Matanzi ...

in 2006 and died on 29 September. ANC deputy president

Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan name Msholozi, and was a former anti-aparth ...

spoke at his funeral.

References

External links

Testimony to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kati, James 1920s births 2006 deaths People from Ngcobo African National Congress politicians 20th-century South African politicians 21st-century South African politicians Anti-apartheid activists UMkhonto we Sizwe personnel Members of the National Assembly of South Africa