Jack Hodgson
1910-1977
Speech by T.T. Nkobi at the memorial meeting in London, December 17, 1977(1)
Letter of Oliver Tambo, President of ANC, to Mrs. Rica Hodgson(2)
Article in African Communist, second quarter 1978(3)
Obituary in Sechaba, first quarter 1978
Jack was a born fighter, but he soon realised that for a worker to fight alone was to court defeat, and he became a staunch trade unionist and a socialist. On the Copperbelt he also helped to defend the rights of his African fellow-workers, and won a commendation for his part in securing the right of compensation for African mineworkers who contracted silicosis.
One of Jack`s colleagues as a trade unionist on the Copperbelt was none other than Roy Welensky, a professed "socialist" but one who, unlike Jack, soon deserted his class and followed the road of opportunism. In 1938 when the white copper miners went on strike it was Welensky who headed the government which deported the union president Frank Maybank and declared Hodgson a prohibited immigrant when he tried to return after a brief holiday in South Africa.
Welensky`s desertion taught Jack Hodgson that trade union action alone could never secure for the workers the rights and opportunities they were demanding. The experiences of life demonstrated the shortcomings of syndicalism and economism. So long as the bosses controlled state power, the workers would always be out manoeuvred. The workers` struggle must be carried over into the political field so that they, the overwhelming majority of the population, could exercise power in the interests of the whole people.
On the outbreak of World War 2 Jack Hodgson joined the South African army and served in the North African campaign in the longrange strike force known as the Desert Rats. The future of South Africa was widely debated in the army and a survey conducted by the Army Information Service showed that under the influence of the antinazi struggle, thinking amongst white soldiers shifted appreciably to the left. The war-time alliance between the western nations and the USSR also made a tremendous impact.
In 1941 Jack Hodgson joined the Communist Party of South Africa and he also played a leading role in the formulation of the Springbok Legion, a militant union of soldiers and ex-servicement which was launched in the same year in a bid to ensure that the ex-soldiers of this war were not betrayed like their predecessors after World War I, that the noble aims of the anti-fascist struggle were carried out over into civilian life in post-war South Africa. Jack went through some terrible experiences while under fire in the desert war and his health was so severely damaged that, after a long spell in military hospital, he was invalided out with a pension.
He became the first general secretary of the Springbok Legion, and from this time onwards his life was devoted to the task of mobilising and organising his fellow citizens for political action.
The Springbok Legion played a big role during the war and in the immediate post-war period in mobilising, not only soldiers and ex-servicemen, but wider sections of the population, black and white, against the Nationalist Party. But the victory of the Nationalist Party at the polls in 1948, followed by the failure of the Legion to halt the march to fascism which began under Premier Malan, led to a shift in the political centre of gravity and an upsurge of resistance by the black masses to the inhuman apartheid measures which were inflicted on them by the new regime. In response to an appeal by the ANC and the SAIC, Jack Hodgson played a leading part in the formation of the Congress of Democrats whose aim was to bring whites into the struggle side by side with the Congresses, at that stage engaged in the historic Defiance Campaign. Later in the `50s he was one of the 156 arrested for treason because of the part they had played in organising the Congress of the People in 1955 which adopted the Freedom Charter.
Jack`s subsequent career followed precisely all the vicissitudes of the movernent in the ensuing years. The strikes and stay-at-homes, the boycotts and demonstrations - where the action was, Jack was to be found. Perhaps the most crucial role of all he was called on to perform was that of helping to organise and train the cadres of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the militant wing of the liberation movement - a task which absorbed all his attention and devotion not only in South Africa but also abroad when he and his wife Rica were forced to leave the country after being placed under house arrest.
Despite incessant persecution by the authorities at home, as wel; asthe ravages of ill-health which dogged him throughout the post-war period, Jack stuck at his post, defiant and courageous to the end. His faith in his cause, his confidence in the final victory of the.working class and the world-wide socialist revolution were never dimmed. His infectious enthusiasm was an inspiration to all who were privileged to work with him.
JACK HODGSON
1910-1977
Obituary in Sechaba, first quarter 1978
The African National Congress of South Africa regrets to announce the tragic death in London of P.J. "Jack" Hodgson, a prominent leader of our movement.
Born in August 1910 in South Africa, Jack Hodgson started work as a miner at an early age. He later worked in the copper mines of Northern Rhodesia - now Zambia - and in 1938 participated in the strike of the white miners. Jack was involved in the white labour movement, became a socialist, and later joined the then legal Communist Party of South Africa. It was his involvement in the latter organisation that brought him and others to the realisation that the liberation of the working class in South Africa is closely tied up with the struggle for national liberation of the African people and other nationally and racially oppressed black communities of our country.
From then onwards Jack was involved in all campaigns of our movement. He has been arrested, tortured, banned, and house arrested. His wife, Rica, was also house arrested at the same time with him and that meant they were not supposed to talk to each other.
Jack Hodgson was one of the founder members of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the military wing of the ANC, and in 1963 was forced to leave the country and came to Britain. His health deteriorated until his death on Saturday, 3rd December 1977.
Jack has left us but his spirit is with us. He lived with indomitable courage and a fighting spirit until his death. His total dedication to the liberation of our people and his refusal to give up under any circumstances gave confidence and inspiration to all those who knew and worked with him.
The ANC dips its revolutionary banner in honour of this hero. We pledge that we shall continue the struggle to which Jack so dedicated himself and the best way to honour him is to continue the armed struggle in South Africa.
Hamba Kahle, Jack!
Speech by T.T. Nkobi at the memorial meeting in London, December 17, 1977(1)
[A memorial meeting organised by the ANC in London on December 17, 1977, to mark the death of Comrade Jack Hodgson was attended by over 300 people. Speakers at the meeting were: Thomas Nkobi, Treasurer General of the ANC and representative of its National Executive Committee; Dr. Yusuf M. Dadoo, Chairman of the South African Communist Party; John Gaetsewe, Secretary General of SACTU; and Joe Slovo, representing the Revolutionary Council. Rusty Bernstein spoke on behalf of the family. The meeting was chaired by Steven Dlamini, President of SACTU and member of the National Executive Committee of the ANC.]
...For many years now the South African Security Police and propaganda machinery have focussed attention on the activities of the great freedom fighter Jack Hodgson, regarding him as one of the most feared South African Communists, a military expert and teacher in the use of explosives and sabotage, a man greatly loved by all who cherish freedom. THIS IS TRUE!
Jack Hodgson was a man with a deep appreciation of oppression, as a result of which he became a great teacher contributing to the nucleus around which Umkhonto we Sizwe units were established. He was among the first with technical know-how of explosives who was fully prepared to impart this knowledge so that the aims of liberation could be achieved. He ensured that the black man was no longer unarmed in his struggle, but would fully understand the military aspects of warfare, and would have the means of implementing them.
Jack was in the forefront fighting fascism wherever it existed. After fighting as a "Desert Rat" in North Africa, he came back from the war against Hitler`s Nazism, Mussolini`s fascism and Japan`s militarism to a South Africa where the disciples of Hitler were organising themselves to usurp power.
A centrepiece of the Springbok Legion, which had the slogan at that time already of "Do Not Mourn, Mobilise", he dedicated his life to ridding South Africa of the scourge of fascism.
The foundations of our ability to resist, to conduct a war against our oppressors, were laid in the founding of our military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, of which Jack was a founder member. Thus when we commemorate the founding of MK, and pay this tribute to a founder member, we remember at the same time all those patriots who have lost their lives in pursuance of the aims and objectives of the ANC, that is, to liberate our country from the colonialists and imperialists by means of armed struggle in order to transfer political, military and economic power to the people.
Jack Hodgson was indeed a great soldier. During his illness he never moaned and groaned. Indeed he was a quiet man of action, seldom seen in the limelight, but the results of his activities are today felt everywhere. He is a man like the Guevara, Mini, Fischer and many others who will be more feared by the enemy dead than alive, as the ideals of what they fought for, and the example they set, will last forever.
Back home he was fully engaged in the liberation struggle, and the comrades who worked with him used to call him the "Desert Rat" because of his zealousness and dedication to the cause of liberation, and his tremendous ability to work harmoniously with the underground machinery. Without going into great detail about everything that Comrade Jack did for the ANC, we pay tribute to this great warrior who was an example to the whites in South Africa, showing that there is room for all sections of the population to play their part in liquidating fascism in our country.
He was amongst those whites who refused to enjoy the bribery and privilege that is part and parcel of the way of life for whites in South Africa. Instead he chose a life full of hardship and self-sacrifice, totally dedicated to the cause of liberation, human justice and dignity.
Jack was a man of the people, and shared the suffering and sorrow of the black people of South Africa. When the Malan government took power, he was in the forefront fighting against fascism in South Africa, and those of us old enough to remember will never forget the many battles on the City Hall steps.
Comrades, the activity of Comrade Jack was not done in isolation. There are progressive whites who lived and thought like he did, men like the late Bram Fischer, or Denis Goldberg serving a life sentence in Pretoria Local and many others who are identifying themselves with the liberation struggle for national independence, freedom, peace and justice. They are the vanguard in whose footsteps whites in South Africa should follow. The African National Congress calls upon all sections of the population to join the ranks of Umkhonto we Sizwe to fight against fascism in our country. This is what Jack Hodgson stood for! Died for! The ANC shall continue this great work of armed struggle which you initiated until victory is achieved.
Your memory will remain everlasting in our minds for the courage and inspiration you have demonstrated for all the people of South Africa, and indeed throughout the world.
Victory or Death!
Amandla! Matla!
Power to the People!
Letter of Oliver Tambo, President of ANC, to Mrs. Rica Hodgson(2)
We are all saddened by the passing of Jack. I know Adelaide and our children join me in expressing sincerest condolences to you and to your family in this difficult hour of your life. A member of the NEC will be at the memorial meeting to represent our broader family, of which Jack was a beloved and admired member.
The last two years have been very hard for Jack and for you; and were a constant pain to all of us who feared we might lose him prematurely, as we so tragically have. Yet, while he lived, we hoped. He himself inspired this hope in us. I remember the evening, some three weeks before Jack left us, when Adelaide and I called in at your home. We found him battling for breath; but what little air he managed to put into his reluctant lungs he used exclusively in a conversation about our struggle. He got me so pleasantly involved that I soon forgot about his breathless breathing: I was suddenly back in Africa, among our militants and activists, north and south of the Limpopo - and Jack was also there. We were talking about the problems and prospects of our struggle. And as usual, he was so cheerful and so full of enthusiasm that he seemed to be treating his severe condition as a rather bothersome inconvenience, an ill-timed distraction.
Such was the Jack we have known and lost: His fanatical preoccupation with the pursuit of the cause of freedom, democracy and social justice in our country towered above all else and dominated even the most critical moments of his long illness.
And you, Rica, many of us see in you and Jack an example of the perfect couple. With that couple no longer physically complete, not only do we feel broken, but society itself is the worse for it.
Our loss is, however, not total. What Jack gave in service to our people, to our Movement and struggle, to all South Africa, neither death nor time can take away. For it has already gone into the making of our history, the definition of our current activity, and the shaping of our future. And I have not the slightest doubt that in the fullness of time, it will blossom into a new South Africa. Therefore, dear Rica, Keep Strong and Feel Strong.
Amandla!
Article in African Communist, second quarter 1978(3)
Jack Hodgson came into the movement from the ranks of the white working class, and the class struggle was at the core of his thinking throughout his political life. He learnt his politics the hard way, as a young man seeking work in the grim years of the depression in the 1930s. His first job was a digger on the alluvial diamond fields in Lichtenburg, in the Eastern Transvaal, and from there he moved to the copper mines of Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia.
Jack was a born fighter, but he soon realised that for a worker to fight alone was to court defeat, and he became a staunch trade unionist and a socialist. On the Copperbelt he also helped to defend the rights of his African fellow-workers, and won a commendation for his part in securing the right of compensation for African mineworkers who contracted silicosis.
One of Jack`s colleagues as a trade unionist on the Copperbelt was none other than Roy Welensky, a professed "socialist" but one who, unlike Jack, soon deserted his class and followed the road of opportunism. In 1938 when the white copper miners went on strike it was Welensky who headed the government which deported the union president Frank Maybank and declared Hodgson a prohibited immigrant when he tried to return after a brief holiday in South Africa.
Welensky`s desertion taught Jack Hodgson that trade union action alone could never secure for the workers the rights and opportunities they were demanding. The experiences of life demonstrated the shortcomings of syndicalism and economism. So long as the bosses controlled state power, the workers would always be outmanoeuvred. The workers` struggle must be carried over into the political field so that they, the overwhelming majority of the population, could exercise power in the interests of the whole people.
On the outbreak of World War II Jack Hodgson joined the South African army and served in the North African campaign in the long-range strike force known as the "Desert Rats". The future of South Africa was widely debated in the army and a survey conducted by the Army Information Service showed that under the influence of the anti-Nazi struggle, thinking amongst white soldiers shifted appreciably to the left. The wartime alliance between the Western nations and the USSR also made a tremendous impact.
In 1941 Jack Hodgson joined the Communist Party of South Africa and he also played a leading role in the formation of the Springbok Legion, a militant union of soldiers and ex-servicemen which was launched in the same year in a bid to ensure that the ex-soldiers of this war were not betrayed like their predecessors after World War I, that the noble aims of the anti-fascist struggle were carried out over into civilian life in postwar South Africa.
Jack went through some terrible experiences while under fire in the desert war and his health was so severely damaged that, after a long spell in military hospital, he was invalided out with a pension. He became the first general secretary of the Springbok Legion, and from this time onwards his life was devoted to the task of mobilising and organising his fellow citizens for political action.
The Springbok Legion played a big role during the war and in the immediate post-war period in mobilising, not only soldiers and ex-servicemen, but wider sections of the population, black and white, against the Nationalist Party. But the victory of the Nationalist Party at the polls in 1948, followed by the failure of the Legion to halt the march to fascism which began under Premier Malan, led to a shift in the political centre of gravity and an upsurge of resistance by the black masses to the inhuman apartheid measures which were inflicted on them by the new regime. In response to an appeal by the ANC and the South African Indian Congress, Jack Hodgson played a leading part in the formation of the Congress of Democrats whose aim was to bring whites into the struggle side by side with the Congresses, at that stage engaged in the historic Defiance Campaign. Later in the 1950s he was one of the 156 arrested for treason because of the part they had played in organising the Congress of the People in 1955 which adopted the Freedom Charter. Jack`s subsequent career followed precisely all the vicissitudes of the movement in the ensuing years. The strikes and stay-at-homes, the boycotts and demonstrations - where the action was, Jack was to be found. Perhaps the most crucial role of all he was called on to perform was that of helping to organise and train the cadres of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the militant wing of the liberation movement - a task which absorbed all his attention and devotion not only in South Africa but also abroad when he and his wife Rica were forced to leave the country after being placed under house arrest.
Despite incessant persecution by the authorities at home, as well as the ravages of ill-health which dogged him throughout the postwar period, Jack stuck at his post, defiant and courageous to the end. His faith in his cause, his confidence in the final victory of the working class and the world-wide socialist revolution were never dimmed. His infectious enthusiasm was an inspiration to all who were privileged to work with him.
1. From: Sechaba, second quarter 1978
2. From: Sechaba, second quarter 1978
3. "Sad losses to the liberation movement" in African Communist, second quarter 1978
