William Khanyile(1)
His whole life was devoted to the struggle. I remember him as a young worker just out of his `teens` selling New Age in Pietermaritzburg twenty years ago. Come rain or sunshine he was out on the streets selling our newspaper and he used to walk great distances on his rounds. Already in those days he was keenly interested in Marxism and we participated in some discussions in a study circle. Many years later we found ourselves in a Party unit together. He still retained that very serious way of discussing problems affecting the working class. He strove with great deliberation and earnestness to apply Marxist principles to our situation.
His face had become very lined in the intervening years and expressed the suffering he had experienced but never complained about. That included eight years` imprisonment on Robben Island for ANC activity; a banning order on release; further arrest without trial in 1975 when he was held for a year in solitary; a trial in 1977 which collapsed, and then exile. He was brought out of the country to work for SACTU externally. In that period of time he had married but he and his wife Eleanor, a fellow activist, had hardly any time to enjoy one another`s company. In five years of married life the couple spent little more than a year together. They were bound to each other by their shared beliefs and their common devotion to the struggle.
In Maputo he worked hard at his SACTU tasks. May Day 1980 saw him and his close comrade, John Nkadimeng, leading a SACTU contingent, red flags flying, on the massive march of workers through the streets of Maputo. He was thrilled to be working in Mozambique and to experience at first hand the building of a socialist country on African soil so close to South Africa.
He died in a SACTU residence when racist killers from South Africa fired a rocket at point-blank range through the wall of the room in which he was sleeping. In his early forties he was a virtual father to the youth who worked with him. From his lips they learnt the lesson of internationalism...
William knew from his own experience, however, and from the life of his mentor, Harry Gwala who went back to Robben Island for a second term of imprisonment - a life sentence - that the struggle required sacrifice. For this he was always prepared. He was simply interested in doing his duty. He was always anxious that the working class must lead the struggle. That is the reason he gave for joining the Party.
1. From: "Four Who Were Communists: a personal reflection by Alexander Sibeko" in African Communist, fourth quarter 1981.
Mr. Khanyile was killed in a raid by South African forces on Matola, Mozambique, on January 30, 1981.
