Radebe lived his life defending others
Ex-unionist was a people’s person
Born: July 29 1958
Died: May 21 2017 Funeral: Tomorrow, at Forest High School, Joburg, 8am Burial: Westpark Cemetery
The ANC pays tribute to a community leader and activist, the late councillor of Ward 124 in the City of Johannesburg
Sidney Radebe was born in 1958 in Atteridgeville, Tshwane, and grew up in Mdantsane in East London where he started school until he matriculated at Majombozi High School .
He returned to Gauteng in the late 1970s and was elected a shop steward of the National Union of Metal Workers (Numsa) in the early 1980s.
In the early 1980s, he joined the UDF and Cosatu to further advance the fight against the apartheid system. He dedicated his time to help build ANC structures in the early 1990s and was later elected to the branch executive committee of Joburg South West branch.
Because of his commitment and dedication to the betterment of the lives of ordinary people, Radebe volunteered his spare time to assist at the Joburg South parliamentary constituency office where he specialised on labour matters.
Radebe served on many boards as a member, including the Region 9 Development Centre from 2000 to 2008.
At the time of his death, Radebe was a ward councillor for Ward 124, which includes areas such as Booysens, Forest Hill and Kenilworth.
Radebe is survived by four children, two grandchildren, a brother and a sister.
He will be buried tomorrow at Westpark Cemetery, Johannesburg.