Struggle hero remembered
VETERAN journalist and political activist, Muhammad Rafiq Rohan, was found dead in his Essenwood apartment on Friday. No foul play is suspected.
The 67-year-old contributed towards the Struggle for liberation during apartheid through his involvement with Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the armed wing of the ANC.
Rohan, who grew up in Overport, was convicted of bombing CR Swart police station in Durban in 1989, placing a limpet mine at the Ridge Road Radio Headquarters in 1989, detonating a bomb at Natal Command in 1989, as well as the illegal possession of arms and ammunition.
He was found guilty on 21 counts of terrorism and imprisoned on Robben Island that same year (1989).
Rohan was released in 1991 after Amnesty International highlighted the plight of political prisoners who were on a hunger strike on the Island.
He worked as a journalist on various publications including POST and The Sowetan. He also worked as a senior editor at Al Jazeera and was the editorin-chief at Tunisia Live.
Between 2005 and 2010 he worked at the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) as editor of Vuk’uzenzele newspaper.
Rashid Ismail was the chief of ordnance for MK and was responsible for providing arms and weapons. He was responsible for recruiting Rohan into MK in 1988.
“He (Rohan) had a discussion with me and said he admired the work I did and the courage I had for my involvement in MK. He asked me probing questions about what it was like to be in the ANC underground. He wanted to know in detail. I told him that he should try it himself if he really wanted to know what it was like and his face lit up. I told him he could join if he was willing and committed to the ideals of the ANC and prepared to work for the liberation of the people.”
Schabir Shaik, who was also part of the Struggle for liberation, said Rohan went to the University of Durban-Westville (now UKZN) with Shaik’s younger brothers, Moe and Yunus.
“We always knew about each other’s activities in the underground. He was responsible for blowing up CR Swart police station, which was quite notorious for torture of our people at the time.
“We kept in contact when he returned from Robben Island. He was a good friend and comrade. I was shocked by the news of his passing.
“He was part of the underground MK unit that was involved in sabotaging identified targets that the ANC would provide. He had a hard time in the latter years trying to convince the MK structures of his contribution to be recognised as an MK veteran. Unfortunately, the politics of the time prevented him from being recognised as such.”
Gary Govindsamy, a now retired editor of SABC News, said: “We worked together in 1984 until 1986 at a newspaper called The Leader. He was a prolific writer who could articulate his stories well. He was a strategist and a thinker. He wrote from the heart and was passionate about the people and politics as well as exposing the corruption that goes with it.
“We wrote stuff that gave credence to the liberation movement and the upliftment of people. He eventually left The Leader for POST in 1987.”
Govindsamy said Rohan was quiet and unassuming.
“He was imprisoned on Robben Island in 1989 and took over Nelson Mandela’s cell. He and Mandela were close. He was released in 1991 after going on a hunger strike.”
Fawzia Moodley, a copy editor for POST, said she had chatted to Rohan recently about contributing to the newspaper’s feature, My Journey in Journalism.
“In true Rafiq fashion, he asked if he’d be paid, and when I said ‘no’, he retorted that he wouldn’t do it. I’m not sure if he was joking or meant it.
“One thing about Rafiq was that he never minced his words; he said it as he saw it, whether you liked it or not. And I respected that about him. In this world of fakery and hypocrisy, that was something to be appreciated, although not always easy to swallow or agree with.”
Moodley worked with Rohan at The Leader and later at POST, where he was the news editor.
“We got on well, he was fun, highly opinionated, and often shared some of his personal problems with his close friends. Rafiq had strong political opinions and was fiercely opposed to apartheid, but I was as shocked as anyone else when he tried to bomb CR Swart police headquarters in Durban, a symbol of apartheid power. For that, he paid a high price, was tortured and sent to jail.”
She said she remembered him as a loyal friend.
“He was a dedicated anti-apartheid activist who from all accounts was very disturbed by the political shenanigans happening in the country now. Hamba kahle, uMkhonto. Rest in peace, friend, and comrade.”
Aneez Salie, Independent Media Editorial and Content Director, said Rohan suffered during the liberation Struggle.
“This included torture and imprisonment in the battle to establish media freedom, which was part and parcel of the overall Struggle for liberation. So, we dip our banners in honour of this stalwart of the Struggle for helping to liberate us in the media and generally in the country.
“It remains a disgrace that the then supposedly liberal media bosses at Independent Media and elsewhere refused to employ him after his release from Robben Island, when he needed it most to help rebuild his life.
“They did so because ostensibly, he was a convicted ‘terrorist’ with the heroic People’s Army, uMkhonto we Sizwe, and shouldn’t be in a newsroom.
“Yet, these same bosses, all whites, thought it was perfectly okay for them to have served in the apartheid army which committed many atrocities against our people across the length and breadth of Southern Africa. He wasn’t the only one to suffer this hypocrisy.”
Devan Moodley, a retired communications director at the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), described Rohan as quiet.
“He was a real activist and cadre. We worked together for a few years but he didn’t stay very long at GCIS. He left around 2004. He was a wonderful person.”
GCIS acting director-general Michael Currin said on Monday: “It is truly with deep sadness that we at GCIS learnt of the passing of our former colleague Rohan.
“His gentle yet firm and confident ability to tell stories of hope and determination in our country’s efforts to improve the lives of ordinary citizens continue to inspire us in our work in communicating the South African story in the GCIS. His passing is a great shock to many in the government communication fraternity and we extend to his family our heartfelt condolences,” Currin said.
Rohan’s funeral took place at the Hazrat Khalid Shah Community Centre and he was buried at the Brook Street Muslim Cemetery on Monday evening.
Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala, a provincial police spokesperson, said Berea police were investigating an inquest docket.
“Circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation.”