Freedom fighter Wolfie Kodesh dies
Wolfie Kodesh, a long-time South African Communist Party member and a prominent figure in the liberation struggle died at age 84 in Cape Town on Friday night, the SABC reported on Saturday.
Kodesh was one of the stalwarts of the liberation movement. He as described by those who knew him as a soldier, a patriot, an African Nationalist, a communist, a man of laughter and a father figure.
Born in Benoni in 1917, he joined the South African communist party in 1938 and served as an African National Congress cadre in many communist countries.
Patric Mellet, who wrote several articles about Kodesh, said he was a man who got things done. “He was the man that got food on the table for soldiers, he did practical things”. In this vein, Kodesh was known for organising safe houses for activists during the liberation struggle and for serving as Nelson Mandela’s driver.
An interview with Wolfie Kodesh, by John Carlin (PBS website)
