Chris Hani
| Chris Hani | |
|---|---|
Chris Hani
|
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| General Secretary of the South African Communist Party | |
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In office 1991–1993 |
|
| Preceded by | Joe Slovo |
| Succeeded by | Charles Nqakula |
| Deputy Commander of Umkhonto we Sizwe | |
| President | Oliver Tambo |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Martin Thembisile Hani 28 June 1942 Cofimvaba, Transkei (present-day Cofimvaba, Eastern Cape, Republic of South Africa) |
| Died | 10 April 1993 (aged 50) Dawn Park, Boksburg (present-day Dawn Park, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, South Africa) |
| Cause of death | Assassination |
| Political party |
African National Congress South African Communist Party |
Chris Hani (28 June 1942 – 10 April 1993), born Martin Thembisile Hani, was the leader of the South African Communist Party and chief of staff of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). He was a fierce opponent of the apartheid government, and was assassinated on 10 April 1993.
Thembisile Hani was born on 28 June 1942 in the small town of Cofimvaba, Transkei. He was the fifth of six children. He attended Lovedale school in 1957, to finish his last two years. He twice finished two school grades in a single year. When Hani was 12 years old, after hearing his father's explanations about apartheid and the African National Congress, he wished to join the ANC but was still too young to be accepted. In Lovedale school, Hani joined the ANC Youth League when he was 15 years old, even though political activities were not allowed at black schools under apartheid. He influenced other students to join the ANC.
In 1959, at the University of Fort Hare in Alice, Eastern Cape, Hani studied English, Latin and modern and classical literature. He did not participate in any sport, saying "I would rather fight apartheid than play sport". Hani, in an interview on the Wankie campaign, mentioned that he was a Rhodes University graduate.
At age 15 he joined the ANC Youth League. As a student he was active in protests against the Bantu Education Act. Following his graduation, he joined Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the armed wing of the ANC. Following his arrest under the Suppression of Communism Act, he went into exile in Lesotho in 1963. Because of Hani's involvement with Umkhonto we Sizwe he was forced into hiding by the South African government during which time he changed his first name to Chris.
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