There is significance to why the public hospital in Krugersdorp, in the West Rand, is named after Dr Yusuf Dadoo. There’s just so much that this incredible legend has done in his lifetime that it was almost impossible to capture it all overnight on a post like this. I hope I do his tribute the justice it deserves…Dr Yusuf Mohamed Dadoo was born on the 5th September 1909 in Krugersdorp and was a medical doctor, communist, chairperson of many liberation movements including the Transval Indian Congress (TIC) and anti-apartheid activist amongst many others. He was the first born child of eight from Mohamed Senior & Fatima Dadoo.Segregation laws at the time meant he had to attend an Indian-only school in Fordsburg, which meant daily commuting by train which allowed Yusuf access to how the different population groups were separated. At the end of 1923, Dadoo left Johannesburg to complete his matriculation at Aligarh Muslim College in India where Ghandi inspired his political education.Dadoo heightened his political activism upon his return to his hometown of Krugersdorp at the age of 18 which somehow disappointed his father, who was convinced that Yusuf would one day take over the family business. To avoid the political instability in the country at the time, Yusuf managed to successfully persuade his father to allow him to further his studies in England.It was there where he met up with other Indian students who were active in the campaign for India’s independence against the British and Yusuf became involved in related political movements. He also joined the British Labour Party, developed an interest for Marxist literature and the Soviet Union. He participated in student protests while abroad which saw him arrested and suspended from school.Yusuf’s father was unhappy with his conduct and gave him an ultimatum – to either return to South Africa or go further his medical studies at the University of Edinburgh, in an attempt to curb his political involvement. Yusuf qualified as a Medical doctor in 1935, returned to South Africa and opened up a surgery in Pageview, Johannesburg and another one in Doornfontein, which doubled up as his place of residence.It was during this time that he became a member of the TIC and became president of the Indian Social Reform Society, where he played a pivotal role in the Non-European United Front – comprising of Africans, Coloured and Indians to achieve social, political and economic equality.He was also a member of the Communist Party of South Africa from 1939, and was elected to the Central Committee in January 1941 and served for 42 years, never missing a session until he fell ill towards the end of his life. Dadoo, together with his radical group formed the Nationalist Bloc within the TIC which included the likes of Nana Sita (another silent hero whose name is also a popular street in Pretoria) and organized the Passive Resistance Campaign.He was also proactive against South Africa’s involvement in World War II, and this stance landed him in court in August 1940 and saw him trialed in 1941. Dadoo participated in the defiance campaign, joing forces with other prominent liberation movements at the time (launched officially on the 26th June 1952) against unjust laws including the Group Areas Act. Dadoo experienced his fair share of banishment and arrests under the then Minister of Justice, CR Swart for contravening the Suppression of Communism Act.Yusuf worked tirelessly to unite the populations fostering peace and racial harmony in his interactions. He was bestowed the Order of Isithwalandwe in 1955 by the ANC for his contributions in the struggles for freedom and democracy.He made his final public appearance in South Africa on the 29th March 1960 after being selected by the SACP and SAIC to go into exile to assist the organization with solidarity work. A meticulous plan was orchestrated to assist Dadoo to escape from the country. He last saw his mother when he crossed the border to Botswana, where he left and never returned to South Africa for the rest of his life. When he got to Botswana, he was assisted by Oliver Tambo and Frene Ginwala to depart using an airplane for London.When Dadoo got to London, he was welcomed and taken care of by the Indian League Offices and he continued to travel to other countries including most parts of Asia and Africa to put international focus, pressure and spotlight over the political climate prevalent at the time in South Africa. His work led to South Africa’s official expulsion from the Commonwealth and imposed economic sanctions amongst many other strides.Dadoo fell ill in 1982, consulted doctors in the UK who diagnosed him with terminal cancer. He traveled to the Soviet Union for further treatment. News of his illness spread and messages of support came from all over the world. His friend, Joe Slovo was at his bedside during his last days and it is understood that Dadoo would have liked to be taken back to South Africa where he would be buried. The plan to transport his body back failed.Yusuf Mohamed Dadoo passed away on the 19th September 1983 in London. The ANC and SACP held a short ceremony where OR Tambo spoke and after which, was buried according to Muslim rights at the Highgate Cemetery, a stone’s throw away from Karl Marx’s grave.Condolences over his passing came from all over the world to the SACP office in London where he was based. Today, his legacy is honoured through a Public Primary School and provincial hospital named after him in his hometown of Krugersdorp.A liberator until the very end and Silent Hero who never lost his roots and struggle for freedom and peace for all South Africans even while in exile.Your name, and all its associated efforts to the country we see today, will never be forgotten. May we continue to emulate your bravery and resilience.Credit to sahistory.org.zaSilent Hero 3 of 4.#DrYusufMDadoo