Close up with human rights activist Rhoda Kadalie | By: Netwerk24 / Jaco Marais via Gallo Images
People who are familiar with the work of Human rights activist Rhoda Kadalie have taken to social media to reflect on her legacy after news of her passing.
According to News24, Kadalie died on Saturday, aged 68, after a battle with lung cancer. Her daughter, Julia Pollak, confirmed the news of her passing to the publication.
Helen Zille and Jonathan Jansen were among those who took to social media to express their sorrow about Rhoda Kadalie’s passing.
“Challenging and complex, yet always a friend in troubled times. Rest in peace, Rhoda Kadalie,” tweeted Jansen.
“Deepest condolences to Julia, Joel, Richie, Maya, Alex and Amira. May her spirit live on in you all,” added Zille.
In the words of her own son-in-law, Joel Pollak, for an article on Politicsweb, Rhoda Kadalie was “a black feminist who was active in the struggle against apartheid.”
She most famously served in President Nelson Mandela’s administration as the commissioner of South Africa’s Human Rights Commission. She is also credited with setting up the Gender Equity Unit at the University of the Western Cape in the early 1970s. Kadalie later worked with George Soros to fund development projects in poor communities.
She was born in Cape Town’s District Six in 1953 as the granddaughter of Clements Kadalie, a Malawian migrant who was the first black trade unionist in South Africa.
After moving to Los Angeles to live with Joel and her daughter, Rhoda became a supporter of President Donald Trump.
Explaining her affinity for Trump, Joel said Kadalie saw Trump as a “skollie” who would shake up a complacent American establishment.
She came to this view during her time as an avid follower of American politics after decades of being an active political commentator, often contributing to publications like The Citizen, among others.
The article originally appeared on the Breitbart News where Pollak served as a senior editor-at-large. Click here to read the full article.
Compiled by Kaunda Selisho
