No regrets about sacrifices made
Political activist wants government to serve its people.
A life spent concerned about the struggle of a nation has resulted in sacrifices and disappointment but no regrets for political activist, Dr Thamsanqa Bam.
He got involved in politics at the age of 16 and he never looked back.
At the time he joined the ANC as a member but as years went by he joined the PAC because he believed their ideals were not misguided and didn’t misrepresent black people’s needs.
In 1970 he went into exile, he lived in countries such as the Tanzania and Kenya before settling in Europe.
“Life in exile was not easy because cadres fought among themselves in some instances.
“There were times where my life was in danger as a result of me questioning the leadership within the PAC,” he said.
He moved to another foreign land, Holland where he lived for 16 years and in England for 11 years.
While there, he studied for his Bachelors of Arts degree, a masters degree in theology and a diploma in applied linguistics.
He had a publishing company and things were going well for him.
In 1993, when South Africa was about to welcome a democratic regime, he decided to come back home like many others who were in exile.
“There is no place like home.
“I wanted to come back because I felt that I could contribute to improving the lives of people.”
When he came back he joined the ACDP and he became the party’s representative at the Gauteng legislature.
His stay with the ACDP was short lived and he decided to start his own party, the people’s party.
He said: “It has been difficult to contest the elections but for me, it is not about only occupying seats in parliament but it is about ensuring that people are being served by a government that was elected to serve.”
Bam said although a life in the struggle has meant that he sacrificed so much of himself and family life.
“I have no regrets about how I lived my life and sacrifices I made for the country however, there has been times where I questioned coming back especially when things got tough.”
Bam said people should not live in fear of voicing out their dissatisfaction about the government’s incompetence.
To young people, he said : “Never give up on your dream and something you strongly believe in.”
From 2009, he has been teaching computer literacy to pupils at Kwa-Mahlobo Secondary School in Zone 10.
