Ismail Mohamed

Ismail Jacobus Mohamed (27 July 1930 – 6 July 2013) was a South African activist and mathematician. He represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly from 1994 to 2009.

Long associated with the University of the Witwatersrand, Mohamed was best known academically for his work in group theory, including his work on Heineken-Mohamed groups with Hermann Heineken. At the same time, he was a labour and anti-apartheid activist from the 1950s onwards, and he was a leading figure in the Non-European Unity Movement, the Transvaal Indian Congress, and the United Democratic Front in the former Transvaal. Between stints in universities abroad, he was a defendant in the Pietermaritzburg Treason Trial of 1985. Both for his political activism and his academic achievement, he was admitted posthumously to the Order of Mapungubwe in 2014.

Early life and education Mohamed was born on 27 July 1930 in Barkly East in the former Cape Province. His parents separated when he was four years old and he was raised by his mother, Rose Fortuin, who worked as a domestic worker and machinist in a clothing factory. In 1944, he moved to Johannesburg with his mother. While attending high school, he did part-time domestic work to supplement his mother's income. Mohamed joined the Non-European Unity Movement (NEUM) and was increasingly won over by socialism; he volunteered during the 1957 Alexandra bus boycott, as well as in more routine union organising in Johannesburg. and he became one of 16 UDF leaders charged with treason in the ensuing Pietermaritzburg Treason Trial. The charges against him were dropped in December 1985, but Mohamed and his family left South Africa for exile in January 1987. He served three terms in his seat – excepting a brief hiatus after the 1999 general election – and retired after the 2009 general election. He died on 6 July 2013 after a long illness. President Jacob Zuma provided a eulogy at his funeral, which was held in Coronationville.

Honours Mohamed received an honorary doctorate of law from Wits and an honorary doctorate of science from the University of Lesotho; his wife accepted the latter on his behalf in 1985, while he was on trial for treason. for "his excellent contribution to the field of Mathematics and political liberation".