Richard Sikakane

Mdumiseni Richard Sikakane (18 August 1936 – January 2021), also spelled Richard Sikhakhane, was a South African politician and stalwart of the African National Congress (ANC). He joined Umkhonto weSizwe in 1963 and was involved in its underground structures in the Greater Durban area for the next three decades. After the end of apartheid, he represented the ANC in the National Assembly for three terms from 1994 to 2009.

Early life and activism Sikakane was born on 18 August 1936 in the Matshana Reserve near Empangeni in Zululand, then part of the Natal Province. One of seven siblings, he attended primary school in Empangeni but was raised in Durban. With the financial assistance of his uncle, who was a school principal and chief of KwaMadlebe Traditional Authority, he began high school at Adams College in Amanzimtoti in 1955. He served three terms, gaining re-election in 1999 and left after the 2009 general election. In August 2007, the ANC appointed him as a party whip in one of Parliament's portfolio committees.

Personal life and death He was married to Dorcas Sikakane and had four children.