Swami Gounden
Anti-apartheid activist and trade unionist
About Swami Gounden
Lived 1927 – 2021 (aged 93–94). Swami Gounden was a South African trade unionist and anti-apartheid activist.
Swaminathan Karuppa "Swami" Gounden (1927 – 30 November 2021) was a South African trade unionist and anti-apartheid activist from Natal.
Life and activism Born in 1927 in Durban, Gounden entered politics through the trade union movement and joined the Communist Party of South Africa at Magazine Barracks in 1944. The following year, he was a member of the progressive faction of the Natal Indian Congress that installed Monty Naicker at the head of the congress, ousting its conservative incumbent leadership.
He died on 30 November 2021, aged 93, and was granted an official provincial funeral, at which KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala delivered the eulogy.
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Important facts
People in Swami Gounden's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Swami Gounden's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Swami Gounden?
anti-apartheid activist and trade unionist (1927–2021)
When was Swami Gounden born?
Swami Gounden was born in 1927.
When did Swami Gounden die?
Swami Gounden died on 30 November 2021.
What was Swami Gounden's occupation?
Swami Gounden was a trade unionist and anti-apartheid activist.
What nationality was Swami Gounden?
Swami Gounden was South African.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Swami Gounden. https://biography.guide/swami-gounden/
MLA: "Swami Gounden." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/swami-gounden/.
Chicago: "Swami Gounden." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/swami-gounden/.
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