Trevor John Bonhomme

Trevor John Bonhomme (January 1942 – 29 July 2017) was a South African politician and activist who represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly from 2005 until his death in 2017, except for a brief hiatus from 2010 to 2011. During apartheid, he was a prominent community organiser in Newlands East in the former Natal province.

Early life and activism Bonhomme was born to Virgil and Patricia Bonhomme in January 1942 in the racially mixed neighbourhood of Overport, located in Durban in the former Natal province. His family was Catholic and he was the fourth-eldest of eleven siblings. After matriculating at Umbilo High School in Durban, he began work, with his brother Virgil, at Grafton-Everest upholstery company. After he and Virgil successfully agitated for higher wages at their company, they entered the trade union movement and helped found the Furniture Trade Union in the late 1960s. Also during the 1960s, his family was forcibly removed from their Overport home under the apartheid-era Group Areas Act, intensifying Bonhomme's interest in anti-apartheid activism. In the next general election in 2009, he was re-elected to a full term in the assembly, representing the KwaZulu-Natal constituency; he resigned from his seat on 19 May 2010 but returned on 28 October 2011 to serve the remainder of the legislative term. In the 2014 general election, he was ranked 27th on the ANC's provincial list for KwaZulu-Natal and secured re-election.

Personal life and death Bonhomme lived in Newlands East until his death. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer and died on 29 July 2017.