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Yesterday was the 34th anniversary of the brutal murder of Dr Fabian Ribero & his wife Florence. Dr Ribeiro was assassinated for his work in exposing police brutality & for assisting young activists in Mamelodi.
A thread of some of activist medical doctors in SA.
A thread of some of activist medical doctors in SA.
Dr William Anderson Soga was the First Black doctor in SA. He graduated in 1883 in Scotland. He was a community activist and confronted authorities on poor living conditions of Africans. He later studied towards a Doctoral degree on Leprosy and TB.
Dr Abdullah Abdurahmn qualified as a medical doctor in 1893 at University of Glasgow. He later became a leader of anti segregationist movement in Cape Town and fought for better living conditions of black people and raised issues of racism and poor treatment of blacks.
Dr John Mavuma Nembula qualified as Medical doctor from Chicago in 1887. He immediately immensed himself in community issues and community development. He died at age of 36 years from Tuberculosis.
Dr Alfred Xuma qualified as a medical doctor in the US in the 1920s and later studied Gynaecology at Glasgow. On his return to South Africa he became a community activist and was later elected the President of the ANC.
Another medical doctor later became president of the ANC; Dr James Moroka succeeded Dr Xuma as ANC president.
Dr Silas Modiri Molema became a prominent author, and leader. He rose to become Treasurer General of the ANC.
The 1940s was an era of militant young medical doctors in the ranks of the ANC Youth League. This includes the likes of Drs William Nkomo, Wilson Conco, Dilizintaba Mji, Nthato Motlana and James Njongwe.
The famous Doctors pact was drafted by Drs Xuma, Naicker and Dadoo.
The 1980s saw the assassination of Dr Niel Agget. Dr Niel Agget was a medical doctor and a unionist. He was killed in 1982. Later in 1984 Dr Ribeiro was also killed by the apartheid regime.
Indeed "Whenever the art of Medicine is loved, there is love for humanity" - Hippocrates
"Medicine is a social science, and politics is nothing other than medicine on a larger scale" Dr Rudolf Ludwig Carl Virchow
