Abdul Samad Minty, anti apartheid activist, is born

On 31 October 1933, Abdul Samad Minty was born in Hartebeesfontein, Northern Transvaal (now known as Limpopo Province). In June 1958 he left for Britain to further his studies. In 1969, eleven years later, he graduated with an MSc in Economics and International Relations at the University College in London. While Minty was abroad he worked for the International Defence and Aid Fund for Southern Africa. Between 1962 and 1995 he was the Honorary Secretary of the British Anti-Apartheid Movement. Minty played an important role in lobbying the International Olympic Committee in 1963 for the suspension of the South African Olympic Committee from the Olympics. In 1969 he published his study on the defence strategy of the apartheid government in South Africa. His publication helped the Anti-Apartheid Movement to develop a campaign for termination of the Simonstown Agreement between South Africa and Britain on the defence of the seas around Southern Africa. After the fall of apartheid in 1994, Minty was appointed as the Deputy Director-General for Multilateral Affairs in the Department of Foreign Affairs, a position he held till 2004. He also oversaw South Africa's new membership of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Commonwealth. On 12 September 2008 South Africa nominated Minty for the post of Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and his nomination was endorsed by the African Union. Minty also served as a member of Troika Group until May 2009. References: IAEA.org (2011). ‘President to the 50th General Conference: Curriculum Vitae’ from International Atomic Energy Agency [online]. Available at www.iaea.org [Accessed 21 Sep 2011] Mamoepa, R. (17 September 2006). ‘Ambassador Abdul Samad Minty to Chair the General Conference of the IAEA on 18 - 20 September 2006’ from the Department of International