Bram Fischer born today

Updated: 30 Sep 2019

Abraham (Bram) Fischer, lawyer and champion against apartheid, was born in Bloemfontein, Orange Free State on 23 April 1908. This man, from staunch Afrikaans descent (he was the eldest son of Percy Ulrich Fischer, Judge President of the Orange Free State, and a grandson of Abraham Fischer, prime minister of the Orange River Colony), became a member of the Communist Party of South African (CPSA), openly participating in its activities. His anti-apartheid stance led him to be a member of the Congress of Democrats and to form part of the defence team for the leaders of the movement during the Treason Trial of 1956 to 1961. He also defended the accused during the Rivonia Trial in 1964.

How we know this

01Kruger, D.W. (ed) (1972). Dictionary of South African Biography, Cape Town: Human Sciences Research Council, v. 5, p. 263.
02Ben, (2008), Bram Fischer's 100th Birthday, from BOOKSLIVE, 23 April [online], Available at bookslive.co.za [Accessed: 23 April 2014]

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2011, March 16). Bram Fischer born today. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013714

South African History Online (2011) 'Bram Fischer born today', South African History Online, 16 March. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013714 (Accessed: 29 October 2026).

South African History Online, Bram Fischer born today [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013714, (accessed 29 October 2026).

"Bram Fischer born today." South African History Online, 16 Mar. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013714. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

South African History Online. "Bram Fischer born today." South African History Online. March 16, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013714.