Cecyl Esau was born on 30 September 1955 in Worcester, Cape Province (now Western Cape Province), the youngest of four children.

Sidumo “Sdumo” Dlamini was born in a rural village of Nsthingila Hlatsikhulu in Swaziland on 2 March 1966.  He moved to South Africa with his aunt at a young age. Sdumo Dlamini started schooling at the age of seven, in 1973, at Magugu Higher Primary in Ingwavuma, KwazuluNatal Province. He attended Ingwavuma High School in 1980 and finished his matriculation in 1984.

Zwelinzima Joseph Vavi was born on 20 December 1962 on a farm in Hanover, Northern Cape. His father was a mineworker. Vavi has four brothers and seven sisters. He is the 10th child in a family of 12. Until he was baptised, he did not know the date of his birthday. He was a child labourer, looking for work on neighbouring farms. He matriculated in 1983. He attended Maritaaz Technical College where he obtained a secretarial qualification.

Mahomed Dawood Barmania was the son of Dawood Barmania, owner of commercial and farming properties in both Natal (now KwaZulu-Natal) and Surat in the West Indian state of Gujarat. At the turn of the century, after having been in Natal for some fifteen years, Dawood Barmania returned to India with his family.

The young Mahomed Barmania attended City College, Calcutta (now Kolkata), India and the University of Calcutta where he obtained a MA Degree in Economics.

John Smith Moffat was born on 10 March 1835 in Kuruman, South Africa. He was the son of the missionary Robert Moffat, who was friends with Mzilikazi, the father of Lobengula. He was also brother-in-law to the missionary and explorer David Livingstone. Moffat was educated at Cheshunt College and then New College in London. He joined the London Missionary Society in 1858 and also married Emily Unwin the same year. His father settled him at Inyati in 1859, where he lived for six years.

Charles Daniel Helm was born around 22 September 1844, in Zuurbreck, South Africa. He was a member of the London Missionary Society.

Thomas Benjamin Frederick Davis, the son of Thomas Leipold, a fisherman, and Jemima Davis was born in April 1867 in Jersey, Channel Islands, a British Crown Dependency in Western Europe. At the age of fourteen, he ran away to sea. Although he was shipwrecked shortly afterwards, he grew to love the sea, and eventually obtained his master’s certificate that would allow him to captain a ship.

Sir de Villiers Graaff (Div) was born on 8 December 1913 in Cape Town, Western Cape. He attended Western Province Preparatory School, Claremont, Cape Town from 1924 to 1927. He was an outstanding scholar and sportsperson and was head boy in his final year.

Thomas Thembe Mazibuko attended Orlando West High School and became a member of the South African Student Movement(SASM). In 1974 as a member of SASM he and fellow students were harassed by police and some of his fellow students were detained by the apartheid system .In mid 1975 Mazibuko was forced by these circumstances to flee the country to Gabarone, Botswana. He went on to Francistown and met up with comrade Sol Ndlovu.