At a young age, around the early 1960s, William Khanyile began selling the New Age newspaper in Pietermaritzburg. By then he was already interested in Marxism and took part in study circles on the issue. Very soon after, he joined the South African Communist Party (SACP) and became particularly interested in discussions on Marxism. He tried to apply Marxist principles to situations faced by the SACP unit where he was actively involved.
Robben Island prisoner
Restricted to Mphahlele, Thabamoapo, N. Transvaal. He was detained in 1963 and charged in August 1964 with sabotage as alleged member of MK. He was convicted and sentenced to 8 years imprisonment and banned on his release.
Mike Xego started his political career in youth politics. He was a member of the Student Christian Movement(SCM) in 1974, before joining the Black Consciousness Movement in 1975. Xego played a important role in the protest agaisnt Bantu Education in 1976. He was arrested on 20 September 1976, being sentenced to fiver years imprisonment on Robben Island. It is here, where he would become a member of the African National Congress (ANC).
Mikki Sivuyile Mac Millan Xayiya was imprisoned at Robben Island - prison number 46/85 - from 1985 to 1990.
Andrew Mokone was banned for 5 years under the Suppression of Communism Act and prohibited from attending gatherings.
Gqeba Mzwandile, born on 6 June 1965, left his schooling at Standard 5 due to financial constraints. Thereafter he had some casual jobs; he helped run his family’s shack shop in the township of NAME. Mzwandile had one brother and two sisters.
Professor Firoz Cachalia holds a BA degree, a BA (Hons) degree, an LLB and a Higher Diploma in Company Law from Witwatersrand University. Cachalia is currently a Professor at the University of Witwatersrand School of Law. A talented individual, Cachalia also received a first class pass for his LLM qualification from the University of Michigan in 1996.