From Freedom Charter to principled life, saluting Leon Levy

Leon Levy, the last surviving signatory of the Freedom Charter and a veteran of South Africa’s liberation struggle, died this week at the age of 96. His political life spanned anti-apartheid activism, exile, imprisonment, and democratic transition. 

Levy stood trial and was ultimately found not guilty alongside Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu during the 1956 Treason Trial. He later became the first person detained under apartheid’s 90-day detention law, allowing a person to be detained for three months without trial or access to a lawyer. 

Levy died in Cape Town following a period of frailty, according to his family. Tributes from across the political spectrum have described him as a principled freedom fighter, trade unionist, and moral voice whose commitment to justice never wavered. 

Born in 1929 in Johannesburg to Jewish immigrant parents from Lithuania, Leon and his identical twin brother, Norman, became politically active while still schoolboys in Yeoville. Raised in a home shaped by the legacy of antisemitism and displacement, the twin brothers were drawn to socialist ideals and to the fight against racial injustice in South Africa. 

Author and journalist Jonathan Ancer, in his book Mensches in the Trenches, writes that Levy belonged to a generation of Jewish activists whose contributions were decisive yet often overlooked. He notes that Jews were disproportionately represented among those accused in the Treason Trial and in underground resistance structures, including the Rivonia headquarters of the African National Congress (ANC). 

Levy joined the ANC and became deeply involved in the trade union movement. As president of the South African Congress of Trade Unions, the forerunner of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), he played a central role in organising workers and mobilising opposition to apartheid legislation. He was involved in all the major Congress campaigns of the 1950s, including the Congress of the People in Kliptown in 1955. 

At that gathering, Levy was one of six trade union representatives who signed the Freedom Charter on behalf of the labour movement. The charter would become the ideological foundation of South Africa’s democratic Constitution. 

In 1956, Levy was arrested with 155 others and charged with high treason. The Treason Trial, which lasted more than four years, placed him in the dock alongside some of the most prominent leaders of the liberation movement. The accused were ultimately acquitted in 1961. 

Soon afterwards, Levy was arrested again and became the first person detained under the apartheid government’s 90-day detention law. He was held at Marshall Square Prison in Johannesburg, much of the time in solitary confinement. He later recalled the profound isolation of detention and the psychological toll it took. 

Following his release, increasing repression caused Levy to take an exit visa and leave South Africa. He settled in the United Kingdom (UK), where he built a new life while continuing his political work. He became a specialist in labour relations, and remained engaged with the struggle from abroad. 

Levy returned to South Africa in 1997, choosing to settle in Cape Town. In his late 60s, he began a new chapter, joining the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) as a senior commissioner. He served for more than two decades, retiring only at the age of 89. 

His daughter, Emma Levy, described him as a deeply principled and compassionate man whose public courage was matched by private kindness. “He was an amazing father,” she said. “Incredibly kind, understanding, patient, loyal, courageous, principled, brave, compassionate, very generous in spirit, and extremely wise.” 

An only child, Emma grew up with her parents in exile in the UK. She said her father lived by simple guiding principles which he passed on throughout her life. “He used to say, ‘Nothing’s your business unless you make it your business,’” she recalled. “Another was, ‘If you don’t succeed at first, try, try again.’ And one that annoyed me when I was younger, but I understand now, was that bad moods are expensive luxuries.” 

Levy was known among colleagues for his calm authority and ability to defuse conflict. At the CCMA, where he was affectionately known as “uncle”, he was respected for his patience, insight, and generosity with younger commissioners. He was also known for keeping fruit in his office for times when he had to rush between hearings, which he often shared with colleagues. 

Emma said her father’s greatest strength lay in his capacity to help people find their own solutions. “He always believed in keeping your head in a crisis,” she said. “That ability to calm people down and help them resolve conflict was his real skill.” 

In 2021, Levy published his memoir, Back to the Front, in which he reflected on his years in the struggle. Writing the book, he later acknowledged, helped him confront the emotional cost of a life spent in resistance. 

Family friend and fellow activist Peta Wolpe, whose late father, lawyer and anti-apartheid activist Harold Wolpe worked closely with Levy and his twin brother, said Levy’s contribution had never been about recognition. “They acted because it was the right thing to do,” she said. “There was a moral compassion there that shaped their lives and affected everything they did.” 

Wolpe said Levy belonged to a generation whose youth was consumed by political commitment. “They were half youth and half adult,” she said. “They didn’t have an ordinary youth. Their lives were dominated by politics, organising, distributing leaflets, going into townships, and attending meetings.” 

The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) paid tribute to Levy as a stalwart of the resistance and a figure of deep moral authority. SAJBD National Director, Professor Karen Milner said Levy’s association with the Jewish community remained strong throughout his life, and that he had spoken at Jewish schools, sharing his experiences with students and staff. 

In 2015, the Board awarded Levy the Rabbi Cyril and Ann Harris Human Rights Award in recognition of his lifelong commitment to justice and human dignity. President Cyril Ramaphosa, Cosatu, and leaders across the liberation movement also issued statements mourning his death, describing him as a freedom fighter whose sacrifices helped lay the foundations for a non-racial democracy. 

Levy was predeceased by his wife, Lorna, who passed away last November, and his identical twin brother, Norman, who died during the COVID-19 pandemic. Emma said the loss of his wife had affected him deeply, and that his final years were marked by physical decline but mental clarity. 

“He lived a full life,” she said. “He did everything he wanted to do. He had friends, culture, music, books, and purpose right until the end.” Levy is remembered as a man whose life bridged Jewish ethical tradition and South Africa’s struggle for freedom, and whose quiet integrity left an enduring mark on the country’s history. He is survived by his daughter, Emma, and grandchildren, Daisy and Jonny.