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The African National Congress (ANC) has learnt with sadness about the passing of Comrade Graeme Bloch, one of the stalwarts and veterans of our movement. His death marks the end of a revolutionary life that was dedicated to the freedom of the people of South Africa. All freedom-loving people of South Africa will sorely miss his dedication to the goal of building a non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous South Africa.

Comrade Bloch was a central figure in the National Education Crisis Committee (NECC) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the 1980s. He was detained, harassed and arrested by the apartheid security forces for his involvement in the liberation struggle. He was banned from 1976-81.

He will be remembered for his commitment to transformation, especially in the education sector. Among other things, he was a member of the University of Cape Town Council, served as Director on Lafarge Education Trust, and was on the Board of Equal Education. He has written and published widely on education.

Comrade Graeme Bloch was visiting adjunct Professor at the University of Witwatersrand’s Public and Development Management School (P&DM) and was senior researcher at MISTRA (Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection). He was Education Policy Analyst at the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA). He also taught in the Education Faculty at the University of Western Cape and was Project Manager for youth development at the Joint Education Trust.

The people of our country will treasure his memory as one of our most distinguished sons who consciously chose to fight a cruel and inhumane system at a time when it was extremely dangerous to do so.  He contributed enormously to the downfall of apartheid and was one of the architects of our new democracy.

The ANC sends its heartfelt condolences to his family, comrades and the entire mass democratic movement. We hope they will find solace in the knowledge that their loss is the nation’s loss. We wish them strength and fortitude in their hour of grief and pain.

Issued by The ANC