Elijah Barayi
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Elijah Barayi (15 June 1930 – 24 January 1994) was a South African trade union leader.[1]
Born in Lingelihle Cradock, Barayi was one of eight children that, all came from a working-class family.[2] Cradock was known for being a politically active town, which later on became known as the "Cradock Four" for anti-apartheid activism.[3] Elijah Barayi studied at Lwana Primary School, and he also got his certificate at Nuwell High School. Barayi joined the ANC Youth League as a teenager in 1952.[2] He was arrested in the early 1950s for being a participant in the Defiance Campaign. The Defiance Campaign was known as the first civil disobedience since the apartheid laws were set in place. This campaign involved many volunteers from different areas of South Africa, who broke these apartheid laws on purpose to shed light on the injustice done against them.[4] He and many others were arrested during a state of emergency after the Sharpeville Massacre on 21 March 1960.[5] This was seen as a turning point in ANC activism, which pushed many activists underground. Barayi aspired to study at Fort Hare University, which produced many notable African leaders, including Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela. His family was unable to afford tuition, so he instead became a clerk at the Department of Native Affairs, which is a government office that was responsible for enforcing apartheid policies. Later, he decided to resign from this job because he viewed the department as enforcing discrimination. This decision reflected his stance on social and political justice.[2]
In 1952, Barayi joined the African National Congress (ANC) and worked closely with James Calata. James Calata was the ANC Secretary General.[2] He participated in the Defiance Campaign, which was organized by the South African Indian Congress and the ANC, presenting himself at a local police station without papers after curfew, for which he was sentenced to one month in prison.[6][7][4]
After the Sharpeville Massacre that took place on 21 March 1960, the South African government decided to ban the ANC and declare a state of emergency. Barayi was again arrested and held for five months.[5] His repeated arrests showed that political activists that were being oppressed under apartheid laws, and this experience has made him more determined to fight discrimination.[8]
In the 1980s, Elijah Barayi's attention became more occupied by the labor movement. In 1982, he founded the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). This became one of the most notable trade unions in South Africa. By joining the National Union of Mineworkers, this marked the start of a new direction of bringing labor organization and politics together.
Trade union career
Following the release, he moved to Brakpan to escape police harassment and found work as a personnel officer at a gold mine.[2] In 1973, he moved to a similar role in Carletonville and was elected as the chair of the mine's liaison committee. These committees were designed by mining companies to limit the amount of worker influence, which reinforced Barayi's view that workers deserved fair representation.[9] He attempted to use the role to oppose racial discrimination and the underpayment of many of the Black workers, and was banned by management from standing for a second term.[6][7][10]
While Barayi was being restricted, he still continued to influence the mineworkers. His experience in Carletonville showed many of the limitations that were put onto people by the Liaison Committee, which was controlled by management, and this all happened because they didn't want workers to have good representation.[11] This frustration pushed him to take a stronger stand in support of labor organizing. Going into the late 1970s, Barayi had become a significant voice in labor activism. He stood against the apartheid practices that were happening in the mining industry.[12]
