Hugh Lewin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hugh Lewin (3 December 1939 – 16 January 2019)[1][2] was a South African anti-apartheid activist and writer. He was imprisoned from 1964 to 1971 for his activities in support of the African Resistance Movement, and then spent 20 years in exile, returning to South Africa in 1992. An account of his experience, Bandiet (Afrikaans: "bandit"), won the Olive Schreiner Prize in 2003.
Lewin was born in Lydenburg, then in the Transvaal.[1] His parents were Anglican missionaries, William and Muriel (née Paynter).[2] His father, William, was the brother of Francis Lewin , captain of the HMS Veronica, (and great grandfather to John Rees-Evans).
In London in the 1970s, Lewin discovered he had maternal Jewish ancestry, but he was not a practising Jew.[3]
He was educated at Rhodes University and then became a journalist at the Natal Witness in Pietermaritzburg, also writing for Drum magazine and Golden City Post in Johannesburg.[1]
Anti-apartheid activism
He joined the Liberal Party in 1959.[2] Lewin was an anti-apartheid activist, and was imprisoned for seven years from July 1964 for his activities in support of the African Resistance Movement.[1] Evidence was given against him by his friends and fellow activists Adrian Leftwich (who had been best man at Lewin's wedding) and John Lloyd. After serving the full seven-year prison sentence in Pretoria Central Prison, he was given a "permanent departure permit" and left South Africa in 1971.[1]
Exile
Lewin lived for 10 years each in London and Zimbabwe.[4] In London, he was an information officer for the International Defence and Aid Fund, and also worked as journalist for The Observer and The Guardian. Moving to newly independent Zimbabwe in 1981, he was a founding member of the Dambudzo Marechera Trust.[1]
