28 Facts About Billy Nair

Billy Nair was a South African politician, trade unionist, and anti-apartheid activist.

Billy Nair was a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and a political prisoner in Robben Island.

Billy Nair was elected to the African National Congress executive committee in 1991 and was a South African member of parliament for two terms prior to his retirement in 2004.

Billy Nair was born in Sydenham, Durban in the then province of Natal, to Indian parents on 27 November 1929.

Billy Nair's parents were Parvathy and Krishnan Nair who had been brought from Kerala, India as an indentured labourer.

Billy Nair was one of five children; his siblings were Joan, Angela, Jay and Shad.

Billy Nair's father was an illiterate ship cargo man and mother supplemented the income by owning a vegetable stall in the Indian market.

Billy Nair started attending Natal Indian Congress meetings becoming a member of its executive in 1950.

Billy Nair continued his trade union activities, eventually becoming the full-time secretary of the Dairy Worker's Union in 1951.

Billy Nair was banned from political activities as part of the ban imposed in Natal of all that had served as secretaries of 16 trade unions under the Suppression of Communism Act.

Billy Nair was among the first group of resisters who were arrested at the Berea station with 21 other fellow-protesters for entering a "Europeans only" waiting room.

In 1953 Billy Nair joined the secretly reconstituted South African Communist party and was a leading member of the South African Congress of Trade Unions when it was formed in 1955 and served on its national executive committee.

Billy Nair was among the 150 activists arrested with Mandela on 5 December 1956 and charged with treason.

Billy Nair went underground for two months before being arrested and detained for 3 months.

Billy Nair was banned for 2 years which was extended to 5 years in 1961.

On 6 July 1963, Billy Nair was arrested and charged with sabotage and attempting to overthrow the government by violent means and sentenced to 20 years on Robben Island along with other members of the Natal Command of MK, including Curnick Ndlovu, Ebrahim Ebrahim, Natoo Barberina, Riot Mkwanazi, Albert Duma, Eric Mtshali and 12 others.

Billy Nair was assaulted multiple times in prison quite seriously and he joined multiple efforts including a five-day hunger strike to bring about reforms at the prison.

Billy Nair was punished severely for his efforts by isolation and removal to the common block.

Billy Nair was denied food and educational privileges for various periods of time.

Billy Nair chose Caliban's lines from The Tempest: 'This island's mine, by Sycorax my mother'.

Billy Nair was released from prison on 27 February 1984 and immediately joined the United Democratic Front, a popular front against apartheid that had been established the year before.

Billy Nair was elected to the national executive committee and regional executive committee of the UDF, became vice-chairperson of the Durban Central Residents' Association, and established the Centre for Community and Labour Studies, a labour-aligned think-tank.

Billy Nair was arrested in August 1984 with several other UDF leaders, held under the Internal Security Act, 1982 and accused of trying to "create a revolutionary climate".

Billy Nair left hiding after the ANC and SACP were unbanned in February 1990 at an advanced stage of the negotiations to end apartheid.

Billy Nair was elected to a seat in the National Assembly, the lower house of the new South African Parliament.

Billy Nair had dropped off the SACP Central Committee in 1998, but in his retirement he remained an ex officio member of the committee.

Billy Nair died on 23 October 2008 at St Augustine's Hospital in Durban, two weeks after suffering a stroke.

In December 1960, Billy Nair married Elsie Goldstone, a trade unionist who was his sister's next-door neighbour.