A chronicle of the liberation struggle: the career development of Ahmed Kathrada

Abstract

Ahmed Kathrada (1929–2017), an anti-apartheid activist, political prisoner, and parliamentary politician had been at the centre of South Africa’s liberation struggle for six decades and is remembered as a soft-spoken, strong-willed and incorruptible freedom fighter. This psychobiography uses the career development framework of Jeffrey Greenhaus and the ecological human development systems framework proposed by Urie Bronfenbrenner to investigate and illuminate Kathrada’s life history. Kathrada was purposively selected as subject due to his extraordinary contributions to the liberation struggle. The study used primary and secondary documentary data. The findings indicate poor alignment between the age categories proposed by the Greenhaus framework and Kathrada’s career development stages due to him joining the liberation movement at a very young age, his rapid career development during the early career stage and the impact of imprisonment on his career development. The findings relating to Bronfenbrenner’s theoretical framework illustrate the interaction between individual and environmental factors that influenced Kathrada’s life and career. Ultimately, employing two theoretical frameworks assisted in formulating a pragmatic, holistic and comprehensive psychobiography that illuminates Kathrada’s life and career. The study contributes to the legacy of Kathrada and underscores the importance of longitudinal studies in the career development of extraordinary individuals.

Keywords:

• Psychobiography
• career development
• ecological theory of human development
• Urie Bronfenbrenner
• Jeffrey Greenhaus

Conflicts of interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 An approach that focuses on the individual and emphasises unique personal experiences.

2 The largest non-violent resistance campaign in South Africa and the first pursued jointly by all racial groups under the leadership of the ANC and the SAIC.

3 This document called for a restructuring of all aspects of South African society and demanded a commitment to non-racialism. The document also demanded democratic and human rights, land reform, labour rights, and nationalisation.

4 Banning was a repressive and extrajudicial measure used by the government against political activists. Banned persons were prohibited from attending meetings, speaking in public, publishing or distributing written material.

5 The Sharpeville massacre occurred on 21 March 1960 at a police station in the township of Sharpeville where a group of 7000 protesters demonstrated against the so-called pass laws. When the crowd moved closer toward the police station the police opened fire, killed 69 people – including 29 children – and injured 180.