That Yusuf Dadoo was one of the preeminent political figures in South Africa in the twentieth-century is testified to by figures of comparable historical stature: Olive Tambo (the President-General of the African National Congress [ANC] during the Exile Period), Joe Slovo (central figure in the South African Communist Party [SACP] and arguably the most brilliant military and political strategist during the Exile Period) and Nelson Mandela (the first freely elected President of a democratic South Africa). In an eulogy at Dadoo’s funeral in London in September 1983 had this to say, among other things: “We are gathered here to pay homage to an outstanding leader of the African liberatory struggle, a comrade and friend who devoted most of his life in the service of his people, a communist of world prominence; a dedicated and convinced internationalist who has played an effective role in the anti-imperialist movement for world peace and security and for the social progress of mankind. Loved and admired throughout our movement, ‘Doc’-as he was known- combined the best qualities of a revolutionary patriot and dynamic leader of the working class. Because of his clear understanding of the factors underlying national oppression and economic exploitation of the black South African masses, he was able in his own unassuming manner, to guide and inspire others to commit themselves fully in the struggle for the noble ideals of freedom, democracy and a just social order. Most important of all. He led by example. . . . And yet it would be wrong to conceive of Comrade Dadoo only as a leader of the Indian community of our population. He was one of the foremost national leaders of our country, of the stature of Chief Luthuli, Moses Kotane, J. B. Marks, Bram Fischer, Nelson Mandela and others. Equally, it would be wrong to see him only in the context of political giants, for ‘Doc’ was at home with the younger generation of comrades like Solomon Mahlangu, Simon Mogoerane and other youth militants, some of whom like Mahlangu have already paid the supreme sacrifice for the just cause of our entire people. This accessibility flowed from his friendly nature and simple disposition. . . . We assure you, Comrade Yusuf, the struggle will go on. Victory shall be ours. This grievous occasion brings us together less to mourn your tragic departure than to close ranks and advance, united, to the completion of your unfinished task. . . . In solemn tribute to this great son of our country, we dip our revolutionary banner. . . . The memory and example of Yusuf Mota Dadoo will continue to inspire us until final victory and beyond” (”Message of the National Executive Committee of the ANC”). Dr. Yusuf Dadoo is being commemorated here during his resting rights for his revolutionary resiliency, historical vision and extraordinary combination of internationalism and nationalism. Joe Slovo, in a tribute to Yusuf Dadoo held at the University of Witwatersrand a few years after all the Exiles had returned to South Africa permanently in May 1990, emphasized other attributes and characteristics of this great revolutionary figure: “The times of Yusuf Dadoo are well documented, and the main thrust of my short input will be about Yusuf Dadoo himself the breadth of his contribution was highlighted in a rather heated and, to what might seem to some. A rather odd debate. It was a debate on what words we should put on the headstone of his grave . We eventually hit on the words: ‘Fighter for national liberation, socialism and world peace.’ The choice of words for Yusuf’s headstone was not easy. In fact, it occasioned much debate, and the reason is plain. How do you carve everything Yusuf was into a piece of stone? Could we, indeed, have a grave-stone large enough to do justice to the many layers which made up his many-sided contributions. To scan the whole panorama of his life’s endeavours would have needed more than a grave-stone; it would have needed a mountainside! . . . A qualified medical doctor, he always spurned the wealth he could easily have had. He combined in himself the same qualities of abnegation of wordly possessionsof a Gandhi or a Trevor Huddlestone. . . . Included in the testament which Yusuf signed on the day he died was a short reflection on whether his life merited a biography. . . . He said: ‘Over many years friends and comrades have urged that I write my memoirs. . . . But today, on reflection, I regret that I did not comply with their wishes. I realise that, correctly written, such a book could bring out three crucial developments linking together three motivating ideas of struggle. Firstly, the regeneration of the militancy of the political struggle among Indian people after my return from London. Secondly, as part od this process, the growth of consciousness for the urgent need for unity with the majority of the oppressed, the African people, which led to unity in action of all oppressed and democratic forces. Thirdly, the development of class consciousness during these struggles as an integral part, in fact the key, to creating a free, socialist South Africa.’ In each of these areas, in close on 50 years of political activism, Yusuf won positions in our history which, in combination, are perhaps unique. He reinjected into the Indian community the Gandhi-like spirit of pride and defiance, and became this community’s foremost national leader. But he went further-than the Gandhi of the earlier days, he saw more clearly than the young Gandhi that the fate of all the black oppressed is indivisible. . . . What is more, he never bought his national popularity at the expense of hiding the very driving force of his political life, a devotion to internationalism, to socialism as the ultimate foundation for true freedom and liberation. He was a proud communist and his devotion informed everything he did as a revolutionary nationalist. . . . In summary, there are few figures in our history to match Yusuf Dadoo’s grasp, in practice, of the very complex relationship in our country between national struggle and class struggle. His contribution was not in the sphere of theoretical treatises, but in the practice of struggle and the personal example of his whole life-style” (“A Tribute to Yusuf Dadoo”). As Joe Slovo lucidly indicates, the uniqueness of Yusuf Dadoo in South African political history is his attempt to forge syntheses between Marx and Gandhi, Communism and Islam, internationalism and nationalism. When his writings were assembled by Fatima Meer, Nelson Mandela’s Foreword to Dr. Yusuf Mohamed Dadoo: His Speeches, Articles and Correspondence with Mahatma Gandhi [1939-1983]: “Dr. Yusuf Dadoo was my compatriot and soul mate---nothing divided us in our commitment to the cause of South Africa’s freedom---not religion, nor ideology and not ethnicity. He was one of the most outstanding leaders in our movement remembered by all, in our country and by many beyond. . . . His contribution to the people’s struggle was so highly valued that he remains today one of only three South Africans to be honoured with the Isitwalandwe which was bestowed at the Congress of the People in 1955. The two other recipients were Chief Albert Luthuli and Father Trevor Huddlestone.” In short, Dr. Yusuf Dadoo was a great patriot wholly devoted to a democratic South Africa. Dadoo belonged to a political and intellectual tradition that is ever mentioned or articulated in our cultural history: medical practitioners who were simultaneously outstanding political leaders: Abdullah Abdurahman, Silas Modiri Molema, A. B. Xuma, J. L. Z. Njongwe, William Nkomo. A venerable and noble tradition!