Albert Kwezi Tshangana, a stalwart of the Unity Movement and APDUSA, passed away on Sunday 10 June. He was 86 years of age. He is a rare example of a person who dedicated his life to the cause of liberation without any thought of material gain or self- aggrandisement. Born in Tsomo in the then Transkei, Kwezi sought work in Cape Town in the 1950s where he  joined the movement,  via the Society of Young Africa (SOYA). Right from the start, he proved himself a dedicated member. He later joined Apdusa at its birth in 1961 and participated actively in all of its campaigns in the region. He maintained his commitment through the darkest years of the struggle when many were silenced by the state and others fell by the wayside. In 1971, he was arrested with hundreds of other APDUSA members throughout the country.  He stood firm and was sentenced to five years imprisonment on Robben Island.

After his release he was prevented from returning to Cape Town. He eventually found work in Kimberley where he resumed his political activity. He became a shop-steward of The National Union of Mineworkers and later, in the 1980s, he set about single handedly building a dynamic branch of APDUSA  in an area which the Unity Movement had not managed to maintain itself for many years. Kwezi contributed greatly to the re-establishment of APDUSA as a national organisation.  After he was able to return to his home in Tsomo he became an elected organiser, touring the Eastern Cape, especially in the Pondoland region and rebuilding the organisational network. By 1996 his contribution to the building and maintenance of the APDUSA was fully recognised and he was elected to its presidency, in which position he served for a number of years.

Later, Kwezi played an important role in the documentation of the history of the Unity Movement as the main assistant of the academic researcher, Robin Kayser, which resulted in the important thesis, “Land and Liberty ! : The Non-European Unity Movement and the Land Question, 1933-1976”.

Throughout his years in the fold of the Unity Movement and APDUSA, Kwezi came to appreciate fully that the struggle could only reach fruition in a successful socialist revolution. Though he was not well known outside of Unity Movement circles the greatness of his contribution to the struggle cannot and will not be buried with him. His commitment stands as a shining example to the youth entering the struggle today.