Hamba Kahle Sunny Singh: A Pillar of Courage, Discipline, Sacrifice

Jeff Radebe

On the morning of Thursday, 20 November 2025, our nation awoke to the solemn news of the passing of one of the giants of our liberation struggle, Comrade Sunny Singh, a veteran of our broad democratic movement, the African National Congress, a fearless combatant of Umkhonto weSizwe, and a loyal servant of the masses of our people. His departure marks the end of an era, but also the continuation of a legacy that shaped the soul of our movement and the destiny of our country.

Comrade Sunny belonged to that rare generation of patriots who, at the height of apartheid terror, chose courage over comfort, sacrifice over self-interest, and struggle over silence. He was among the first generation of MK volunteers, those brave men and women who stepped forward in 1961 when the ANC, having been banned and brutalised, turned to armed struggle as a necessary form of resistance.

When peaceful protest was violently crushed, when hope seemed dim, when the apartheid state believed it had silenced our people forever, it was cadres like Sunny Singh who reignited the flame of freedom.

Under the command of leaders such as Curnick Ndlovu and Billy Nair, he joined MK units that undertook sabotage operations in and around Durban. These actions were never acts of recklessness, but carefully planned political interventions aimed at shaking the pillars of apartheid and demonstrating that the oppressed would never submit quietly.

That he was arrested with his unit and tried alongside giants such as Shadrack Maphumulo, Billy Nair, Curnick Ndlovu, George Naicker, and Riot Mkhwanazi was not a defeat; it was a badge of honour, a marker of loyalty to the sufferings and aspirations of millions.

Sentenced to a decade on Robben Island, Comrade Sunny endured the harshest conditions the apartheid regime could impose. Yet, like so many of his comrades, he walked out of prison unbroken, unbent, and undeterred. Robben Island forged leaders; it did not crush them. It sharpened their political consciousness and deepened their love for the people. Comrade Sunny emerged from that crucible of suffering as a disciplined cadre, a thinker, a strategist, and a soldier of the revolution.

I first encountered Comrade Sunny in 1976 during my articles at the law offices of Archie Gumede and Phyllis Naidoo. He, together with other recently released political prisoners, devoted themselves to supporting, guiding, and politically educating young underground operatives. Among those present was my comrade-in-arms, Mdu Guma. Sunny took it upon himself to give us practical lessons in evading physical surveillance, teaching us the art of survival under a ruthless security apparatus.

His stories were vivid, humorous, and profound, and always grounded in the political clarity and discipline that defined his generation. He joked about how, upon his release, he did not recognize the fashion shift from mini-skirts to maxi dresses, a small but telling reminder of how imprisonment robbed a generation of even the ordinary rhythms of life.

But his lessons were never trivial. They were preparations for the intensifying struggle of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Our paths would cross again in December 1982 in Maputo, where Comrade Sunny, together with Indres Naidoo, briefed me on the horrific Matola raid of the previous year. That brutal attack by the racist SADF claimed the lives of many of our comrades, including Mdu Guma, and remains one of the darkest stains on the apartheid regime.

Sunny’s ability to analyse, interpret, and explain the enemy’s operations with precision reflected his growing stature within the ANC’s Department of Intelligence and Security, where he later played an indispensable role.

After the democratic breakthrough of 1994, Comrade Sunny continued his service to the Republic, this time in the formal structures of the democratic state. He joined Crime Intelligence as a Colonel, contributing to the development of the new nation’s security architecture. He did so with the same humility and dedication that had defined his years in underground work and in MK. He served until retirement with honour and distinction, always maintaining that the true test of a revolutionary is not only how one fights in times of oppression, but how one builds in times of freedom.

I last saw Comrade Sunny on 20 September 2025, at the launch of Yunus Carrim’s book, titled “Attacking the Heart of Apartheid.” The book recounts the historic operations of the Special Operations Command, including the 1980 bombing of Sasol. Sunny’s presence there was fitting, for he was part of the same Special Operations network, providing intelligence support for some of the most daring acts of resistance our movement ever executed. Even in his later years, he remained sharp, engaging, humorous, and deeply committed to telling the story of the struggle with honesty and humility.

Comrade Sunny represents the best of the ANC tradition: principled, disciplined, selfless, committed to justice, unwavering in loyalty, and guided by the moral clarity that defined the leaders of his generation. In him, we saw the embodiment of Tambo’s quiet strength, Luthuli’s moral courage, Sisulu’s humility, and Hani’s unwavering commitment to the dignity of the oppressed. His life is a reminder of the calibre of leadership South Africa produced in its darkest hours and the calibre we must strive to reproduce in our own time.

On behalf of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, I extend our deepest sympathies to his wife, his children, his family, and all who loved him. We thank them for sharing him with our nation during times when the cost was high and the sacrifices immense. His life enriched our movement; his service strengthened our revolution; his example will guide future generations.

Hamba kahle, Mkhonto.

Your journey continues in the freedom you helped secure.

Your courage lives in the movement you built.

Your memory will remain eternal in the hearts of our people.

May your revolutionary soul rest in peace.

* Jeff Radebe is the ANC's KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Task Team (PTT) Convenor.

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.