Welsh communist and anti-apartheid activist (1883–1924)
David Ivon Jones
Jones circa 1910
Born
(1883-10-18)18 October 1883
Aberystwyth, Cardiganshire, Wales
Died
13 April 1924(1924-04-13) (aged 40)
Yalta, Soviet Union
Resting place
Novodevichy Cemetery, Moscow
Other names
"The Delegate for Africa"
Occupation(s)
Journalist, grocer, trade unionist
Organization(s)
Industrial Workers of Africa (IWA). War on War League.
Known for
Opposition to apartheid. Translating many of Lenin's works into English. Founding member of the Communist Party of South Africa. Imprisoned for promoting both racial equality and communism
Notable work
The Bolsheviks are Coming (1919)
Political party
South African Labour Party (1911–1915), International Socialist League (1915–1921) South African Communist Party (1921–1924) Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) (unknown date)
Relatives
John Ivon Jones (grandfather)
David Ivon Jones (18 October 1883 – 13 April 1924) was a Welsh communist, newspaper editor, and political prisoner, most famous as a leading opponent of South African racial segregation and for being one of the first white activists in South Africa to fight for equal rights for black South Africans.[1] Jones was also one of the founders of the Communist Party of South Africa, and in 1917 played a leading role in the formation of South Africa's first all-black trade union, the Industrial Workers of Africa (IWA). Later in life he became one of the first people to translate Vladimir Lenin's works into English.[2] He also started some of the first night-classes for African workers, and in 1919 was convicted and imprisoned for publishing a leaflet supporting both communism and racial equality,[3] in what was the first major court case against communism in South Africa's history.[4] He is credited as being the most influential South African socialist of his time.[5]
Upon first arriving in South Africa in 1910, Jones was a Christian liberal and became a supporter of the pro-segregationist party, the South African Labour Party (SALP), becoming their general secretary in 1914. However, shortly afterwards he resigned as the leader of the SALP in 1915, became a communist and an atheist, and spent the remainder of his life fighting against racial segregation, capitalism, and colonialism. In later life, Jones's became a strong supporter of the Bolsheviks and their leader Vladimir Lenin, who in turn was impressed with Jones's reports of class and racial divisions in South Africa.
Jones was also a supporter of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) and is considered an iconic figure and hero by many socialist and anti-apartheid political parties, including the South African Communist Party, the Communist Party of Britain, and the African National Congress.[6]
^Davies, Russell (15 June 2015). People, Places and Passions: A Social History of Wales and the Welsh. Vol. 1. University of Wales Press. p. 258. ISBN 9781783162383.
^Visser, Wessel (2005). "Exporting Trade Unionism and Labour Politics: The British Influence on the Early South African Labour Movement". New Contree (49): 12. S2CID 150767409.
^Stevenson, Graham (11 October 2011). "Jones, David Ivon". Encyclopedia of Communist Biographies. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
^Hirson, Baruch (1991). "Notes towards an intellectual history of the early communist party: The influence of David Ivon Jones". African Studies Seminar Series: 9 – via Wired Space.
^Hirson, Baruch (1991). "Notes towards an intellectual history of the early communist party: The influence of David Ivon Jones". African Studies Seminar Series. University of Witwatersand: Institute for Advanced Social Research: 1 – via Wired Space.
^"Tributes to Mandela and Aberystwyth civil rights campaigner". BBC. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
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