Media Statement

The African National Congress (ANC) mourns the passing of Comrade Basil John Snayer, a disciplined revolutionary educator and trade unionist whose life was firmly rooted in the struggle to liberate the mind, organise the working class, and transform education as a site of resistance and renewal.

Comrade Basil belonged to a generation of activists who understood that education was both a terrain of oppression under apartheid and a weapon for emancipation. He committed his life to building unity among educators, strengthening democratic organisation, and nurturing political consciousness, particularly among teachers and youth in working-class communities of the Western Cape.

Comrade Basil was deeply grounded in the ANC tradition, and formed part of the movement before its unbanning and remained loyal through the transition to democracy and beyond. His activism was marked by courage and principle, including his willingness to speak truth before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on the brutality of apartheid and the violence visited upon communities and cadres.

As an educator and union leader, he advanced critical thinking, collective leadership and progressive values, turning schools and unions into spaces of organisation and political education. Through COSATU and the broader democratic movement, he consistently aligned workers’ struggles with the historic mission of the ANC.

He was a cultural worker as much as a political one, and he mobilised through music with humility and dignity, reminding us that culture remains central to the struggle for social transformation.

The ANC salutes Comrade Basil Snayer as an unsung hero of the liberation struggle and a servant of the people whose contribution will continue to shape generations of educators, activists and organisers.

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