Nationality South African Name Jeremy Cronin | ||
 | ||
Succeeded by Lydia Sindiswe Chikunga Born 12 September 1949 (age 74) ( 1949-09-12 ) Political party South African Communist Party Other political
affiliations African National Congress Alma mater University of Cape Town (B.A.), Sorbonne University (M.A.) Role South African Deputy Minister of Transport Party South African Communist Party Office South African Deputy Minister of Transport since 2009 Books Inside & out, More Than a Casual Contact, Inside | ||
Education University of Cape Town Residence Cape Town, South Africa | ||
2 jeremy cronin the bigger the cake growth jobs and equality
Jeremy Cronin (born 12 September 1949) is a South African writer, author, and noted poet. A longtime activist in politics, Cronin is a member of the South African Communist Party and a member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress. He presently serves as the South African Deputy Minister of Public Works.
Contents
- 2 jeremy cronin the bigger the cake growth jobs and equality
- Early life
- Activism and imprisonment
- Poetry
- Collected poems
- Politics
- Political Writings
- References
Early life
Cronin was brought up in a middle-class white Roman Catholic family in Rondebosch in Cape Town, South Africa. During adolescence he considered the idea of entering the priesthood. After a year's military service, which he spent conscripted in the South African Navy, in 1968 Cronin won a bursary to study at the University of Cape Town, where he became a member of the Radical Student Society and was subsequently recruited into the (banned) South African Communist Party (SACP).
In the early 1970s, Cronin studied his masters in Philosophy in France and returned to South Africa, where he began lecturing in the Philosophy department of the University of Cape Town.
Activism and imprisonment
Cronin's work in the propaganda unit of the SACP brought him to the attention of the South African Bureau of State Security; he was arrested on charges under the Terrorism and Internal Security Acts and tried in the Cape Town Supreme Court in September 1976. The charges included conspiring with members of the African National Congress (also a banned organisation) and the SACP, and preparing and distributing pamphlets on these organisations' behalf. Cronin pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment (1976–1983), which he served in Pretoria. His wife Anne Marie died of a brain tumour during his imprisonment.
Poetry
Cronin's first book of poetry, Inside, was published in 1984 following his release from prison. He has recently published a new collection of his poetry, titled More Than A Casual Contact (2006). He wrote a poem called Motho Ke Motho Ka Batho Babang.
Collected poems
Politics
Following Cronin's release from prison he began working with the United Democratic Front (UDF) founded in 1983 where he worked as the editor of its theoretical journal called Isizwe (The Nation). He was also involved in various kinds of popular education, but in the late 1980s, increased harassment from the security forces forced him and his wife to leave South Africa and move first to London, and subsequently to Lusaka in Zambia, where he worked closely with Joe Slovo for the ANC/SACP alliance. He delivered the Chris Hani memorial lecture titled Why South Africa will never be like Zimbabwe in Durban on 4 May 2008. On 10 May 2009, President Jacob Zuma appointed him Deputy Minister of Transport.