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This resource is hosted by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, but was compiled and authored by Padraig O’Malley. It is the product of almost two decades of research and includes analyses, chronologies, historical documents, and interviews from the apartheid and post-apartheid eras.

Nair, Billy

1929 -

Nair was detained for the first time 1952 for taking part in the Defiance Campaign.

He worked on the ANC mouthpiece, New Age, in the 1950s. He was an executive member of the Natal Indian Congress and at the time of his arrest in 1963 was one of the organization's deputy vice-presidents. He was a National Executive member and Natal secretary of SACTU and a District Committee member of the Communist Party. He served on the joint committees of the Indian Congress (SAIC), ANC and SACTU.

He spent 20 years on Robben Island from 1964 to 1984. On his release be became Deputy Chairman of the UDF in Natal and also a National Executive member of the UDF. He operated very quietly on the Communist Party, MK and ANC fronts.

He was arrested and detained in connection with Operation Vula in 1990. After the 1994 elections he became an ANC MP.

This resource is hosted by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, but was compiled and authored by Padraig O’Malley. Return to theThis resource is hosted by the site.