In the second of a two-part tribute, Muhammed Haron honours the life of his mother, Galiema Sadan-Haron, as a determined woman who was a confidante and trusted partner to her husband, anti-apartheid martyr Imam Abdullah Haron.
Galiema: The Determined Widow
She continued to sew and cook when they were forced to trek from lower Claremont to the Cape Flats’ Crawford, where she and her husband built their double-storey home that overlooked a part of City Park Stadium, where rugby matches were played and other sporting activities took place.
They did not live here for very long when the notorious Security Branch (SB) apprehended and incarcerated her husband under the infamous 90-Day Terrorism Act.
He was held incommunicado for 123 days and on September 27, 1969 was announced dead having been murdered at the hands of the SB led by Sergeant Spyker van Wyk and Major Genis, who were never tried for their dastardly deeds.
Nonetheless, months after she was sadly widowed, she returned to Claremont where she went to work as an alteration hander for Personal Dry Cleaners in Vineyard Road for close to three decades.
What this clearly indicated was that despite the tragic situation that she was in, she was determined to earn her keep; she did so with the sole purpose of taking care of her two children, Muhammed and Fatima, who were, of course, under her wing when
her husband was killed while in
detention.
The kids attended primary and high school respectively, and they were the ones who needed her full support. And fortunately, at that time her eldest daughter Shamiela was given support by the Imam’s relatives and friends, such as Barney Desai, who had co-authored The Killing of the Imam (London, 1978).
Though Barney Desai and Cardiff Marney’s informative fact-cum-fictitious text captured part of the Imam’s political life, it understandably did not say much about Galiema, who had no knowledge about this aspect of her husband’s life.
One should state that she had a great deal of confidence and trust in him since they were married. She thus did not ask much about his whereabouts; she only knew that he was doing deliveries for Wilson Rowntree, the sweet-manufacturing company for which he worked throughout the 1960s, and that he served his congregation as a dedicated Imam at Al-Jaamia Mosque since 1955.
Whenever he came home, the Imam would hug and kiss Galiema fondly, tangibly demonstrating the bond between them.
He occasionally lovingly called her: “my bokkie” or “my liefie” and he at times used to surprise her by lifting her up while she was busy with the dishes or cooking.
It should be mentioned that when he was out of funds, he would immediately approach her. Even though she would reprimand him for certain acts, she seldom questioned him about the money.
She knew that he always extended his hand to assist someone in need, whether the person came from within or was from outside his community.
She at times used to raise her voice - though lovingly - and he responded without any anger, telling her not to worry about the issue.
On the whole, one can describe the life Galiema had with Abdullah as more than eventful; this was from the time they entered into marriage until the time the dishonourable SB wrenched him away from her and her children on the morning of May 28, 1969.
Galiema: The Silent Partner
Throughout the almost two decades of marriage, she was able to mention incidents in which she enjoyed and loved the company of her husband. He joked with her and conversed with her romantically and lovingly. For example, they travelled by car to Johannesburg and other South African cities during the early 1960s.
Towards the end of the decade she accompanied him on a memorable trip to the Middle East, where they visited Egypt, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia.
Galiema was never left out of his life, even though he seldom informed her about his political activities; this part of his life she was apprehensive about, but she preferred not to pry; and she left him to do what he always did: serving the community and anyone in a desperate situation.
Galiema, one should stress, came to the Imam’s aide whenever he extended his help to those in need and those who were incarcerated by the apartheid system.
Not much has been recorded about her acts as an enthusiastic supporter of the Imam’s social activities; this may be attributed to the fact that she - like many other partners in the socio-political and religious struggles - was not fully familiar with all his acts.
On top of that, though being a faithful housewife, she, like many other Muslim women, was not well informed about Islam’s overall philosophy and nor was she wholly informed about the notion of social justice within the apartheid state.
She knew aspects, but not in detail since she remained occupied with her household chores, including her profession as a dressmaker.
Leaving aside these aspects, one wishes to underline that she was by his side as his silent “financier” and, of course, his confidante and trusted partner.
Though she was bedridden and had lost her speech, she was always a strong-willed person; even as she laid in her bed she demonstrated this character trait on a few occasions.
Soon after her husband’s tragic murder on September 27, 1969, she showed signs of family leadership.
Apart from having been pained by her dear husband’s killing at the hands of the SB, she saw to it that she had the willpower and the ability to rear her two children single-handedly without giving up hope; nay, she expressed deep faith in God Almighty and that faith kept her going all these years.
In fact, it is as the refrain states: “She believed she could (do it), so she did.”
Galiema: An Indomitable Spirit
According to the apartheid legal system, Galiema was regarded as an “unlawful” wife of the Imam since they were not married in court, and as a result the couple’s children were regarded as illegitimate.
The outcome of this was that she lost her home and was forced to move to her mom’s place in Athlone (Cape Flats) and she was split from her son, who had to stay at the house of a
close associate of the Imam and the family.
Soon after that she purchased a plot of land and built a new house for herself and the children.
In spite of these traumatic experiences, Galiema saw to the education of her two younger children and also assisted her eldest daughter in small ways from her earnings; by then, she had to work at the mentioned dry cleaners, where she worked for a few years.
As a matter of fact, when she was keeping her family together she did so by taking in “boarders” such as Rashied Seria.
Many of these individuals who qualified as doctors, dentists, journalists, and teachers spoke highly of her management skills.
She washed and ironed their clothing, fed them, cared for them.
She demonstrated throughout this period that she was a determined woman, an independent individual, and a focused person.
She generally spoke little but did much. Although she was at times “hard-
koppig” and “astrant”, she relished her liberty and freedom to express her feelings frankly.
Sadly, after reaching 93 she became dependent on her children and others to assist her; despite their willingness to help and aid her, she would still have her say in the matters if things were not in order or were wrong.
There is no doubt that in spite of Galiema’s frail condition - and she had reached a point where she was essentially inaudible - in the eyes
of her children and the community she continued to remain, along
with many others, an unsung heroine with an indomitable spirit; someone whose legacy cannot be ignored but one who should be treasured and
honoured.