That a grey-bearded, bicycle riding socialist politician could upset the British establishment seemed, until last week, ridiculous. But that is exactly what Jeremy Corbyn has done. And his victory will be hailed by many South African exiles who spent time in London during the dark days of apartheid.
For Jeremy Corbyn, throughout that period, in the 1970s and 80s, was a solid supporter of the anti-apartheid movement. It was a prime focus of his during a series of campaigns against racism and injustice to which he gave fulsome support. While the Labour Party leadership often dithered, Corbyn and a minority of the “Labour Left” maintained a steadfast criticism of apartheid and racism in Britain.
His constituency of Hackney is also the site of the Hackney Empire, a theatre that provided a venue for numerous fund-raising concerts for human rights causes. The production by the 1985 Edendale strikers of KwaZulu-Natal played to packed houses there, as did a benefit concert in support of Moses Mayekiso and the “Alex Five”. Corbyn was always to the forefront.
However, in those days, he was, as he remained, on the radical fringes of his own, Labour Party. A member of the Campaign Group, that tried to push the party toward a more collective, co-operative — “socialist” — direction and he never deviated from these principles. Now, it appears that these principles, embodied in an election manifesto that included the scrapping of university fees, have carried Corbyn to within a whisker of the British premiership.
He was carried there by the votes of the young, the 18 to 35-year-olds who did not turn out to vote in the “Brexit” referendum about leaving the European Union. Early analysis reveals that 72% of this demographic turned out to vote — and almost all voted Labour.
“Not at all surprising,” says a lecturer at London University’s Goldsmith College, where hundreds of students were polled about their intentions before last Thursday’s election. “The students saw it as supporting a party that promised them a no fee education or one that would leave them with up to £80 000 (R1.3 million) in debt.”
Cape Town, South Africa-based journalist commentator and author specialising in political and economic analysis and labour matters. 
Terry Bell Writes 
basil
June 11, 2017
In reflecting upon this outcome I’m trying to be metaphoric as to whether; a herd of goats being led by a lion or a pride of lions being led by a goat is more appropriate ?
Keith Peacock
June 11, 2017
Good result. Should get better if Labour can keep their MP’s in line.
Terry Bell
June 12, 2017
Ah, Keith — and there’s the rub: constituency members should now rally to deselect the Blairite rump of the party that, unfortunately is still a majority among LP MPs.
Allen Radford
June 13, 2017
Jeremy and, more publically, his brother Piers Corbyn started the Squatter’s Union. I ended up squatting in Islington in the 1970s (with a variety of South African exiles) after reading a copy of their Ruff-Tuff-Cream-Puff Estate agency broadsheet, listing empty GLC buildings around London. Their helpfulness to those of us struggling to fit in as colonialists, far from home, was much appreciated then, as much as it was by the less well-off english compatriots who shared the buildings with us. Today, the entrenched class system is still alive and kicking in the UK and needs this man, Jeremy, to help in replacing it with a more sharing society. I wish him all the best in that endeavour.
Terry Bell
June 13, 2017
Thanks Allen. These are the stories — and the history — that need to be told and remembered. If nothing else — and there is much else — Jeremy Corbyn has been true to the principles he has always expressed. A caring, sharing society is, after all, perhaps the only solution to the long term woes of the world.
Phil Harris
June 13, 2017
I remember the Moses Mayekiso event. I think i did some of the DJaying..
It was, for me, a very important political time. I voted for Jeremy last week not knowing I must have met him 30 years ago 🙂
Great article..
Hope all is good.
Phil
Terry Bell
June 13, 2017
All is slightly better, a grassroots victory, given the election result in Britain. Didn’t want Jeremy and Labour to win and to inherit the mess created by the Tories. Anyway, Phil, since you were around at the time of the Mayekiso campaign, which group were you with? And were you at the great Hackney Empire fund raiser starring the likes of Ben Elton and Lennie Henry? Magnificent evening.