Nicholas “Fink” Haysom, the Departure of a True Human Being and a Pan Africanist

By Yasir Arman

I have always been amazed by the white South Africans who had the vision and the courage to stand against the apartheid regime and to struggle for a non-racial society. In particular, the great lawyers and progressive leaders among them, such as Bram Fischer, George Bizos and Nicholas “Fink” Haysom.

Fink was a true human being and a committed Pan-Africanist who stood firmly against apartheid. Among the qualities and positions he has held, including serving as an advisor to President Nelson Mandela, and his contributions to many peace processes such as the Naivasha Peace Process and the Tamil Tigers Peace Process, he has focused on issues of reform and democratic governance, reconciliation, and justice. He gained the respect of the parties on both sides, who were diametrically opposed. As someone who struggled with the grassroots, including his days in the 1970’s in the South Africa student movement during the peak of the anti-apartheid struggle, he learned great lessons to be on the side of justice, the poor and marginalized groups that gave him a wider human perspective that was later evidently clear in his engagement in the peace processes. He was key in drafting the major document of the Naivasha Peace Process, seeking to understand and address the root causes of the problem rather than paying lip service or focusing only on superficial issues.

I had the pleasure of knowing Fink from close proximity during the Naivasha Peace Process. The many evenings he spent with the SPLM delegation, trying to understand the issues at hand and sharing his experience in South Africa and elsewhere, and his background and commitment during the anti-apartheid struggle, gave him the necessary confidence and trust from the SPLM delegation. He managed to develop warm, human relations with our delegation and with us individually. In the Naivasha Peace Process and later on in Khartoum, during the implementation of the CPA, and in Addis Ababa, when I was the head of the SPLM delegation with the Sudan government, I had great opportunities to discuss and interact with him, especially since I have always been interested in the South African anti-apartheid movement. A year ago when I met him, I tried to understand from him the difficulties of the historical alliance of the South African progressive forces that had defeated apartheid and the danger of it disintegrating, especially the relations between the African National Congress, the Communist Party, and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and its impact on South Africa and Africa in general.

Fink Haysom had great engagement with the SPLM when it was calling for a united Sudan. In his position as the Representative of the UN Secretary General in South Sudan, it would have been a very valuable contribution for the two Sudans and for the SPLM if he had the chance to record his reflections on his experience during his important engagement in Sudan and South Sudan. Nicholas “Fink” Haysom will be missed by many who have known him and his qualities as a professional and a freedom fighter. I extend my sincere condolences to his family, friends and comrades.