The South African government has paid tribute to veteran editor Rafiq Rohan who passed away at the weekend, describing the former political prisoner on Tuesday as a journalist with a “gentle yet firm and confident ability to tell stories of hope and determination.”
Rohan was found dead at his Durban flat on Sunday. The circumstances surrounding his death are not yet known.
Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) acting director general Michael Currin described the death of as a shock to many in the government communication fraternity who had worked with Rohan.
“His gentle yet firm and confident ability to tell stories of hope and determination in our country’s efforts to improve the lives of ordinary citizens, continue to inspire us in our work in communicating the South African story in the GCIS,”
Rohan served as editor of the government’s Vuk’uzenzele newspaper from 2005 to 2010.
In recent years, he worked as a senior editor at Al Jazeera and editor-in-chief at Tunisia Live.
Rohan was convicted of 21 counts of terrorism during apartheid years and was detained at the infamous Robben Island.
He was released in 1991 during a hunger strike and amnesty process after the release of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela.
JN/APA