JOHANNESBURG, Mar 20: South Africa’s prominent Hindu leader and lawyer Ashwin Trikamjee died on Thursday after an illness. He was 80.
Trikamjee was the president of the South African Hindu Maha Sabha and a board director at the 1860 Heritage Centre.
South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa said he was deeply saddened by Trikamjee’s death. “I offer my condolences to the family, friends and associates of this outstanding icon of service to our nation who has passed on at the age of 80,” he said.
Ramaphosa said that Trikamjee’s deep spiritual devotion extended beyond his Hindu affiliation as he advocated tolerance and collaboration among the diverse religious communities in South Africa.
He recalled that as a Black Consciousness activist in the apartheid era, Trikamjee led the Durban Central component of the Natal Indian Congress, founded by Mahatma Gandhi to fight racial discrimination and colonial oppression.
Trikamjee was the first chairman of the National Religious Leaders Forum appointed by the government to promote reconciliation.
In addition, he was the former secretary-general of the International Bar Association for Southern Africa and served as an Acting Judge in the High Court of South Africa. He also served as a council member of the SA Soccer Federation, chairperson of the National Soccer League, vice-president and founding member of the South African Football Association, and chairperson of the SAFA Appeals Board.
Trikamjee also received worldwide recognition when he recited Sanskrit Shlokas at the funeral service of former president Nelson Mandela. (PTI)
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