Anti-Apartheid writer and activist Breyten Breytenbach dies at 85

Breyten Breytenbach, the acclaimed South African poet, novelist, and anti-apartheid activist, has died at the age of 85, his family has confirmed. He passed away peacefully in his sleep in Paris, with his wife, Yolande Ngo Thi Hoang Lien, by his side.

Breytenbach, known for his piercing critiques of apartheid and his commitment to human rights, leaves behind a legacy that spans literature, activism, and art. “He was an immense artist and a relentless fighter for a better world,” his family said in a statement.

Jack Lang, France’s former education minister, paid tribute on social media, calling him “a rebel with a tender heart” who stood by every struggle for human dignity.

Born in the Western Cape on Sept. 16, 1939, Breytenbach grew up during the early years of apartheid. Though he would spend much of his life in exile, his South African roots shaped his worldview and work. He attended the University of Cape Town and became part of the Sestigers, a group of Afrikaans writers who used literature to confront the injustices of the apartheid regime.

Afrikaans, a language with roots in Dutch, was closely associated with the ruling Afrikaner elite during apartheid. Despite its fraught political ties, Breytenbach embraced the language while rejecting its role in the oppressive system. “I’d never reject Afrikaans as a language,” he told The New York Times, “but I reject it as part of the Afrikaner political identity.”

In 1960, Breytenbach left South Africa, beginning a self-imposed exile in Europe. He eventually settled in France, where he met Yolande, whom he married despite apartheid-era laws prohibiting interracial unions. The couple’s attempts to return to South Africa were thwarted when Yolande was denied entry because she was classified as “non-white.”

In 1975, Breytenbach made a clandestine trip back to South Africa, where he was arrested for aiding anti-apartheid resistance groups. He was sentenced to seven years in prison for terrorism. His imprisonment became the subject of his seminal work, The True Confessions of an Albino Terrorist, which offered a harrowing account of life behind bars, including two years in solitary confinement.

French President François Mitterrand helped secure Breytenbach’s release in 1982, and he later became a French citizen. Though apartheid eventually crumbled, Breytenbach remained critical of the post-apartheid government led by the African National Congress (ANC), accusing it of corruption and failing the ideals of the liberation struggle.

Beyond South Africa, Breytenbach used his voice to address global injustices. In a 2002 open letter published in The Guardian, he criticized Israeli policies toward Palestinians, writing, “A viable state cannot be built on the expulsion of another people who have as much claim to that territory as you have.”

Breytenbach authored more than 50 books, many translated into multiple languages. He was also a celebrated painter, known for his surreal depictions of human and animal captivity. His contributions to the arts were recognized by France’s Order of Arts and Letters, the country’s highest cultural honor.

He is survived by his wife, Yolande, daughter Daphnée, and two grandsons. His work, rooted in the pursuit of justice and freedom, continues to inspire generations.