Priscilla Jana
South African human rights lawyer and activist
Died when: 76 years 310 days (922 months)Star Sign: Sagittarius
Devikarani Priscilla Sewpal Jana (5 December 1943 – 10 October 2020) was a South African human rights lawyer, politician and diplomat of Indian descent.As a member of the African National Congress (ANC) during the anti-apartheid movement, she participated in both legal activism as well as in the underground movement to end apartheid.
She represented many significant figures in the movement, including South African president Nelson Mandela, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Steve Biko, Govan Mbeki, Walter Sisulu, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Jana was one of the very few South Africans who had access to political prisoners, including Mandela, in the maximum security Robben Island prison, and served as an emissary for coded messages between the political prisoners and the ANC leadership.
Jana’s activism made her subject to violent harassment and an eventual banning order.Following the advent of full democracy in South Africa, she became a lawmaker and served as a Member of Parliament with the ANC between 1994 and 1999.
She was also an ambassador of the South African government to the Netherlands and Ireland, and a commissioner with the South African Human Rights Commission.
She was a member of the justice committee that was responsible for the roll-out of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission.