Early Life:
Neil Aggett was born in Kenya in 1954, the first-born child of Aubrey and Joy Aggett. He started school in Kenya, and when his parents moved to South Africa in the 1960s he attended Kingswood College in Grahamstown (1964-1970) where he won numerous awards and certificates. In 1976 he completed a medical degree started in 1971 at the University of Cape Town.

Political & Medical Career:
As a doctor, Aggett was exposed to the hardships and poverty-related diseases of workers. He worked mainly in overcrowded Black hospitals in Umtata and Tembisa. While working at Baragwanath hospital in Soweto, Aggett won the trust and respect of both staff and patients alike by his enthusiasm towards his job. In an attempt to understand his patients and make communication easier between him and those he treated, he learned Zulu.

It was at Baragwanath that Neil Aggett became involved in trade union matters. He championed worker rights through his involvement with the Transvaal Food and Canning Workers’ Union, gaining unionist trust, and was appointed organizer. Despite political differences, he kept good relations with his White neighbours in Doornfontein and Kensington. Neil would at times use his own money to help the workers’ cause, such as transport union officials to factories where they organised. Aggett was instrumental in organizing the successful Fatti’s and Moni’s strike in Islando, which spread to other areas such as Tembisa. Aggett became a target of harassment by the security branch of the South African Police for his participation in the strikes and the state labeled him a communist. In 1981 he was entrusted with organising a mass action campaign for workers in Langa, Cape Town. His aim was to see trade unions united in a mass democratic movement mobilizing for the health and prosperity of workers.