A leader of the South African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU). Born in Johannesburg in 1929, he began work at the age of 16 and became an active trade unionist, serving as secretary of the National Union of Laundering, Cleaning and Dyeing Workers and the Transvaal Food Canning and Allied Workers. He was a founder member of SACTU, serving as its first national president. He was a member of the South African Peace Council in the mid-1950s and a defendant in the Treason Trial from 1956 until 1961. Banned in 1957, he was detained for five months during the 1960 state of emergency.

He left South Africa on an exit permit in 1963. His twin brother Norman was also active in the Congress movement. He was the first person to be detained for 90-days without trial.