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eventREF E-0074548Revised

Event record

Archibald Gumede, former President of the United Democratic Front, is born in Pietermaritzburg.

Date
1 Mar 1914
Updated
30 Sep 2019
Archibald Gumede, former President of the United Democratic Front, is born in Pietermaritzburg.

Archibald Archie Gumede was born on 1 March 1914 in Pietermaritzburg.  He studied at the South African Native College (now University of Fort Hare), but dropped out after two years. He returned to Natal and joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1949 and became secretary of the Natal branch. Gumede was very active in the Natal ANC, leading the delegation to the Congress of the People in Kliptown in 1955 and in the campaigns against the extension of pass laws to women. Gumede established his own law practice in Natal in 1970 after being admitted to the bar. He became chairman of the Release Mandela Committee (RMC) in 1979. He was founding member of the United Democratic Front (UDF) and subsequently became its president in 1983. Gumede and his party were banned in 1986. Over the following years he continued his law practice. In 1994 Gumede became a member of the National Assembly of South Africa. He died in June 1998 at the age of 84.

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How we know this

  1. 01O’Malley, Gumede, Archibald Jacob (Archie) from O'Malley [online] Available at: www.nelsonmandela.org[Accessed on 23 February 2012]
  2. 02Diakonia Centre, Key figures-short biographies from Dikonia Centre [online] Available at: https://diakoniaconferences.co.za [Accessed on 23 February 2012]

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2012, February 24). Archibald Gumede, former President of the United Democratic Front, is born in Pietermaritzburg.. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0074548

South African History Online (2012) 'Archibald Gumede, former President of the United Democratic Front, is born in Pietermaritzburg.', South African History Online, 24 February. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0074548 (Accessed: 7 August 2026).

South African History Online, Archibald Gumede, former President of the United Democratic Front, is born in Pietermaritzburg. [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0074548, (accessed 7 August 2026).

"Archibald Gumede, former President of the United Democratic Front, is born in Pietermaritzburg.." South African History Online, 24 Feb. 2012, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0074548. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

South African History Online. "Archibald Gumede, former President of the United Democratic Front, is born in Pietermaritzburg.." South African History Online. February 24, 2012. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0074548.

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