Ivan Toms

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Ivan Toms (July 11, 1953 - March 25, 2008) was a South African physician, who battled the Apartheid era government as a prominent anti-Apartheid and anti-conscription activist. [1] At the time of his death in 2008, Toms was serving as the Director of Health for the city of Cape Town, South Africa. [2]

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[edit] Early life

Ivan Toms was born in Cape Town on July 11, 1953. [3] He attended and received his medical degree from the University of Cape Town, where he graduated from in 1976.[3]

[edit] Conscription

Toms was drafted into the national service in the South African Defence Force (SADF), as a non-combatant doctor in 1978.[2][3] He opposed the goals of the SADF, but refused to leave South Africa.[3] He spent much of his six months as a doctor in Namibia, which was then known as South West Africa and was controlled by South Africa.[2]

Once he returned to Cape Town, Toms set up a medical clinic in the squatter settlement of Crossroads, which is located about 15 km outside of the city in the Cape Flats area.[2] He was the only doctor who served the Crossroads' population of approximately 60,000 people.[3] In September 1983, Toms witnessed a three week long confrontation between the Crossroads community and the South African police and security forces, who were trying to tear down "illegal" buildings in the settlement.[3] After witnessing the violence and brutality of the raid, Toms vowed never to serve in the SADF again, even in a non-combatant capacity.[2] He went public with his opinions on what he had witnessed and became a founding member of the End Conscription Campaign (ECC) in 1983.[3] Toms' co-founders of the ECC included other prominent anti-conscription activists including Nan Cross.[4]

Toms went on a three week long hunger strike in February 1985 to protest the government's decision to buldoze the Crossroads shanty town.[1][2][3] The destruction of Crossroads resulted in violence and the deaths of several people as residents tried to resist the destruction.[3] Toms commented during his hunger strike that, "As a Christian, I am obliged to say no, to say never again will I put on that SADF uniform."[1]

The SADF officially took control of Toms' health clinic in 1986.[3] The following year, in July 1987, Toms defied the SADF when he was called up for one month of compulsory service. [2][3] He was sentenced to 21 months in prison in 1988 for defying the order and ultimately served nine months in Pollsmoor Prison.[3]

[edit] Post-Apartheid

Ivan Toms became the national co-ordinator of the National Progressive Primary Healthcare Network in 1991 at the end of the Apartheid era.[3] The AIDS virus was beginning to sweep through South Africa at the time.[2] Toms, as the national co-ordinator, began to implement a series of programs to combat the spread of AIDS and HIV in the country. He was considered a pioneer in the advocacy of the use of antiretroviral drugs to fight the disease.[1] He became director of the Students' Health and Welfare Centres Organisation in 1993, which is a non-governmental organization which runs medical clinics staffed by students in poor areas.[3] He continued to work for non-governmental charities until 1996, when he became the Health Director in the City of Cape Town.[3]

South African President Thabo Mbeki awarded Ivan Toms with the Order of the Baobab in 2006 for his stance against Apartheid and his public service for South Africans in need.[3]

[edit] Death

Ivan Toms died unexpectedly of meningitis at his home in Mowbray on March 25, 2008, at the age of 54.[1] [2][3] He was honored by prominent South African political figures, including Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and the Mayor of Cape Town, Helen Zille.[2] Archbishop Tutu described himself as "devastated" by the news of Toms' death and paid tribute to him saying, "I thank God that I knew him. Knowing him makes (one) feel proud. This is a prime example of someone who had ubuntu. He was utterly selfless."[5] His funeral, which was attended by hundreds of people including Archbishop Tutu, was held at St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town.[6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Ivan Toms, doctor who battled policy of apartheid", Associated Press, Boston Globe, 2008-03-28. Retrieved on 2008-04-14. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Ivan Toms, 'bravest of the brave', dies in Cape Town", South African Press Association, Mail and Guardian, 2008-03-25. Retrieved on 2008-04-14. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Ivan Toms, South African doctor opposed to the conscription that bolstered apartheid", The Guardian, 2008-04-10. Retrieved on 2008-04-14. 
  4. ^ "Nan Cross: Supported men resisting apartheid conscription", The Sunday Times (South Africa), 2007-07-22. Retrieved on 2007-09-17. 
  5. ^ "Ivan Toms found dead", Cape News, Independent Online (South Africa), 2008-03-26. Retrieved on 2008-04-14. 
  6. ^ "Tutu praises anti-apartheid hero", SABC News, 2008-04-02. Retrieved on 2008-04-14.