Download PDFComrade Steven Leeuw was born in 1982, 07 January. Steven Leeuw was only 38 years old and grew up and lived in Tladi, Soweto. He was born in Kraaipan, a small town under Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality, in North West. Leeuw was a Reclaimer and an active member in the building of the organisation known as African Reclaimers Organisation (ARO). He was also a member of the Forum of Activist Journalism Network and wrote about things that happened in his line of work as he believed in the publication and its purpose.
Comrade Leeuw was a Human Resources student at Vista University for 2 years. He had to drop out because his father was not working anymore and took steps to become a reclaimer staying in Bekezela to try and make a living. Bekezela is a solidarity camp in central Joburg for reclaimers.
Steven joined ARO in 2017 when Eli Kodisang organised reclaimers all over Joburg and where he started being an organiser, a negotiator and played a part in drafting the guidelines for reclaimers with the National Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries. Leeuw was officially an active member for ARO in 2018, 02 September when ARO was launched at the Jozi Book Fair where he was a speaker.
In 2019, he was part of the journalism team at the Khanya College Winter School and in 2020. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he played a huge role in helping reclaimers get food parcels with the help of ARO, the Gift of the Givers and the City of Johannesburg. The following year, 2021, he left ARO after he had found a new job at Voltex where he worked as a driver and a buyer.
Comrade Steven was known and loved for his activism and the work he did for the working class communities. He will forever be missed may his soul rest in peace.
This article was submitted on 07 February 2023. You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online (www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article.
