Prof. Sandy Africa
The news about the passing of Jenni Irish-Qhobosheane left me with a feeling of deep sadness, I had a deep respect for Jenni, shaped by many comfortable interactions with her over decades. I considered Jenni a lifelong comrade, and even though we weren’t close friends, I always felt a sense of connection to her.
I first met Jenni as a student at the Howard College campus of the then-University of Natal in the early 1980s. That being over forty years, I can’t recall if we took the same classes. At the time, being diligent students was less important (to some of us) than standing up against apartheid. Jenni was an active and committed member of NUSAS, and worked alongside the many students, community political activists, trade unionists and professional bodies, in the mass democratic movement.
The UDF was formed in 1983, and Jenni was among the democrats whose organisations took part in the campaigns that took place under the weight of the repressive apartheid system. Almost always in jeans, and with a generous smile that came easily, Jenni moved quickly, purposefully, exuding life and curiosity. I must have encountered her hundreds of times - in the library, the student cafeteria, the Students’ Union where many protest meetings were held, in campaign meetings and actions, and in other spaces and circumstances that were part and parcel of our young lives.
On campus, the Black Students’ Society (formed by Black Students to represent the interests in a context where racial discrimination still was a reality for black students) was not as well-resourced as NUSAS, and the SRC, and Jenni were always quick to share resources with those of us in the BSS.
This was a period when the apartheid was descending into deep crisis, and the response of the apartheid regime was to unleash its security forces. Under the State of Emergency, thousands of people were detained, and many lost their lives.
It was probably this reality and its impact on the communities of what was later to become the province of KwaZulu/Natal that propelled Jenni, armed with her social science skills, and her roots in the struggle for democracy and justice, to embark on what was to be a life-long journey of studying how organized violence and insecurity impacted on people’s lives, and what could be done, by governments, civil society organizations, and communities to reduce such violence and promote safety, security and accountability in the criminal justice system.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, Jenni’s contributions included her work with Diakonia, the Human Rights Commission, and the Network of Independent Monitors, which she coordinated. These would have been stressful roles, requiring a high level of discipline, integrity and courage. In 1995, I moved with my family to Pretoria to take up a role in the newly constituted security services.
Under President Mandela, we were very well aware of the duress that people like Jenni, who remained on the frontlines, calling attention to the insidious and often brazen acts of political violence would have been under as they went about their work. After leaving Durban, I had limited contact with Jenni. I followed her research work which I found to be rigorous, clear, and focused on addressing the various security challenges facing South Africa. I was not surprised when I learned that she was appointed to head the Secretariat for Police in 2009, a position she held till 2014.
Despite the pressures that the police were under siege, and the policy dictates being prescribed were sometimes questionable, Jenni conducted herself with diligence, principle and commitment. Her impeccable record as one of the country’s leading thought leaders and experts on understanding the social drivers and the patterns of organized violence, had long earned her the respect she deserved, and anyone who knew her was confident she would always find a way to push the agenda of addressing the root causes of crime. At the same time, Jenni advocated for the professionalism of the security services and effective oversight of them as they went about their duties.
In recent years, I had two professional encounters with Jenni. The first was in 2022 when I saw her after many years at a seminar I spoke at, convened by the Human Sciences Research Council, to launch the 2022 Strategic Organized Crime Risk Assessment in South Africa. Jenni by then was working for the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GITOC), the organization which had prepared the report.
She was the kind, warm, gentle person I had first met decades ago, and she greeted me with a warm smile. I’m glad it was an in-person meeting, given that so many interactions are filtered by hybrid meetings. The next time, we did share a platform – a virtual one. The HSRC convened a webinar in April 2023 to discuss the impact of the so-called construction mafia. Jenni kicked off the webinar with a 20-minute presentation on the results of research she had conducted for GITOC and several of us were respondents thereafter.
My main recollection of the conversation was how resolute Jenni was in defining the problem – compassionate about the social milieu that gives rise to organized crime, but insistent that the criminal gangs’ compromising of the lives and livelihoods of others was unacceptable and had to be dealt with firmly by the police.
Those of us who crossed paths with her, and shared moments of joy, fear and discovery with her, are the richer for our experiences. Jenni was respected in the democratic movement circles that shaped her, and across the professional fields to which she contributed her knowledge, time and capabilities. This respect endured over time.
Friends who knew them as a couple say that Jenni was devastated when she lost her husband, former MK freedom fighter and Commander Kevin Qhobosheane, who shared her life and convictions. We can honour Jenni’s memory by living with purpose and striving to make the world and our country more peaceful, and our societies less violent, so that all communities can enjoy safety, and security and reach their full potential.
* Prof. Sandy Africa is the Director: Research at the Mapubgubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection. She writes in her personal capacity.
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.