Today, we gather in sorrow but also in deep gratitude to honour the life and legacy of Mark Weinberg, whose passion for justice, unwavering principles, and tireless dedication to the struggle for socialism left an indelible mark on all who knew him.

Mark was not just a good activist; he was a revolutionary thinker, a strategist, and a fighter who believed that a more just and equal world was not only possible but necessary. He stood firmly against injustice in all its forms—economic, social, and political. He understood that unchecked capitalism requires deepening inequality, as well as the constant exploitation of workers and the poor. He dedicated his life to challenging these structures and practices of power, at both an individual-personal as well as a collective-organisational level.

His commitment to a socialist politics was not theoretical; it was rooted in everyday practical work and activism. He was, for much of his adult life, always in the thick of organising and fighting: for the rights of workers to a living wage and decent working conditions; for equal and publicly-centred access to information technology and services; for the enjoyment of public goods, needs and basic services by poor and marginalised communities; and for transparent and accountable public institutions and politicians at all levels of government.

A defining part of Mark’s legacy was his role in co-founding the Right2Know Campaign (R2K)—one of the most important civil society movements in South Africa’s recent history. Born out of the struggle against the Secrecy Bill, R2K became a powerful force in defending freedom of expression, access to information, and the right to protest. Mark’s leadership, vision, and strategic organising helped turn R2K into a movement that not only resisted state secrecy but also strengthened democracy itself.

For Mark, this practical work and activism was not about leaving his personal stamp, about making a living, or about feeling like he had done some good; it was about contributing to changing a system where dignity, equality and fairness are not privileges but the core societal foundations. Whether through nurturing individual and collective relationships, grassroots organising, popular political education, or movement building, Mark worked tirelessly to help create a society where wealth was shared, power was accountable, and justice and equality were truly for everyone.

But beyond this, Mark was a person of profound humanity. He believed in solidarity—not just as a political principle but as a way of life. He gave of his time, his energy, and his heart to those in need and those engaged in struggles for the basics of life and people’s power. He built bridges between movements, empowered young activists, and never lost sight of the people behind all of the politics.

To those who fought alongside him, he was a mentor and a source of strength. To those who opposed him, he was a formidable adversary, always armed with unshakable conviction and an unrelenting demand for justice. He never shied away from difficult conversations, but he approached them with integrity, clarity, and a deep respect for the truth.

Mark’s passing is a great loss—not just to those who loved him but to the people and movements he dedicated his life to helping and strengthening. But we do not honour his memory through grief alone. We will honour him by continuing the struggle. By standing firm in our beliefs. By rejecting injustice wherever we see it—especially in these delicate times, in a dangerous year. By ensuring that his dream of a different South Africa and world does not die with him, but lives on in the actions we take and the future we build.

Rest in power, comrade.
Your fight continues in us.

Alison Tilley