Johannes Nkosi’s gravesite, Stellawood Road Cemetery

Johannes Nkosi (1905-1930) was a martyr for the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA). Nkosi spent his early years on Pixley Seme's farm near Standerton. He attended the St John's Mission School at Blood River up to Standard 5. Thereafter he worked as farm labourer for a few years, before moving to Johannesburg to become a domestic worker. He was involved with the 1919 anti-pass campaign of the South African Native National Congress (SANNC) and became an organizer in the Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union (ICU).

In 1926 he joined the CPSA, one of numerous Africans to be recruited for the CPSA through communist night schools in Johannesburg. Nkosi was appointed as an CPSA organizer in Durban in February 1929. Initially Nkosi and the CPSA kept a low profile and mainly organized public meetings for African dock workers. During this time, Nkosi was also lecturing at the communist night school. He also sold the newspaper, Umsebenzi, the mouthpiece of the CPSA.

After the Durban beer riots of June 1929 in which the CPSA was not involved, circumstances were more favourable for the CPSA due to growing African militancy. Consequently many Africans turned to the more militant Nkosi, who in his speeches called for a 'South African native republic' and the burning of passbooks. He openly stated that Africans should fight for their freedom. Coupled with the growth of the Durban branch, the CPSA started a country wide campaign to burn passbooks on 16 December 1930, the Day of the Covenant. It was during this time, that there was a bloody clash between Africans and the Durban city police (a mixed force of whites and Africans). Nkosi and several other protestors were seriously injured. After an emergency operation Nkosi died on 19 December of shock and hemorrhage of the cerebrum and the abdominal cavity.