Lionel Bernstein

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Lionel Bernstein" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (June 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Lionel "Rusty" Bernstein
Lionel and Hilda Bernstein
Born	Lionel Bernstein (1920-03-20)20 March 1920 Durban, Natal, Union of South Africa
Died	23 June 2002(2002-06-23) (aged 82) Cape Town, South Africa
Nationality	South African
Other names	Rusty
Occupation	Architect
Known for	Anti-apartheid activism
Spouse(s)	Hilda Bernstein (nee Schwarz), m. 1941
Awards	Order of Luthuli in gold (2011)

Lionel "Rusty" Bernstein (20 March 1920 – 23 June 2002) was a Jewish^[1] South African anti-apartheid activist and political prisoner. He played a key role in political organizations such as the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the African National Congress (ANC). He helped form the South African Congress of Democrats to bolster white participation in the ANC, and he brought its allies together to establish a Congress of the People, working closely with Nelson Mandela.

The anti-apartheid movement drew the ire of the South African government. They imposed severe restrictions on the movement, such as banning a publication Bernstein edited, banning a party he organized with, and detaining leaders including him for long periods of time. These actions culminated in him fleeing his home country after being detained following a police raid.

To participate in the first post-apartheid elections in 1994, he returned to South Africa and resumed working for the ANC. Many institutions bestowed honours on him for his activism, and he remains a celebrated figure in Africa.