However, shortly afterwards he resigned as the leader of the SALP in 1915, became a communist and an atheist, and spent the remainder of his life fighting against racial segregation, capitalism, and colonialism.

In later life, he became a strong supporter of the Bolsheviks and their leader Vladimir Lenin, who in turn was impressed with Jones's reports of class and racial divisions in South Africa.

[9] The Jones family hailed from a poor and mountainous farming region of Wales called Mynydd-Bach, which had once been the centre of resistance by tenant farmers and squatters to attempts by local landowners to enclose common land.

[5] In 1901, Jones moved to live in Lampeter where he encountered many differing views on Christianity before returning to his native Aberystwyth and joining the Unitarian congregation.

[12] Jones was often berated by his neighbours for his Unitarianist beliefs and confronted by religious opponents at his workplace and on the streets for his choice to join the people of the "Y Smotyn Du" (The Black Spot).

[2][16] Although not yet an anti-capitalist and supporter of communism, he held a deep hatred towards South Africa's Randlords, the capitalists who monopolised the gold and diamond industries.

[17] During his time in the SALP, many events in South African politics would force him to reconsider his Liberal and Christian beliefs, and pushed him to become a revolutionary communist and an atheist.

[16] The strike started as a peaceful event at the New Kleinfontein mine, with miners angry and bitter over issues of work time and deaths by disease.

[17] Soon afterwards, martial law was declared to stop attempts by workers to start a general strike, events that further pushed Jones's political beliefs towards Marxist socialism.

[16] The government immediately sent troops to crush the strike and using dragoons to indiscriminately fire their guns towards fleeing civilians, killing 20 and wounding 200–400.

[18] The government's murder of unarmed and innocent civilians would plunge Johannesburg into further chaos, crowds rioted and burnt down the railway station and the Star newspaper.

He became the first editor of the ISL's weekly newspaper, The International, which he used to support Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks and to later in his life use to explain the importance of Russia's 1917 February and October revolutions.

One of the justifications for our withdrawal from the Labour Party is that it gives us untrammelled freedom to deal, regardless of political fortunes, with the great and fascinating problem of the Native.

[24] Titled The Bolsheviks are Coming, this leaflet was written and distributed in Pietermaritzburg, and was addressed "to the workers of South Africa, Black as well as White".

"[16]The publishing of this leaflet would gain the attention of the South African government, which sought to censor its spread and punish the authors for promoting communism and racial equality.

[26] In March 1921, while still living in Nice, he wrote a report for the executive committee of the Communist International (ECCI) titled Communism in South Africa.

This report was a highly detailed and erudite survey of the complex political, social and economic conditions of South Africa, with a heavy emphasis on analysing the country's racial and class divisions.

And as an aftermath of that war there was created a social attitude towards the Negro race which leaves the one time chattel slaves still degraded outcasts among the peoples of the earth."

After briefly visiting his home country of Wales, Jones was invited to the 1921 Third Congress of the Communist International held in Moscow,[21] as a delegate from South Africa, alongside political activist Sam Barlin.

Due to his failing health, Jones remained in Moscow and was not able to attend the founding congress of the Communist Party of South Africa (SACP) near the end of July.

[29][3] Distancing himself from frontline political activism due to his failing health, Jones dedicated his time to learning Russian and became one of the first people to translate much of Lenin's writings into English.

[27] His writings in 1924 show that he was actively encouraging English-speaking socialists to read and study the works of Vladimir Lenin, alongside other Russian political figures, including Martov and Plekhanov.

"[31] In July 1923, Jones wrote an article titled "Africa Awakening" in support of the creation of a "World Negro Congress", and he further urged white activists in Belgium, Britain and America to put special emphasis on the liberation of African people from racism and capitalism.

[32] In a final political testament written on his deathbed, Jones urged his fellow communists to continue supporting revolution against imperialism and capitalism, and to "carry out the great revolutionary mission imposed on colonies in general and South Africa in particular with revolutionary devotion and dignity, concentrating on shaking the foundations of world capitalism and British imperialism".

[31][3] After his death from tuberculosis on 13 April 1924, Jones was buried in Moscow's famous Novodevichy Cemetery, as a reward by Russian communists for his commitment to socialism.

[5] In 2005, a motion was put forward to the UK Parliament to recognise Jones's dedication to improving the working conditions of South African workers.