Richard "Gert" Sibande (1907 near Ermelo, Mpumalanga – 1987) was a South African political activist.
He invited journalist, Ruth First as well as Michael Scott (priest) to assist him in exposing the near slavery conditions of farmworkers in Bethal farms .
[4] Drum Magazine released a similar article in 1952, the journalist Henry Nxumalo and photographer Jurgen Schoodeberg played an active role in documenting the conditions of potato farm labourers in Bethal.
This article received national and international attention however, the reports were dismissed by the Minister of Native affairs, Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd in Parliament.
[8] He was a member of the National Executive Council of the ANC and during his term of leadership, was accused in the Treason Trial of 1956-1961.
The statues are just outside the Nomoya Masilela Museum which is dedicated to freedom fighters including Gert Sibande, Nokuthula Simelane, Ruth First and Henry Nxumalo.
[5][12][self-published source][13][14] Mbongeni Ngema wrote and directed the R22 million budget stage production 'Lion of the East' which was centralised around the potato boycott and Gert Sibande's contributions.