Veteran South African journalist Terry Bell, a longtime critic of inequality and apartheid opponent, died on 25 March 2026 at the age of 84 from a heart attack while on a family trip in Graaff-Reinet.
Terry Bell, born on 12 September 1942 in Pretoria, began his journalism career on East Rand papers including the Germiston Advocate, Benoni City Times and Boksburg Advertiser. He joined anti-apartheid underground activities, was detained in 1964 under the 90-day law, and spent nearly three decades in exile. In London, he met and married Barbara in 1966; they had two children, Ceiren and Brendan. Together, they undertook a 13-year kayak journey named Amandla from the River Thames to Dar es Salaam, starting in 1967, punctuated by work and family life. Bell published a memoir of the trip, A Hat, a Kayak and Dreams of Dar, in 2017. Returning to South Africa in 1991, he settled in Muizenberg, Cape Town, and continued journalism on labour, politics and economics, contributing columns to Business Report, Fin24 and City Press. He co-authored Unfinished Business: South Africa, Apartheid and Truth in 2001 with Dumisa Ntsebeza, documenting corporate complicity in apartheid. His final blog post on 19 March 2026 corrected the Sharpeville massacre toll to 91 dead and 238 wounded, praising journalists Humphrey Tyler and Ian Berry. Bell died suddenly on 25 March 2026 in Graaff-Reinet during a hike with daughter Ceiren. His brother Neill Gordon Bell recounted: “He and Ceiren went up on a mountain... he said to her, ‘Barbara would have loved this’ and then dropped dead... prognosis is that he died of a heart attack.” Bell's wife Barbara had died in June 2025. He is survived by son Brendan, daughter Ceiren and brother Neill. Tributes highlighted his principles: Patric Tariq Mellet called him “unashamedly a man of the left” challenging corruption. COSATU's Matthew Parks noted his foresight on e-platform workers. Bell donated his body to medical science. Details of a Cape Town memorial will follow.
