Veteran anti-apartheid activist dies

Woods' protests against apartheid were documented in the film ''Cry Freetown''

LONDON, England -- Donald Woods, a former South African newspaper editor and veteran anti-apartheid activist, has died at the age of 67.

Woods -- founder and editor of the Daily Dispatch newspaper in South Africa -- had been suffering from cancer.

His opposition to apartheid landed him in hot water with the authorities and eventually forced him into exile.

Woods was a close friend of Steve Biko, a leader of South Africa's Black Consciousness movement who died in detention after being tortured by apartheid-era security police.

Their relationship was chronicled in the 1987 Richard Attenborough film "Cry Freedom."

Daily Dispatch staff and family members said he died on Sunday at the Royal Marsden hospital in Sutton, just south of London.

His daughter, Jane, said inoperable cancer had been found in his liver three weeks ago. A previous bout of cancer two years ago led to the removal of a lung and kidney.

Woods edited the Daily Dispatch from 1965 to 1977, when he was gagged by the government and his movements restricted for five years.

He fled the country for Britain, and in exile campaigned for democracy through lecture tours and news articles.

In 1978, Woods became the first private citizen invited to address the U.N. Security Council. He served as a consultant on South Africa to the European Union and the Commonwealth.

He returned to South Africa in 1990 after 13 years in exile. He continued to live in Britain, but made many visits to his homeland. The last was in May for the wedding of Biko's son, Nkosinathi.

South Africa's High Commissioner in London, Cheryl Carolus, described Woods on Sunday as a "truly great son of South Africa."

She told AP: "A great life of courage has ended but his spirit lives on with his people.''

Woods was honoured last year by Queen Elizabeth II for his human rights work.

He had been working on a project to erect a statue of Nelson Mandela in London's Trafalgar Square, a popular spot for anti-apartheid protests because it neighboured the South African High Commission.

Woods is survived by his wife of 39 years, Wendy, 60, three sons and two daughters.