Lord Hain's 'freedom fighter' father Walter dies

Nelson Mandela never forgot the part the Hains played in the anti-apartheid movement. Lord Hain (left), his wife Elizabeth and Adelaine and Walter Hain are pictured with him

Lord Hain's father, who was jailed for campaigning against the apartheid regime in South Africa in the 1960s, has died aged 91.

Walter Hain and his wife Adelaine were imprisoned for two weeks in 1961 and were forced into exile to Britain five years later.

The couple had lived in their son's former constituency of Neath since 2009.

The ex-MP said his "freedom fighter" father was the "best Dad in the world".

Born in Durban, South Africa, in 1924, Walter Hain went to school in Pretoria and Johannesburg, before going to the University of Witwatersrand.

Both he and Adelaine joined the South African Liberal Party in 1954.

They were jailed in 1961 for two weeks without charge and later issued with banning orders, designed to suppress their activism.

'Looked after everyone'

The couple were forced to leave the country in 1966 after the government instructed architectural firms not to employ him.

He remained active in the British anti-apartheid movement, with his family living in Putney for several decades.

An architect and keen sports supporter and fan, Mr Hain played cricket until he was 80.

Lord Hain told BBC Wales: "I was so privileged to have the very best Dad in the world - World War Two wounded soldier, freedom fighter, family and community person - who looked after everyone else before himself, me included".