Early Life
Yusuf was born on 5 September 1909 in Krugersdorp, in the West Rand, near Johannesburg. His parents, Mohammed and Fatima Dadoo, were Muslim immigrants from Western India. As a young child he had the formative experience of being scolded by his mother for climbing a tree in his neighbourhood park, which was reserved for white people only. At age 10, the Krugersdorp Municipality attempted to evict his father from his shop on racial grounds, but he was successfully defended in court by Mohandas Gandhi. In high school, Yusuf attended meetings by former stalwarts of Gandhi, and along with Ismail Cachalia and other schoolmates, raised funds and awareness for the All India National Congress. At age 15, he presided over a protest organised and led by visiting Indian poet Sarojini Naidu against the proposed Class Areas Bill. Later that year, he was sent to Aligarh College in India to complete his schooling, as the Johannesburg Indian Government School did not offer secondary education up to matriculation level.
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