Born Abdurazzack Achmat, but known widely as Zackie. South African activist of Malay Muslim descent, most widely known as founder and chairman of Treatment Action Campaign. Treatment Action Campaign, or the TAC, has become the most well-known and successful Aids activist group in South Africa, and makes its mission to ensure that HIV/Aids is not a death sentence. It focused initially on access to medicine for those who could not afford private health care by taking on government policies and brand-name pharmaceutical companies. After scoring major victories against both, it has broadened its outlook to improving all aspects of health care provision and particularly with the implementation of an anti-retroviral program in the public health sector.

The TAC's notoriety and success is in no small part due to the dynamism of Achmat. Achmat publicly refused to take Aids medications until all who needed them had access to them, which drew former President Nelson Mandela to plead with Achamt at his home to begin drug therapy. Achmat respectfully refused Mr Mandela, and held firm in his pledge until September 2003, when the government announced the massive shift in policy the TAC had been advocating.

A former anti-apartheid and gay rights activist, Achmat was skillful in marshalling the support of existing activist networks and mobilizing a grassroots memberships to work in the community level, as well as tapping classic anti-apartheid tactics such as civil disobedience.

Achmat grew up among the "Coloured" community in Cape Town during apartheid. At the age of 14, he set fire to his school to force the students to boycott classes. He was an active member of the ANC in his youth and early adulthood, and continues to hold membership despite dissenting from its woeful policies towards HIV treatment.

In 2004 he was voted 61st in the Top 100 Great South Africans ( see List of South Africans)