SOUTH AFRICAN HEROES FROM THE EASTERN CAPE - BIOGRAPHIES
Following are short biographies of South African men and women, born, raised and educated in
the Eastern Cape who dedicated theirs lives to fighting against apartheid and in the process helped change the country's course of history. Today these men and women have become national heroes and are admired by many around the world.
BANTU (STEVE) BIKO
1946 - 1977
Founder and Martyr of the Black Consciousness Movement in South Africa
Bantu Steve Biko was born in the Eastern Cape town of Tilden on December 18, 1946. In 1964 he went to study at St Frances College at Marianhill and two years later was admitted to Medical School of Natal University, where he became active in campus politics through participation in the National Union of South African Students (NUSAS). Unhappy about the commitment of NUSAS to the cause of the black students, Steve broke away in 1969 to form the South African Students Organisation (SASO). He became the organization's first president and by 1971 SASO was so well established with branches at most universities and colleges that its newsletter reached 4000 students. In 1972 Steve pioneered the formation of the national Black People's Convention, which was the umbrella body of all Black Consciousness Formations. In 1973 with the first major offensive against the movement, Steve and six other leaders were banned. He returned to the Eastern Cape where he was to form a number of grass roots organizations based on the notion of self-reliance. He started a community clinic, Zanmpilo, the Zimele Trust Fund (which helped support ex-political prisoners and their families), Njwaxa Leather Works Project and the Ginsberg Education Fund. By 1976 he had transformed this region into a showcase for community development. Steve was arrested on August 18, 1977 traveling from Cape Town. He died on September 12, having sustained extensive brain hemorrhage as a result of heavy beating. He is survived by his wife and children.
Bantu Steve Biko was born in the Eastern Cape town of Tilden on December 18, 1946. In 1964 he went to study at St Frances College at Marianhill and two years later was admitted to Medical School of Natal University, where he became active in campus politics through participation in the National Union of South African Students (NUSAS). Unhappy about the commitment of NUSAS to the cause of the black students, Steve broke away in 1969 to form the South African Students Organisation (SASO). He became the organization's first president and by 1971 SASO was so well established with branches at most universities and colleges that its newsletter reached 4000 students. In 1972 Steve pioneered the formation of the national Black People's Convention, which was the umbrella body of all Black Consciousness Formations. In 1973 with the first major offensive against the movement, Steve and six other leaders were banned. He returned to the Eastern Cape where he was to form a number of grass roots organizations based on the notion of self-reliance. He started a community clinic, Zanmpilo, the Zimele Trust Fund (which helped support ex-political prisoners and their families), Njwaxa Leather Works Project and the Ginsberg Education Fund. By 1976 he had transformed this region into a showcase for community development. Steve was arrested on August 18, 1977 traveling from Cape Town. He died on September 12, having sustained extensive brain hemorrhage as a result of heavy beating. He is survived by his wife and children.
MARTIN THEMBISILE (CHRIS) HANI
1942 - 1991
Political Activist, Chief-of-Staff of Umkhonto We Sizwe (MK), The Military Wing of the ANC, and Secretary-General of the South African Communist Party
Martin Thembisile (Chris) Hani was born in 1942 in a small rural town in the Transkei. He was the fifth of six children. His father, a semi-literate migrant worker in the Transvaal mines, sent what money he could back to the family and his mother had to work on a subsistance farm to supplement the family income. In 1956 he joined the African National Congress (ANC), and in 1957 he joined the ANC Youth League (ANCYL). After graduating from Lovedale High School in 1959, Hani went to the University of Fort Hare to study modern and cassical literature in English, Greek and Latin and received a BA in 1961. Fort Hare had a reputation as a liberal campus, and it was here that Hani was exposed to the Marxist philosophy that influenced his future career. In 1961, Hani moved to Cape Town and joined the South African Communist Party (SACP). After several arrests, Hani went into exile in Lesotho, then was sent to the Soviet Union for military training and returned in 1967 to take an active role in the Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA). In 1973 Hani transferred to Lesotho where he organised units of the MK, the ANC's military arm, for guerrilla operations in South Africa and by 1987 he had become the Chief of Staff of the MK. After the lifting of the ban on the ANC in February 1990, Hani returned to South Africa and became a charasmatic and popular speaker in the townships. By 1990 he was known to be a close associate of oe Sovo, the General-Secretary of the SACP. When Slovo announced that he had cancer in 1991, Hani took over as General-Secretary and stepped down as Chief of Staff of Umkhonto we Sizwe to devote more time to the organization. On April 10, 1993, as he returned home, near Johannesburg, Hani was assassinated.
Martin Thembisile (Chris) Hani was born in 1942 in a small rural town in the Transkei. He was the fifth of six children. His father, a semi-literate migrant worker in the Transvaal mines, sent what money he could back to the family and his mother had to work on a subsistance farm to supplement the family income. In 1956 he joined the African National Congress (ANC), and in 1957 he joined the ANC Youth League (ANCYL). After graduating from Lovedale High School in 1959, Hani went to the University of Fort Hare to study modern and cassical literature in English, Greek and Latin and received a BA in 1961. Fort Hare had a reputation as a liberal campus, and it was here that Hani was exposed to the Marxist philosophy that influenced his future career. In 1961, Hani moved to Cape Town and joined the South African Communist Party (SACP). After several arrests, Hani went into exile in Lesotho, then was sent to the Soviet Union for military training and returned in 1967 to take an active role in the Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA). In 1973 Hani transferred to Lesotho where he organised units of the MK, the ANC's military arm, for guerrilla operations in South Africa and by 1987 he had become the Chief of Staff of the MK. After the lifting of the ban on the ANC in February 1990, Hani returned to South Africa and became a charasmatic and popular speaker in the townships. By 1990 he was known to be a close associate of oe Sovo, the General-Secretary of the SACP. When Slovo announced that he had cancer in 1991, Hani took over as General-Secretary and stepped down as Chief of Staff of Umkhonto we Sizwe to devote more time to the organization. On April 10, 1993, as he returned home, near Johannesburg, Hani was assassinated.
NELSON (MADIBA) ROLIHLAHLA MANDELA
1918 –
Internationally Revered Hero, South Africa’s Greatest Moral and Political Leader,
Nobel Peace Prize Winner and Former President of South Africa
Fondly known as Madiba by South Africans, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in
Transkei, South Africa on July 18, 1918. His father was Chief Henry Mandela of the
Tembu Tribe. Mandela himself was educated at University College of Fort Hare and the
University of Witwatersrand and qualified in law in 1942. He joined the African National
Congress in 1944 and became engaged in resistance against the ruling National Party's
apartheid policies. He went on trial for treason in 1956-1961 and was acquitted in 1961.
After the banning of the ANC in 1960, Nelson Mandela argued for the setting up of a
military wing within the ANC. In June 1961, the ANC considered his proposal on the use
of violent tactics and agreed that those members who wished to involve themselves in
Mandela's campaign would not be stopped from doing so by the ANC. This led to the
formation of Umkhonto we Sizwe. In 1963, Mandela was brought to stand trial for
plotting to overthrow the government by violence and was sentenced to life
imprisonment. From 1964 to 1982, he was incarcerated at Robben Island Prison, off
Cape Town; thereafter, he was at Pollsmoor Prison, nearby on the mainland.
During his years in prison, Nelson Mandela's reputation grew steadily. He was widely
accepted as the most significant black leader in South Africa and became a potent
symbol of resistance as the anti-apartheid movement gathered strength. He consistently
refused to compromise his political position to obtain his freedom. Nelson Mandela was
released on February 18, 1990. After his release, he plunged himself wholeheartedly
into his life's work, striving to attain the goals he and others had set out almost four
decades earlier. In 1991, Mandela was elected President of the ANC and on May 10,
1994 he was inaugurated as the first democratically elected State President of South
Africa and served his country through June 1999. In 1993, Nelson Mandela accepted
the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of all South Africans who suffered and sacrificed so
much to bring peace to their land. Nelson Mandela retired from public life in June 1999.
Anti-Apartheid Activist, Former President of the African National Congress
Nobel Peace Prize Winner and Former President of South Africa
Fondly known as Madiba by South Africans, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in
Transkei, South Africa on July 18, 1918. His father was Chief Henry Mandela of the
Tembu Tribe. Mandela himself was educated at University College of Fort Hare and the
University of Witwatersrand and qualified in law in 1942. He joined the African National
Congress in 1944 and became engaged in resistance against the ruling National Party's
apartheid policies. He went on trial for treason in 1956-1961 and was acquitted in 1961.
After the banning of the ANC in 1960, Nelson Mandela argued for the setting up of a
military wing within the ANC. In June 1961, the ANC considered his proposal on the use
of violent tactics and agreed that those members who wished to involve themselves in
Mandela's campaign would not be stopped from doing so by the ANC. This led to the
formation of Umkhonto we Sizwe. In 1963, Mandela was brought to stand trial for
plotting to overthrow the government by violence and was sentenced to life
imprisonment. From 1964 to 1982, he was incarcerated at Robben Island Prison, off
Cape Town; thereafter, he was at Pollsmoor Prison, nearby on the mainland.
During his years in prison, Nelson Mandela's reputation grew steadily. He was widely
accepted as the most significant black leader in South Africa and became a potent
symbol of resistance as the anti-apartheid movement gathered strength. He consistently
refused to compromise his political position to obtain his freedom. Nelson Mandela was
released on February 18, 1990. After his release, he plunged himself wholeheartedly
into his life's work, striving to attain the goals he and others had set out almost four
decades earlier. In 1991, Mandela was elected President of the ANC and on May 10,
1994 he was inaugurated as the first democratically elected State President of South
Africa and served his country through June 1999. In 1993, Nelson Mandela accepted
the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of all South Africans who suffered and sacrificed so
much to bring peace to their land. Nelson Mandela retired from public life in June 1999.
Anti-Apartheid Activist, Former President of the African National Congress
WINNIE MANDELA
1934 –
Women’s League and Former Wife of Nelson Mandela
Winnie was born in 1934 at Bizana in Pondoland, Transkei in the Eastern Cape. She
received a social work diploma, and thereafter a BA (Political Science) with an
International Relations major at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. In
1957, during the Defiance Campaign she met Nelson Mandela, then a leader of the
campaign who later became her husband. Together they had two children. In 1962,
Winnie was banned under the Suppression of Communism Act and was restricted to the
Orlando township in Soweto. By 1969 she was detained under the Terrorism Act and
was placed in solitary confinement for 17 months and in 1970 she was placed under
house arrest. During the 1976 uprisings, she established the Black Women’s Federation
and the Black Parents’ Association but she was detained under the Internal Security Act
and in 1977 banished to Brandfort in the Orange Free State where she helped set up a
crèche and a clinic with Dr. Abu Baker Asvat. She returned to her home in 1986 and
resumed her ANC activities, which again led to further detentions. Winnie’s opposition to
PW Botha’s regime earned her the title of “Mother of the Nation”.
In 1991 after the unbanning of the ANC and other political organizations, she was
elected into the ANC’s National Executive Committee. She was also elected president of
the ANC’s Women’s League. In recent years, Winnie has faced controversy, from the
Truth and Reconcilliation Commission’s (TRC) hearings. Despite the controversy,
Winnie still remains a Member of Parliament and is still one of the champions of the
poor in South African politics, commanding a staunch following.
Winnie was born in 1934 at Bizana in Pondoland, Transkei in the Eastern Cape. She
received a social work diploma, and thereafter a BA (Political Science) with an
International Relations major at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. In
1957, during the Defiance Campaign she met Nelson Mandela, then a leader of the
campaign who later became her husband. Together they had two children. In 1962,
Winnie was banned under the Suppression of Communism Act and was restricted to the
Orlando township in Soweto. By 1969 she was detained under the Terrorism Act and
was placed in solitary confinement for 17 months and in 1970 she was placed under
house arrest. During the 1976 uprisings, she established the Black Women’s Federation
and the Black Parents’ Association but she was detained under the Internal Security Act
and in 1977 banished to Brandfort in the Orange Free State where she helped set up a
crèche and a clinic with Dr. Abu Baker Asvat. She returned to her home in 1986 and
resumed her ANC activities, which again led to further detentions. Winnie’s opposition to
PW Botha’s regime earned her the title of “Mother of the Nation”.
In 1991 after the unbanning of the ANC and other political organizations, she was
elected into the ANC’s National Executive Committee. She was also elected president of
the ANC’s Women’s League. In recent years, Winnie has faced controversy, from the
Truth and Reconcilliation Commission’s (TRC) hearings. Despite the controversy,
Winnie still remains a Member of Parliament and is still one of the champions of the
poor in South African politics, commanding a staunch following.
GOVAN M’BEKI
1910-2001
Liberation Movement Activist and Former Deputy President of the Senate
Govan Mbeki was born in July 1910 in the Transkei, an area that is known today as the
Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape. He joined the Africa National Congress (ANC) in 1935,
becoming its national chairman in 1956 and later secretary of its military wing,
Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation). He joined the South African Communist
Party (SACP) in 1961. Like many other activists, Mbeki attended mission schools and
studied at the University of Fort Hare, completing a degree in politics and psychology
and teaching diploma in 1936. His career as a teacher was, however, short-lived as he
was dismissed because of his political and trade union activities. In 1938 he moved
back to the Transkei to devote himself to local politics and writing. Mbeki was arrested in
1963 along with other member of the ANC when police raided a farm in Rivonia, a
suburb of Johannesburg. At the Rivonia trial he was charged with treason and
conspiring to overthrow the government, and sentenced to life imprisonment along with
Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, and many others. In 1977, while he was still in prison on
Robben Island, the University of Amsterdam awarded Mbeki an honorary doctorate of
social science for his book The Peasants' Revolt which was banned in South Africa. The
book deals with revolt against the government by South Africa's poor peasants and
agricultural workers in Zululand and Pondoland between 1956 and 1960. On November
5, 1987 the South African Nationalist government released Mbeki from Robben Island.
Mbeki quickly resumed working for the ANC and when the ban on the ANC was lifted in
February 1990, Mbeki resumed his place on its national committee. After South Africa's
first democratic elections were held, in May 1994, Govan Mbeki was elected Deputy
President of the Senate. His quest for a free South Africa had been realized. Govan
Mbeki died in August 2001, at his home in Port Elizabeth, at the age of 91.
Govan Mbeki was born in July 1910 in the Transkei, an area that is known today as the
Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape. He joined the Africa National Congress (ANC) in 1935,
becoming its national chairman in 1956 and later secretary of its military wing,
Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation). He joined the South African Communist
Party (SACP) in 1961. Like many other activists, Mbeki attended mission schools and
studied at the University of Fort Hare, completing a degree in politics and psychology
and teaching diploma in 1936. His career as a teacher was, however, short-lived as he
was dismissed because of his political and trade union activities. In 1938 he moved
back to the Transkei to devote himself to local politics and writing. Mbeki was arrested in
1963 along with other member of the ANC when police raided a farm in Rivonia, a
suburb of Johannesburg. At the Rivonia trial he was charged with treason and
conspiring to overthrow the government, and sentenced to life imprisonment along with
Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, and many others. In 1977, while he was still in prison on
Robben Island, the University of Amsterdam awarded Mbeki an honorary doctorate of
social science for his book The Peasants' Revolt which was banned in South Africa. The
book deals with revolt against the government by South Africa's poor peasants and
agricultural workers in Zululand and Pondoland between 1956 and 1960. On November
5, 1987 the South African Nationalist government released Mbeki from Robben Island.
Mbeki quickly resumed working for the ANC and when the ban on the ANC was lifted in
February 1990, Mbeki resumed his place on its national committee. After South Africa's
first democratic elections were held, in May 1994, Govan Mbeki was elected Deputy
President of the Senate. His quest for a free South Africa had been realized. Govan
Mbeki died in August 2001, at his home in Port Elizabeth, at the age of 91.
THABO M’BEKI
1942 –
President of South Africa
Thabo Mbeki was born in 1942, in the Transkei, Eastern Cape. Both his parents were
political activists, and his father, Govan Mbeki, was a leading figure in the activities of
the African National Congress in the Eastern Cape. The young Mbeki joined the ANC
Youth League (ANCYL) at the age of 14 and became active in student politics. He
moved to Johannesburg where he came under the guidance of Walter Sisulu and Duma
Nokwe and was elected secretary of the African Students' Association (ASA). In 1962,
Mbeki left South Africa for Tanzania under orders from the ANC. From Tanzania he
moved to Britain where he completed a Masters degree in economics at Sussex
University in 1966. Remaining active in student politics, he played a prominent role in
building the youth and student sections of the ANC in exile. He worked at the ANC's
London office with the late Oliver Tambo before being sent to the Soviet Union for
military training in 1970.
Through the 1970s Mbeki served as an ANC representative in several African countries,
including Botwswana, Swaziland and Nigeria before becoming political secretary in the
office of Oliver Tambo, and then director of information at the ANC headquarters in
Lusaka, Zambia. During the 1980s Mbeki rose to head the department of information
and publicity and coordinated diplomatic campaigns to involve more white South
Africans in anti-apartheid activities. In 1989 Mbeki headed the ANC's department of
international affairs and was involved in the ANC's negotiations with the former
government. After South Africa's first democratic election in April 1994, Nelson Mandela
chose Mbeki to be the first deputy president in the new Government of National Unity.
The National Party withdrew from the Government of National Unity in June 1996 and
Mbeki then became the sole deputy president. At the ANC's 50th national conference in
December 1997, Mbeki was elected ANC president.
Thabo Mbeki was born in 1942, in the Transkei, Eastern Cape. Both his parents were
political activists, and his father, Govan Mbeki, was a leading figure in the activities of
the African National Congress in the Eastern Cape. The young Mbeki joined the ANC
Youth League (ANCYL) at the age of 14 and became active in student politics. He
moved to Johannesburg where he came under the guidance of Walter Sisulu and Duma
Nokwe and was elected secretary of the African Students' Association (ASA). In 1962,
Mbeki left South Africa for Tanzania under orders from the ANC. From Tanzania he
moved to Britain where he completed a Masters degree in economics at Sussex
University in 1966. Remaining active in student politics, he played a prominent role in
building the youth and student sections of the ANC in exile. He worked at the ANC's
London office with the late Oliver Tambo before being sent to the Soviet Union for
military training in 1970.
Through the 1970s Mbeki served as an ANC representative in several African countries,
including Botwswana, Swaziland and Nigeria before becoming political secretary in the
office of Oliver Tambo, and then director of information at the ANC headquarters in
Lusaka, Zambia. During the 1980s Mbeki rose to head the department of information
and publicity and coordinated diplomatic campaigns to involve more white South
Africans in anti-apartheid activities. In 1989 Mbeki headed the ANC's department of
international affairs and was involved in the ANC's negotiations with the former
government. After South Africa's first democratic election in April 1994, Nelson Mandela
chose Mbeki to be the first deputy president in the new Government of National Unity.
The National Party withdrew from the Government of National Unity in June 1996 and
Mbeki then became the sole deputy president. At the ANC's 50th national conference in
December 1997, Mbeki was elected ANC president.
ALBERTINA SISULU
1918 –
Political Activist, Founding Member of the Federation of South African Women
(FEDSAW)
Albertina Sisulu was born in the Tsomo district of the Transkei, Eastern Cape, in 1918 to
a very large family. Albertina only became aware of the political situation in South Africa
in 1942 after moving to Johannesburg to train as a nurse. In 1944 she met and married
Walter Sisulu, one of the ANC leaders, and together they had five children. Albertina
joined the ANC Women’s League in 1948 and became a founding member of the
Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW) when it was established in 1954. She
was jailed in 1958 for her involvement in protests against pass laws and again in 1963
when she was detained in solitary confinement for three months. For years after the
imprisonment of her husband, Albertina lived under the constant threat of banning
orders, and two of her children went into exile. She was arrested several more times in
the 1970’s and 1980’s. In 1983, while in jail, she was elected president in absentia of the
newly formed United Democratic Front (UDF). In 1988, following the rent crisis, where
homes were being raided to persecute non-payers in Soweto, Albertina formed part of
the delegation that met the mayor of Soweto so as to put an end to the raids. In 1989,
she became part of the UDF delegation that met United States president, George Bush,
so as to establish relations between the two countries. When the ANC was unbanned in
1990, Albertina worked on a committee that reestablished the ANC Women’s League. In
1991, she was elected to serve on the ANC’s national executive committee.
Influential Anti-Apartheid Activist and Co-Founder of the African National
(FEDSAW)
Albertina Sisulu was born in the Tsomo district of the Transkei, Eastern Cape, in 1918 to
a very large family. Albertina only became aware of the political situation in South Africa
in 1942 after moving to Johannesburg to train as a nurse. In 1944 she met and married
Walter Sisulu, one of the ANC leaders, and together they had five children. Albertina
joined the ANC Women’s League in 1948 and became a founding member of the
Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW) when it was established in 1954. She
was jailed in 1958 for her involvement in protests against pass laws and again in 1963
when she was detained in solitary confinement for three months. For years after the
imprisonment of her husband, Albertina lived under the constant threat of banning
orders, and two of her children went into exile. She was arrested several more times in
the 1970’s and 1980’s. In 1983, while in jail, she was elected president in absentia of the
newly formed United Democratic Front (UDF). In 1988, following the rent crisis, where
homes were being raided to persecute non-payers in Soweto, Albertina formed part of
the delegation that met the mayor of Soweto so as to put an end to the raids. In 1989,
she became part of the UDF delegation that met United States president, George Bush,
so as to establish relations between the two countries. When the ANC was unbanned in
1990, Albertina worked on a committee that reestablished the ANC Women’s League. In
1991, she was elected to serve on the ANC’s national executive committee.
Influential Anti-Apartheid Activist and Co-Founder of the African National
WALTER SISULU
1912-2003
Congress Youth League (ANCYL) and Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK)
Walter Sisulu was born in the eNgcobo area of Transkei in 1912. Sisulu's father was a
visiting white foreman supervising a black road-gang and his mother was a local Xhosa
woman. Sisulu attended the local Anglican Missionary Institute, but dropped at age 15 to
find work at a Johannesburg dairy to help support his family. During the 1930s Walter
Sisulu had several different jobs: gold miner, domestic worker, factory hand, kitchen
worker, and baker's assistant. Walter Sisulu was an active Trade Unionist and in 1940
Sisulu joined the African National Congress (ANC) in which he allied with those pressing
for black African nationalism. In the early 1940s he was awarded with an executive post
in the Transvaal division of the ANC. During this time, Sisulu along with his wife and
friends Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela formed the ANC Youth League (ANCYL);
Sisulu was elected as treasurer. By the end of 1949 Sisulu was elected as secretarygeneral,
a position he retained until 1954. As one of the organizers of the 1952 Defiance
campaign, in collaboration with the South African Indian Congress and the South African
Communist Party, Sisulu was arrested under the Suppression of Communism Act, and
was sentenced to nine months hard labor suspended for two years. Sisulu was an
advocate for multi-racial government in South Africa rather than a African nationalistic
'blacks-only' policy. Unfortunately Sisulu's increasingly active role in the anti-Apartheid
struggle led to his repeated banning under the Suppression of Communism Act. In
1954, no longer able to attend public meetings, he resigned as secretary-general and
was forced to work in secret.
In 1960 Sisulu, Mandela and several others formed Umkonto we Sizwe (MK, the Spear
of the Nation) – the military wing of the ANC. In July 1963 Sisulu was amongst those
arrested at Lilieslief Farm, the secret headquarters of the ANC, and was sentenced to
life imprisonment for planning acts of sabotage. Walter Sisulu, Nelson Mandela, Govan
Mbeki, and four others were sent to Robben Island. In October 1989 he was finally
released, after serving 25 years. When the ANC was un-banned in February 1990
Sisulu took a prominent role. He was elected deputy president in 1991 and given the
task of re-structuring the ANC in South Africa. Walter Sisulu finally retired on the eve of
South Africa's first multi-racial elections in 1994, still living in the same Soweto house
that his family had taken in the 1940s. On May 5, 2003, Walter Sisulu died only 13 days
short of his 91st birthday.
Walter Sisulu was born in the eNgcobo area of Transkei in 1912. Sisulu's father was a
visiting white foreman supervising a black road-gang and his mother was a local Xhosa
woman. Sisulu attended the local Anglican Missionary Institute, but dropped at age 15 to
find work at a Johannesburg dairy to help support his family. During the 1930s Walter
Sisulu had several different jobs: gold miner, domestic worker, factory hand, kitchen
worker, and baker's assistant. Walter Sisulu was an active Trade Unionist and in 1940
Sisulu joined the African National Congress (ANC) in which he allied with those pressing
for black African nationalism. In the early 1940s he was awarded with an executive post
in the Transvaal division of the ANC. During this time, Sisulu along with his wife and
friends Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela formed the ANC Youth League (ANCYL);
Sisulu was elected as treasurer. By the end of 1949 Sisulu was elected as secretarygeneral,
a position he retained until 1954. As one of the organizers of the 1952 Defiance
campaign, in collaboration with the South African Indian Congress and the South African
Communist Party, Sisulu was arrested under the Suppression of Communism Act, and
was sentenced to nine months hard labor suspended for two years. Sisulu was an
advocate for multi-racial government in South Africa rather than a African nationalistic
'blacks-only' policy. Unfortunately Sisulu's increasingly active role in the anti-Apartheid
struggle led to his repeated banning under the Suppression of Communism Act. In
1954, no longer able to attend public meetings, he resigned as secretary-general and
was forced to work in secret.
In 1960 Sisulu, Mandela and several others formed Umkonto we Sizwe (MK, the Spear
of the Nation) – the military wing of the ANC. In July 1963 Sisulu was amongst those
arrested at Lilieslief Farm, the secret headquarters of the ANC, and was sentenced to
life imprisonment for planning acts of sabotage. Walter Sisulu, Nelson Mandela, Govan
Mbeki, and four others were sent to Robben Island. In October 1989 he was finally
released, after serving 25 years. When the ANC was un-banned in February 1990
Sisulu took a prominent role. He was elected deputy president in 1991 and given the
task of re-structuring the ANC in South Africa. Walter Sisulu finally retired on the eve of
South Africa's first multi-racial elections in 1994, still living in the same Soweto house
that his family had taken in the 1940s. On May 5, 2003, Walter Sisulu died only 13 days
short of his 91st birthday.
ROBERT MANGALISO SOBUKWE
1924 - 1978
Founding President of the Pan Africanist Congress
Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, founding president of the Pan Africanist Congress, was
born in Graaff-Reinet in 1924. His Xhosa first name, 'Mangaliso' means 'man of
wonders'. He was educated at a mission school and at Fort Hare University. While
reading for his BA degree, Sobukwe made his first impact on the political scene. He was
elected SRC President and Secretary-General of the ANC Youth League. After
graduation he obtained a diploma in teaching and became a teacher at Standerton but
was dismissed after becoming a passive resister in the defiance campaign of 1952.
Soon after he accepted a post at Wits University in the languages department.
He identified with the Africanists within the ANC and in 1957 left the ANC to become
Editor of The Africanist. A year later he and others broke away from the ANC and
formed the Pan African Congress (PAC). The PAC held its first conference in 1959
where he was elected President. He was the first person against whom action was
taken in terms of the General Laws Amendment Act and he served a three-year prison
sentence for leading the pass law demonstration on March 21, 1960 (Sharpeville Day).
On his release from that sentence; on May 3, 1963; he was immediately re-arrested
and sent to Robben Island where he spent six years in detention without trial. This law,
which empowered the government to continue the detention of anyone found guilty of
incitement, became known as the "Sobukwe clause". He was kept in solitary
confinement but permitted certain privileges including books, newspapers and his own
clothes. In 1969 he was released from prison and sent to Kimberley to live in a restricted
zone where he was kept under house arrest until his death from lung cancer in 1978.
Highly Respected African Leader, Co-Founder of the African National Congress
OLIVER REGINALD TAMBO
1917-1993
Youth League (ANCYL) and Former ANC President.
Oliver Reginald Tambo spent most of his life serving in the struggle against apartheid.
'O.R.', as he was popularly known by his peers, was born in 1917 in the rural town of
Mbizana, in Mpondoland in the Eastern Cape. Tambo attended the University of Fort
Hare, where he obtained his Bachelor of Science Degree in 1941. It was at Fort Hare
that he first became involved in the politics of the national liberation movement. By
1944, Tambo threw himself body and soul into the ANC. He was among the founding
members of the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) and became its first National Secretary.
He was elected President of the Transvaal ANCYL in 1948 and national vice-president
in 1949. In the ANCYL, Tambo teamed up with Walter Sisulu, Nelson Mandela, Dr
William Nkomo, and others to bring a bold, new spirit of militancy into the post-war ANC.
Around the same time, Tambo set up a legal partnership with Neslon Mandela in
Johannesburg. The firm soon became known as a champion of the poor, victims of
apartheid laws with little or no money to pay their legal costs.
In 1954 Oliver Tambo was appointed Secretary General of the ANC when Walter Sisulu
was forced to resign. In 1958, Oliver Tambo he left the post to become the Deputy
President of the ANC. After the 1960 Sharpeville massacre, Tambo was designated by
the ANC to travel abroad to set up the ANC's international mission and mobilize
international opinion in opposition to the apartheid system. He was instrumental in the
establishment of the South African United Front, and was able to secure the expulsion
of South Africa from the Commonwealth in 1961. Assisted by several African
governments, Tambo established ANC missions in Egypt, Ghana, Morocco and in
London. In 1967, Tambo became acting president until his appointment to the
Presidency was approved by the Morogoro Conference in 1969. During the 1970s Oliver
Tambo's international prestige rose immensely as he traveled around the world,
addressing the United Nations and other international gatherings on the issue of
apartheid. In 1985 Tambo was re-elected ANC President and also served as the Head
of the Politico-Military Council (PMC) of the ANC, and as Commander in Chief of
Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK). In 1989 Oliver Tambo suffered a stroke, and underwent
extensive medical treatment. He returned to South Africa in 1991, after over three
decades in exile and was elected National Chairperson of the ANC in July of that year.
Oliver Reginald Tambo died from a stroke on April 24, 1993.
Oliver Reginald Tambo spent most of his life serving in the struggle against apartheid.
'O.R.', as he was popularly known by his peers, was born in 1917 in the rural town of
Mbizana, in Mpondoland in the Eastern Cape. Tambo attended the University of Fort
Hare, where he obtained his Bachelor of Science Degree in 1941. It was at Fort Hare
that he first became involved in the politics of the national liberation movement. By
1944, Tambo threw himself body and soul into the ANC. He was among the founding
members of the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) and became its first National Secretary.
He was elected President of the Transvaal ANCYL in 1948 and national vice-president
in 1949. In the ANCYL, Tambo teamed up with Walter Sisulu, Nelson Mandela, Dr
William Nkomo, and others to bring a bold, new spirit of militancy into the post-war ANC.
Around the same time, Tambo set up a legal partnership with Neslon Mandela in
Johannesburg. The firm soon became known as a champion of the poor, victims of
apartheid laws with little or no money to pay their legal costs.
In 1954 Oliver Tambo was appointed Secretary General of the ANC when Walter Sisulu
was forced to resign. In 1958, Oliver Tambo he left the post to become the Deputy
President of the ANC. After the 1960 Sharpeville massacre, Tambo was designated by
the ANC to travel abroad to set up the ANC's international mission and mobilize
international opinion in opposition to the apartheid system. He was instrumental in the
establishment of the South African United Front, and was able to secure the expulsion
of South Africa from the Commonwealth in 1961. Assisted by several African
governments, Tambo established ANC missions in Egypt, Ghana, Morocco and in
London. In 1967, Tambo became acting president until his appointment to the
Presidency was approved by the Morogoro Conference in 1969. During the 1970s Oliver
Tambo's international prestige rose immensely as he traveled around the world,
addressing the United Nations and other international gatherings on the issue of
apartheid. In 1985 Tambo was re-elected ANC President and also served as the Head
of the Politico-Military Council (PMC) of the ANC, and as Commander in Chief of
Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK). In 1989 Oliver Tambo suffered a stroke, and underwent
extensive medical treatment. He returned to South Africa in 1991, after over three
decades in exile and was elected National Chairperson of the ANC in July of that year.
Oliver Reginald Tambo died from a stroke on April 24, 1993.
ISAAC BANGANI TABATA
1909-1990
1909-1990
Founding President of the Unity Movement of South Africa and Author
Isaac Bangani Tabata, political activist and author, was born near Queenstown in the
Wild Coast and educated at Lovedale and Fort Hare. In 1931 he left university and
moved to Cape Town, where he worked as a truck driver, joined the Lorry Drivers' Union
and became a member of its executive. He also joined the Cape African Voters'
Association. In 1933 he began attending meetings of the Trotskyist-oriented Lenin Club
and subsequently helped found the Workers' Party of South Africa, an offshoot of the
Lenin Club. In the early 1940s he was one of a group of radicals who took over the
leadership of the All African Convention (AAC), arguing for a boycott of all racial
structures proposed by the government, and he helped to found the Non-European
Unity Movement. As an organiser for the AAC he made yearly trips to the Transkei in
the late 1940s and early 1950s. He was banned in 1956. In 1961 he established and
became president of the African People's Democratic Union of Southern Africa. Tabata
was married to Jane Gool, also a political activist. They left South Africa in 1963 and
lived in Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Tabata's writings include The Rehabilitation
Scheme: 'A New Fraud' (1946), The All-African Convention: the Awakening of a People
(1950), Boycott as a Weapon of Struggle (1952), and Education for Barbarism.
DONALD WOODS
1934-2001
South African Newspaper Editor and Anti-Apartheid Activist
Donald was born in 1934 in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, into a family
who had lived there for five generations. After graduating from Cape Town University,
where he studied law, Woods became a cub reporter for the Daily Dispatch in East
London and eventually became the editor of the paper. Under Donald, the paper was
very critical of the South African government, but it was also critical of the emerging
Black Consciousness Movement. After meeting the movement’s leader, Steve Biko,
Donald’s views changed and the two men quickly became good friends. Their friendship
led to a life of harassment for Woods and his family as South Africa in the mid-70s was
not an easy time to be a friend of one of the leading black activists outside prison. When
Steve Biko died in police custody in September 1977, Woods was at the forefront of the
campaign to get the truth revealed about his death. He went to the morgue and
managed to get photos of Steve Biko's battered body which he published in the Daily
Despatch. Woods used his position to attack the Nationalist government over Biko's
death and exposed the lies of the South African government to the whole world.
Increasing threats on his family’s life forced the Woods go into exile in England. Donald
became a passionate advocate of sanctions against South Africa and toured the United
States, campaigning for sanctions against apartheid. President Carter arranged a threehour
session for him to address officials in the State Department. He spoke at a session
of the United Nations Security Council. While in exile he wrote several books and
continued campaigning against apartheid. The movie Cry Freedom, directed by Richard
Attenborough in 1987 and staring Kevin Kline and Denzel Washington, was based on
his book Biko. He died of cancer at age 67 in August 2001.
