14 July 1965
Ndazana Nathaniel Nat Nakasa was awarded the The Niemann Fellowship to study journalism at Harvard University in the US but the government rejected his application for a passport. This forced him to leave the country on an exit permit and leaving in that manner meant he would never be allowed to return to South Africa.
Nakasa was part of a group of journalists, many working for Drum Magazine, associated with the vibrant, violent and somewhat romantic culture that characterised Sophiatown in the 1950s. While Nakasa worked for the Rand Daily Mail, he is often associated with legends like Can Themba, Arthur Maimane and Bloke Modisane. Nakasa was also the first black columnist at The Rand Daily Mail.
While in America Nakasa became lonely and home sick. Knowing that he could never return home, it is alledged that he committed suicide by jumping from a high-rise building in New York on 14 July 1965. An annual award for courageous journalism has been named after him.
Biography of Ndazana Nathaniel Nat Nakasa: http://www.sahistory.org.za/people/ndazana-nathaniel-nakasa
References:
Anon, (n.d.), ‘About Nat Nakasa’fromSANEF [online] Available at www.sanef.org.za[Accessed: 06 July 2011]
Anon, (n.d.), ‘Nathaniel Nakasa’from Pipl [online] Available at www.pipl.com[Accessed: 06 July 2011]
Sonderling, N.E. (ed.) New Dictionary of South African Biography, v. 2