Robert
Mangaliso Sobukwe
1924 - 1978
| Names: | Sobukwe, Robert Mangaliso |
| Date of Birth: | 05 December 1924 |
| Date of Death: | 27 February 1978 |
| Place of Birth: | Graaff-Reinet, Cape Province, South Africa |
| Place of Death: | Kimberley, South Africa |
| Gender: | Male |
| In Summary : | Politician, activist and first president of the PAC. |
Early Life:
Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe was born in Graaff-Reinet in the Cape Province in 1924. Mangaliso means '”wonderful.” His father was a farm worker and his mother had no formal education. Sobukwe was an excellent student which won him a scholarship to the Methodist boarding school at Healdtown in the Eastern Cape. Afterwards he enrolled at Fort Hare University, where he displayed a keen interest in literature.
Career:
At Fort Hare, where generations of young Black South Africans were exposed to politics, he joined the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) in 1948. The organisation had been established on the university campus by Godfrey Pitje, who later became its president. In 1949 Sobukwe was elected as president of the Fort Hare Students' Representative Council, where he proved himself to be a good orator.
In 1950 Sobukwe was appointed as a teacher at a high school in Standerton, a position he lost when he spoke out in favour of the Defiance Campaign in 1952. He was, however, reinstated. During this period he was not directly involved with mainstream ANC activities, but still held the position of secretary of the organisation’s branch in Standerton.
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Feature:The Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) |
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The “Prof”, as his friends called him, was a charismatic speaker, and in 1958 he was instrumental in initiating a breakaway from the ANC, resulting in the birth of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC). He was unanimously elected as the president of the movement at its inaugural congress. Sobukwe's eloquence as a public speaker, his intelligence and commitment to his cause soon established him as natural leader, and helped him rally support for the PAC. On 21 March 1960, at the launch of the PAC anti-pass campaign, he resigned from his post as teacher. He made last minute arrangements for the safety of his family and left his home in Molofo. He intended to give himself up for arrest at the Orlando police station in the hope that his actions would inspire action among other Black South Africans. On the 8-km walk to the police station small groups of men joined him from neighboring areas like Phefeni, Dube and Orlando West. As the small crowd approached the station most of them, including Sobukwe, were arrested.
He was harshly sentenced to three years in prison, at the end of which Parliament enacted a General Law Amendment Act, which empowered the Minister of Justice to prolong the detention of any political prisoner indefinitely. Subsequently, he was moved to Robben Island, where he remained for an additional six years.
Later Life:
After his release in 1969 Sobukwe was allowed to join his family in Kimberley but remained under twelve-hour house arrest. He was also restricted from any political activity as a result of a banning order that had been imposed on the PAC. During his incarceration Sobukwe had obtained an Honours Degree in Economics from the University of London, and had also started a Law Degree. He completed his studies in articles in Kimberley and established his own law firm in 1975.
Although he was offered several teaching posts at American universities he was prevented from going overseas by the Apartheid government. Due to lung cancer, Robert Sobukwe passed away on 27 February 1978.