Matthew Goniwe

Matthew Goniwe was born on 27 December 1947 in Lingelihle Township on the outskirts of Cradock in the Eastern Cape. His parents David and Elizabeth were farm labourers.  He was the youngest of eight children. Goniwe attended St James' Primary school and afterwards attended Sam Xhallie Secondary School, where he obtained his junior certificate.  As a boy, Goniwe played rugby and took part in boxing for a club in the township.  His love of music led him to join, at an early age, the Cradock Male Voices under the leadership of his brother, Jacques.

Drum Magazine

The establishment of Drum Magazine in the 1950s, notwithstanding the newly-elected Nationalist Party’s policy of Apartheid, reflected the dynamic changes that were taking place among the new urban Black South African – African, Indian and Coloured – communities. 

The magazine became an important platform for a new generation of writers and photographers who changed the way Black people were represented in society. This year marks the magazine’s 60th anniversary, which we are celebrating by publishing new material and key profiles over the next month.

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