Debating Lineages of Socialism in Africa Webinars

South African History Online, the Wits History Workshop, the Department of History at the University of the Free State, the Department of Development Studies at Nelson Mandela University, the Archie Mafeje Chair in Critical Humanities and Decolonial Studies and the AC Jordan Chair at the Centre for African Studies at the University of Cape Town, and the Department of History at the University of Johannesburg invite you to a series of webinars and other events to mark the centenary of the South African Communist Party in 2021.

James Steven Mzilikazi Khumalo

A colossal figure amongst South African choral music composers and directors, Professor James Steven* Mzilikazi Khumalo was born on 20 June 1932 on the Salvation Army farm, kwaNgwelu (known as Mountain View in English), in the Vryheid district of Natal (now KwaZulu-Natal), where his parents – Andreas and Johanna Khumalo – were Salvation Army minister trainees. His parents were deeply religious and instilled this into their son who remained a staunch Christian throughout his life.

Zuleikha Mayat

Zuleikha Mayat was born in 1926 in Potchefstroom, Transvaal (now North West Province). Her father, Mohamed Bismilla, was a prominent business person who first came to South Africa from India at the age of five with his stepmother. Her mother, Amina, was also from India. Growing up, Mayat and her siblings’ lives revolved around their parent’s shop, which was very popular within the community. Later, Mayat would attribute her caring nature to her father, who generously never turned away a customer even if they were short of cash.

Kranskop, KZN

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The rather little Village of Kranskop lies just 36km North East of Greytown in the Midlands of KwaZulu Natal. In Afrikaans a 'kop' means a 'Peak' and because rests in the shadow of a rocky ridge that is undoubtedly the reason for its name change from the original 'Hopetown'. Kranskop's rocky escarpment is something of a landmark, a feature of the landscape, towering 1175 metres over the Valley below. The Village may have been here since 1894, the sandstone outcrop with its two openings has been an integral part of Zulu local folklore for far longer.

Hlobane, Zululand District Municipality

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The name is of Zulu origin, it is said by some to mean ‘beautiful place’, and by others ‘place of dispute’. Roughly 26km east of Vryheid, lies the rural village of Hlobane – little more than a train station and a local school. Like much of the countryside in this part of KwaZulu-Natal, the area is home to a Battlefield that lies at the foot of the Hlobane Mountain. Hlobane was the site of a British disaster in March 1879 when mounted troops led by Lt. Col.
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