Paul Mokabe

Mokabe was one of the students who stood up against the introduction of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in African schools in 1976. In 1977, Mokabe skipped the country to go into exile to the USA, where he lived until he met his death in 2007. Mokabe did not return home when most exiles did in the early 1990s.

Mokabe’s last days were not happy. He was found dead in his apartment in Washington, allegedly three weeks after he had died. His close friend, Selby Semela, who had skipped the country together with the late Tsietsi Mashinini after the 1976 Student Uprisings, found Mokabe’s apartment locked when he paid him a visit. His body was discovered by local police in a decomposed state. DNA evidence identified him. His family was located and his mother was informed of his death. He was cremated on December 31, 2007 and his remains returned to his family in Lesotho.  

One of his friends, Duma Ka Ndlovu, Muvhango’s producer, described Mokabe as a secretive person who never spoke about his family.

“I met him two years ago when I went to the US.  He was talking tsotsi taal all the time. When I asked him when he was planning to come back home he would just say ‘jy weet die ding van die dladla’ and then just laugh,” said Ndlovu. 

His other close friend, Dumisani Mtimkhulu, said Mokabe worked as a translator for an institution in the US. In 2003 Mokabe posted a birthday message to former SA state president Nelson Mandela on his 85th birthday. The message read as follows:

“Happy birthday TATA! O hole obe o kgokgobe! Matla ke a rona! Paul Mokabe Washington DC, USA.”