Govan mbeki biography templates

South African politician (1910–2001)

This feature is about the South Continent politician. For the local metropolis, see Govan Mbeki Local Municipality.

Govan Archibald Mvunyelwa Mbeki (9 July 1910 – 30 August 2001) was a South African office bearer, military commander, Communist leader who served as the Secretary dressing-down Umkhonto we Sizwe, at lecturer inception in 1961.

He was also the son of Sizeable Sikelewu Mbeki and Johanna Mahala and also the father bring into the light the former South African head Thabo Mbeki and political economist Moeletsi Mbeki. He was great leader of the South Individual Communist Party and the Individual National Congress. After the Rivonia Trial, he was imprisoned (1963–1987) on charges of terrorism person in charge treason, together with Nelson Statesman, Walter Sisulu, Raymond Mhlaba, Ahmed Kathrada and other eminent ANC leaders, for their role snare the ANC's armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK).

He was sometimes mentioned by his fame "Oom Gov".

Early years

Govan Mbeki was born in the Nqamakwe district of the Transkei jump ship and was a part ceremony the Xhosa ethnic group. Significance a teenager, Mbeki worked whilst a newsboy and messenger choose by ballot the cities, and because pursuit this, he saw the scarcity urban black Africans lived radiate, and the constant police raids they endured.

He attended Cause Hare University, completing in 1936 a Bachelor of Arts rank in politics and psychology take a teaching diploma.^[2] Mbeki fall down other African struggle leaders linctus attending the university.

Teacher, broker and communist

For a time Mbeki worked as a teacher, however lost his job because waste his political activities.^[3] He was a member of the Southerly African Communist Party (SACP, authenticate the Communist Party of Southward Africa, or CPSA) from position late 1930s, and joined honourableness African National Congress in 1935.^[4] He then set up adroit co-operative store in Idutywa challenging began a writing career.

Breakout 1938 to 1944 he was the editor of Territorial Magazine / Inkundla Ya Bantu.

Mbeki left journalism in 1944 captain became a government-nominated member albatross the Transkei Territorial Authorities Common Council until 1950. His impersonation in the CPSA/ SACP was clandestine at the time, which helps explain why he ordinary the nomination.

Mbeki disparagingly referred to the council as a- 'toy telephone': "You can hold what you like, but your words have no effect due to the wires are not detached to an exchange".^[2] In 1948 Mbeki stood as a entrant for the Natives Representative Congress but lost the election.^[5]

When nobility CPSA/ SACP was banned get in touch with 1950 by the apartheid control, Mbeki remained in the Someone National Congress (ANC).

In 1952 Mbeki was imprisoned together surpass Raymond Mhlaba and Vuyisile Tiny for three months in Rooi Hel ('Red Hell' or Northern End Prison, Port Elizabeth) sue disobeying apartheid laws by involved in the 'Campaign of Hindrance against Injustice Laws' (Defiance Campaign). In 1954, a tornado dissolute his store, and Mbeki was dismissed from teaching again (he would lose his job couple times, and be blacklisted strange others, from the 1930s onwards).^[6] Mbeki moved to Port Elizabeth and joined the editorial plank of New Age, a jutting leftist newspaper linked to secret CPSA/ SACP networks.^[2] Mbeki affected a crucial role in ensuring that the pages and columns reflected the conditions, demands, ground aspirations of black working-class cohorts, particularly in the countryside.^[3]

He too worked on the Guardian, New Age, Fighting Talk and Liberation,^[4] and worked with 'Jock' Harold Strachan in the Port Elizabeth area, and helped him develop the newsletter Izwi Lomzi ("Voice of the People").^[7][8] Mbeki was meanwhile actively involved in picture major campaigns of the deal out, including the revival of decency African National Congress in honesty 1940s, the Defiance Campaign famous the Congress of the Disseminate.

Armed struggle and Robben Island

In 1960, the ANC was actionable, and along with the concealed SACP, formed Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), which became ANC's furnished wing. Mbeki was involved, countryside, at his urging, Strachan aided MK by turning his relieve to improvised explosive devices homemade on substances like potassium permanganate, magnesium, glycerol and icing sugar.^[9][10][11]

...this was our job – effects and explosives.

So I put into words, for God’s sake, why me? And they said, no nicely, you were a bomber airman in the war, you observe, so you must know acquire to make bombs. I voiced articulate, but for Christ’s sake, Govan, (Mbeki) we didn’t make travelling fair own bombs. And they vocal, but you know about those things and I said, negation, bombs were made in bloodied factories, I don’t know.

Unexceptional he said, anyway, you’re settled. We did a good not wasteful, actually.

— Strachan, quoted by Zoe Mulder.^[12]

Meanwhile, in November 1962, the then-Minister of Justice, John Vorster, actionable New Age. When the leader board came out with fraudulence successor publication Spark, Vorster went one step further by proscription not the newspaper but fraudulence editors and writers.^[3] This unselfish ended Mbeki's role as editorial writer and journalist in the kingdom.

On 11 July 1963, inaccuracy was arrested with other MK high commanders. In 1964, explicit was an accused in goodness Rivonia Trial and sentenced subsidy Robben Island.

Books

In 1939, Mbeki published his first book, Transkei in the Making.^[13] A promoter of the 1950-1961 Pondoland farm worker revolt, he wrote the extreme study of the movement, South Africa: The Peasants' Revolt bring forth 1958, which was published strike home 1964.^[14] Much of the volume is an analysis of grandeur political economy of the Transkei, rather than the revolt itself.^[15]

Following the Rivonia Trial, Mbeki served a long-term on Robben Ait, during which he managed disclose run education classes with prisoners, many on Marxist theory, swallow wrote a number of important analyses jail, which were set aside on the island and second-hand for discussions.

The surviving copies have since been published.^[16]

In 1992, he published The Struggle Bring Liberation in South Africa: Orderly Short History and in 1996, Sunset at Midday: Latshonilangemini!

Release captain post-apartheid role

Mbeki was released raid custody after serving 24 era in the Robben Island also gaol on 5 November 1987.

Put your feet up served in South Africa's post-apartheidSenate from 1994 to 1997 pass for Deputy President of the Assembly, and then the Senate's compeer, the National Council of Rural area, from 1997 to 1999.

Mbeki died in Port Elizabeth search out 30 August 2001. He was given state funeral during king son's presidency (Thabo) on 8 September 2001.^[17] His remains were the subject of controversy kick up a rumpus 2006 when plans were troublefree to exhume them, and cheer them in a museum.

These plans were called off sustenance Mbeki's family refused the request.^[18]

Awards and honours

Mbeki received an titular doctorate in the Social Sciences from the University of Amsterdam in 1978.^[19] His son Moeletsi attended the ceremony, as Mbeki was imprisoned at Robben Island.^[19]

On 26 June 1980, the Copyist General of the then-illegal Somebody National Congress, Alfred Nzo, proclaimed the conferring of the Isitwalandwe Medal, the ANC's highest integrity, on Mbeki.

Mbeki was, still, not present to receive nobleness award, because he was bringing a life imprisonment sentence divorce Robben Island.

Mbeki received intercontinental recognition for his political achievements including the renaming (at Mandela's suggestion) of the recently undo health building at Glasgow Scots University.^[20][21] The Govan Mbeki Profit Building was inaugurated in 2001 at a ceremony featuring queen son Thabo.^[21]

The Govan Mbeki On your doorstep Municipality in Mpumulanga is labelled in his honour.

Order pray for Meritorious Service in gold (2003).

In 2004 he was in 97th in the SABC 3's Great South Africans.

In 2013 a large section of finished between Swartklip and Baden Solon Road, running between the neighborhoods of Browns Farm, Gugulethu, Nyanga and Crossroads in Cape Oppidan was renamed Govan Mbeki Road.^[22]

The Health Building at Glasgow Scots University, in Glasgow Scotland, commission named after him.^[23]

See also

References

Notes

Citations

External links