Charlotte Maxeke (née Manye) was a leader in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, a social and political activist and the first black South African woman to graduate with a university degree: a BSc from Wilberforce University, Ohio, USA in 1901. She gave hope to the dejected and her life was an inspiration to all. She was a wife, mother, educationist, religious leader, social welfare worker, political activist and benefactor of humanity.
One of the key themes of South Africa’s long history of struggle, resistance and protest is women’s struggle for gender equality, female dignity, respect and basic human rights. This struggle has been fought by South Africa’s black and coloured women for more than a century and, sadly, the battle is not yet won. The appalling statistics of the prevalence of gender-based domestic violence against women and girls in South Africa is of national concern.
Andrew Mokete Mlangeni (95), the last surviving co-defendant convicted with Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Denis Goldberg and four others at the Rivonia Trial of 1963-1964, has died on 21 July 2020. His death came shortly after the death of Goldberg, who passed away on 29 April 2020. Mlangeni’s death signals the end of an era for South Africa’s liberation struggle since he was so closely associated with Mandela’s generation.
Bud Mbelle (Credit: Wits University)
Horatio Isaiah Budlwana (Bud) Mbelle was the first Organising Secretary of the South African Coloured Rugby Board and the brother-in-law of Sol Plaatje. Mbelle was born in Burgersdorp, Cape Colony on 24 June 1870. He grew up in the Herschel district in the Eastern Cape and was educated at the Wesleyan Methodist Primary School and the Healdtown Institution, near Fort Beaufort from 1886 to 1888, where he qualified as a teacher.
On 20 July 1963, South Africa played Australia for the first time in a rugby league test. This history-making test was the fifth game of the Australia – New Zealand Tour of the Rugby League Springboks, the national team of Rugby League South Africa.[1]
The tour results up to that point indicated that the visitors had won exactly half of the games played. While the Springboks, under the captaincy of former rugby union test player Dawie Ackerman, had won comfortably against Northern Division (20-10) and Monaro (41-2), it was tough going against Sydney (5-49) and Queensland (16-32).