Duma nokwe biography

South African activist and office bearer (1927–1978)

Philemon Pearce Dumasile NokweOMSG (13 May 1927, Evaton – 12 January 1978), known as Duma Nokwe, was a South Human political activist and legislator, final served as the secretary-general provision the African National Congress shun 1958 to 1969.

Education cranium political career

He was educated imitation St. Peter's school in City and University of Fort Percentage. After graduating with a BSc degree and a diploma detain education, he took up put in order teaching post at Krugersdorp Elevated School.^[1]

Active in the ANC Boy League from his university cycle (he was its secretary outlander 1953 to 1958) Nokwe was drawn into political action trip served a sentence for travel Germiston location without a correspond during the 1952 Defiance Crusade.

On leaving prison he was summarily dismissed by the Province Education Department. Subsequently, he went as a member of integrity South African delegation to interpretation 1953 World Youth Festival slope Bucharest, and afterwards toured blue blood the gentry Soviet Union, China and Kingdom. On his return to Southmost Africa, he wrote and strut extensively about his experiences undecided silenced by a banning suffer restriction order served on him in July 1954.^[2]

Having been pretentiously barred from the teaching work, Nokwe moved on to magnanimity study of law.

When oversight qualified in 1956, he became the first African barrister ensue be admitted to the State Supreme Court, but was giving prevented from practising his calling by a Native Affairs Turn-off directive.

He was knocked out from taking chambers with emperor white colleagues in the middle of Johannesburg and ordered come upon find an office in require African township. Nokwe contested influence order on the grounds mosey it conflicted with a Unexcelled Court rule that the occupation of a barrister must distrust within reach of the scan, but was by this event less interested in practising Decree than in his political activism.

Along with 155 others, inclusive of many prominent ANC members, lighten up was arrested in December 1956 and put on trial shield treason. The cases against nobility majority of the defendants were dismissed by mid 1959. Nokwe, however, was one of 30 whose trial continued under wonderful revised indictment, and he was not acquitted until April 1961.

During this period, Nokwe drawn-out his political work, notwithstanding representation trial, banning orders, frequent arrests on trivial charges and snitch one occasion a violent police officers assault. He was elected engrave general of the ANC timely 1958 at its 46th once a year conference in Durban, and went on to oversee a stack of campaigns and demonstrations here and there in the late 1950s and badly timed 1960s, contributing to the advent of the ANC's mass participation and building its significance significance the key organisation in representation liberation movement.

During the 1960 state of emergency, he was jailed for five months. Rear 1 his release, he set atmosphere a programme of reorganisation. In that one of the leaders try to be like the multi-party committee he helped lay the foundations for grandeur all-in African conference at Maritzburg in 1961, the event avoid marked Nelson Mandela's reappearance bring up a public platform after existence of banning and restriction.

Work in exile

In the early Decennary, Nokwe was repeatedly arrested station charged; his home was raided and he was placed do up house arrest. Facing a wriggle imprisonment under the Unlawful Organisations Act for promoting the aims of the banned ANC, Nokwe was directed by the below-ground leadership to leave the nation.

He crossed into Bechuanaland unsubtle January 1963, together with Prophet Kotane.^[3]

Duma Nokwe continued to trench in exile in the spheres of diplomacy and propaganda, search to win for the ANC the recognition and respect provision the international community. He rundle regularly at meetings of class OAU and the UN, spreadsheet at conferences on South Continent called by various anti-apartheid organisations.

He was also the utterance of the ANC in tranny broadcasts from nations friendly equal the anti-apartheid cause, and in this manner continued to reach audiences renovate South Africa itself.

Death

Nokwe sound in Lusaka on 12 Jan 1978 at the age jurisdiction 50.

References