AWG Champion (4 December 1893, near the

Tugela River The Tugela River ( zu, Thukela; af, Tugelarivier) is the largest river in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. With a total length of , it is one of the most important rivers of the country. The river originates in Mont-aux-Sources of the Dra ...

mouth

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

– 1975), was a South African trade unionist, activist, writer and public intellectual.Allison Wessels George Champion
''SA History Online''AWG CHAMPION: A REBEL WITH A CAUSE
Thapelo Mokoatsi, ''The Journalist'', 18 August 2015

Life

Champion schooled at

Adams College Adams College is a historic Christian mission school in South Africa, associated with the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA). It was founded in 1853 at Amanzimtoti a settlement just over south of Durban by an American missio ...

near

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

, but was expelled for 'rebelliousness' before he could complete his school education. He then worked various jobs until he met Clement Kadalie in 1925 and joined the Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union (ICU) led by Kadalie.

Political activism

Soon after joining the ICU in the Transvaal in 1925 Champion became second in command of the union and moved to Durban. In 1926 strongly supported the explosion of communists from the union. In 1927 when the union began to break apart he formed and led the ICU yase Natal, which became a powerful organisation in

and wider KwaZulu-Natal. In 1930 he was exiled from Natal and Zululand by the colonial government. He then became a leading figure in the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...

becoming the acting president-general in 1946–1947. He was a strongly conservative presence in the organisation. In 1951 he lost the contest for the presidency of the Natal section of the ANC to

Albert Luthuli Albert John Mvumbi Luthuli ( – 21 July 1967) was a South African anti-apartheid activist, traditional leader, and politician who served as the President-General of the African National Congress from 1952 until his death in 1967. Luthuli wa ...

after which he ran a store and became an influential convservative figure in Natal, with close relations to the Zulu royal family. He died in 1975.

Personal life

Nxumalo was married to Constance Gumede, daughter of

Josiah Tshangana Gumede Josiah Tshangana Gumede (also J.T. Gumede) (9 October 1867 – 6 November 1946) was a South African politician and father of Archie Gumede. He was born in Healdtown village, Fort Beaufort in the present-day Eastern Cape. A Xhosa, his ancestry can ...

.AWG CHAMPION: A REBEL WITH A CAUSE
''The Journalist'', 18 August 2015

References

South African trade unionists South African activists 1893 births 1975 deaths {{SouthAfrica-activist-stub

Life

Political activism

Personal life

See also

References