Godfrey Isaac Malunga Mzamane (7 March 1909 – 1977) was a

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...

, literary historian,

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

and intellectual pioneer of

African studies African studies is the study of Africa, especially the continent's cultures and societies (as opposed to its geology, geography, zoology, etc.). The field includes the study of Africa's history (pre-colonial, colonial, post-colonial), demography ...

in South Africa.

Early life and education

GGodfrey Mzamane was born in Fobane in the Mt. Fletcher district, near

Matatiele Matatiele is a town located in the northern part of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. According to the South African National Census of 2011, its 12,466 residents (1,113.44 per km²) and 4,107 households (366.83 per km²) make Matati ...

in the

Transkei Transkei (, meaning ''the area beyond he riverKei''), officially the Republic of Transkei ( xh, iRiphabliki yeTranskei), was an unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa from 1976 to 1994. It was, along with Ciskei, a Ba ...

. His father Seplani Isaac Mzamane was an Anglican church lay

preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach components such as ...

. Godfrey attended primary school at Umzimkhulu, at the French Evangelical Missionary School there; he also attended Bethesda Moravian Mission School at Lupindo. He graduated standard six in 1921. In 1926, he studied at St John's College,

Mthatha Mthatha , formerly Umtata, is the main city of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Eastern Cape province of South Africa and the capital of OR Tambo District Municipality. The city has an airport, previously known as the K. D. Matanz ...

, then at Adam's Teacher Training College in

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

. He also went to Fort Hare for a time. From 1936 to 1939, he taught at the training school in Mariazell,

. He also taught at St. Peter's Secondary School in Johannesburg. Godfrey then went to

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

to learn museum techniques. In 1942, he was appointed the assistant curator of the F.S. Malan

Museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

at Fort Hare University College. He replaced A. C. Jordan as Lecturer in Bantu Languages at Fort Hare University College when Jordan resigned his position in the Department of African Languages in 1946. In 1947, he obtained a

BA Degree Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in African languages, followed by a Masters thesis (or "dissertation"), submitted to the

University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA), known colloquially as Unisa, is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, U ...

(Unisa) in 1948, entitled ''A concise treatise on

Phuthi Phuthi (''Síphùthì'') is a Nguni Bantu language spoken in southern Lesotho and areas in South Africa adjacent to the same border. The closest substantial living relative of Phuthi is Swati (or ''Siswati''), spoken in Eswatini and the Mp ...

with special reference to its relationship with

Nguni Nguni may refer to: *Nguni languages * Nguni cattle *Nguni people *Nguni sheep, which divide into the Zulu, Pedi, and Swazi types *Nguni stick-fighting * Nguni shield * Nguni homestead *Nguni (surname) Nguni is an African surname. Notable people ...

and Sotho'', which was published in 1949 and was an important early contribution to the study of Phuthi language. Godfrey was later a

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

and Head of the Department of African Languages at the

University College of Fort Hare The University of Fort Hare is a public university in Alice, Eastern Cape, South Africa. It was a key institution of higher education for Africans from 1916 to 1959 when it offered a Western-style academic education to students from across sub ...

Life and writing career

While teaching at Fort Hare University College he attracted considerable attention with his work on his classic

Xhosa Xhosa may refer to: * Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa * Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people See als ...

novel, ''Izinto zodidi (things of value)'' (1959). This didactic novel published in 1959, concerns the failure of the father, Deyi, to cope with modern life as compared to the splendid scientific achievements of his son, Manzodidi, who goes to Canada to study. In the late 1940s he served as secretary of the Cape

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

and was a member of the ANC national executive committee at the time of the Programme of Action.

Notes and references

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mzamane, Godfrey Isaac Malunga 1909 births 1977 deaths 20th-century South African historians 20th-century South African male writers 20th-century South African novelists Literary historians People from the Eastern Cape South African male novelists University of Fort Hare academics University of Fort Hare alumni University of South Africa alumni Xhosa people