Richard Victor Selope Thema (1886–1955) was a South African political activist and leader. He was a member of the

South African Native 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 ...

deputation sent to Britain and Versailles in 1919 to intercede on behalf of black South Africans, many of whom had fought for Britain in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Early years

Richard Victor Selope Thema was born in Ga-Mamabolo, Pietersburg district, in 1886. Both his parents were Pedi speaking but not originally belonging to the Mamabolo tribe who, through early contact with

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

, were already

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

. Thema attended mission schools, he interrupted his education when he ran away from school in 1901 and joined the British troops stationed in Pietersburg during the

South African War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

(1899 - 1902). After peace was declared he went to

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

where he first worked as a waiter in a boarding-house and then at the Imperial Military Railway Dispensary in Pretoria. In 1903 Thema resumed his education. From 1906 to 1910 he studied at

Lovedale Institution Lovedale, also known as the Lovedale Missionary Institute was a mission station and educational institute in the Victoria East division of the Cape Province, South Africa (now in Eastern Cape Province). It lies above sea level on the banks of the ...

in Alice, Eastern Cape. Thema completed the Junior Certificate in 1907 and then qualified as a teacher.

Political career

Beginning at the end of 1910, Thema taught in the Pietersburg district for a year, but then started working as a clerk, first at the Pietersburg mine recruiting office for three years, and from 1915 in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

in the office of the attorney Richard W. Msimang. Msimang was chairperson of the committee that had to draw up a new constitution for the South African Native National Congress (SANNC) . Thema acted as Msimang's secretary on the committee. This led to Thema's increasing involvement in the affairs of the congress and in 1915 he was elected provincial secretary of the

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

branch of the SANNC. Thema was also known for his writing abilities.

Legacy

Kwa-Thema township outside Springs was named after him, as well as the Selope Thema Community School in Orlando East. Selope Thema street in the West Rand township of Mohlakeng was also named after him

Literature

Alan Cobley (ed.): ''From Cattle-Herding to Editor's Chair: The Unfinished Autobiography and Writings of Richard Victor Selope Thema''. Van Riebeek Society for the Publication of South African Historical Documents, Cape Town 2016, ISBN 978–0–9814264-6-4.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thema, Selope 1886 births 1955 deaths South African Republic people Northern Sotho people African National Congress politicians