Zephania Lekoame Mothopeng (10 September 1913 – 23 October 1990) was a South African political activist and member of the
Pan-Africanist Congress
The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (known as the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC)) is a South African national liberation Pan-Africanism, Pan-Africanist movement that is now a political party. It was founded by an Africanist group, led by Rober ...
(PAC).
Early life
Mothopeng was born near
Vrede
Vrede is a town in the Free State province of South Africa that is the agricultural hub of a 100 km² region. Maize, wheat, mutton, wool, beef, dairy products and poultry are farmed in the region.
History
In 1863 one J. H. Krynauw bought ...
in
Free State, and he had five siblings.
He was educated at St. Mary's Anglican School, in
Daggakraal, and completed his education at the St. Peters Secondary School at
Rosettenville 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 1937, where he matriculated.
[ After matriculation, he trained as a teacher 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 ...
in Kwa-Zulu 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 ...
,[ where he and three other colleagues defiantly sat on the seats reserved for European staff members. For this they were dismissed but later reinstated. He completed his postgraduate teachers diploma at the college in 1940.
In 1941, Mothopeng took up a teaching post at Orlando Secondary School in ]Soweto
Soweto () is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western Townships''. Formerly a s ...
and settled in Johannesburg.[ He served as president of the Transvaal Teachers Association in 1950.][ It was in this capacity that he became one of the most outspoken opponents of the introduction of ]Bantu
Bantu may refer to:
*Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages
*Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language
* Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle
*Black Association for National ...
education.[Zephania Lekoame Mothopeng. WITS Historical Papers Research Archive. Online. Accessed 8 November.](_blank)
/ref>
Political history
Mothopeng began his struggle against apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
in 1943 as a founding member of the African National Congress Youth League
The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) is the youth wing of the African National Congress (ANC). As set out in its constitution, the ANC Youth League is led by a National Executive Committee (NEC) and a National Working Committee (NW ...
.[ He left 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 ...
(ANC) because of the rise of the Freedom Charter
The Freedom Charter was the statement of core principles of the South African Congress Alliance, which consisted of the African National Congress (ANC) and its allies: the South African Indian Congress, the South African Congress of Democrats ...
, a multiracial philosophy.[ He left the ANC with ]Robert Sobukwe
Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe (5 December 1924 – 27 February 1978) was a prominent South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and founding member of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), serving as the first president of the organization.
Sobukwe w ...
in 1959 and became a founding member of the Pan-Africanist Congress
The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (known as the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC)) is a South African national liberation Pan-Africanism, Pan-Africanist movement that is now a political party. It was founded by an Africanist group, led by Rober ...
( PAC).[ After forming the PAC, he was at the forefront of their Positive Action campaign against ]pass laws
In South Africa, pass laws were a form of internal passport system designed to segregate the population, manage urbanization and allocate migrant labor. Also known as the natives' law, pass laws severely limited the movements of not only black ...
. The campaign was defined by Pan Africanists as the application of non-violent mass action in the form of strikes, boycott
A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...
s and non-collaboration with the oppressive authorities.
As a member of the PAC, Mothopeng was arrested several times, first in 1960 for two years for taking part in the Defiance Campaign
The Defiance Campaign against Unjust Laws was presented by the African National Congress (ANC) at a conference held in Bloemfontein, South Africa in December 1951. The Campaign had roots in events leading up the conference. The demonstrations, ...
. He was released in 1962 on completion of his jail term. He was detained again in 1964 for furthering the aims of a banned organisation, the PAC. His arrest followed a massive police swoop on the PAC underground movement called Azanian People's Liberation Army
The Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA), formerly known as Poqo, was the military wing of the Pan Africanist Congress, an African nationalist movement in South Africa. In the Xhosa language, the word 'Poqo' means 'pure'.
After attacks on ...
(APLA), formerly known as ''Poqo''. APLA was the military wing of the Pan Africanist Congress. Mothopeng, John Ganya
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
, Mark Shinners
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* Fi ...
, and others, played a leading role in establishing contact with the external mission of the PAC in Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
, recruiting new members to the PAC, establishing underground cells, and sending recruits outside the country to join APLA in exile.
Mothopeng served a three-year sentence on Robben Island
Robben Island ( af, Robbeneiland) is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, north of Cape Town, South Africa. It takes its name from the Dutch word for seals (''robben''), hence the Dutch/Afrik ...
for furthering the aims of the PAC. He served alongside Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...
on Robben Island before being released in 1967.[Zephania Mothopeng, 77, Dies; Headed South African Movement. 1990. Online. Retrieved 1 November 2017](_blank)
/ref> After his release he was banished to QwaQwa
QwaQwa was a bantustan ("homeland") in the central eastern part of South Africa. It encompassed a very small region of in the east of the former South African province of Orange Free State, bordering Lesotho. Its capital was Phuthaditjhaba. It ...
in the Free State but only stayed for six months before returning to his home in Johannesburg.[Zeph Mothopeng, President of the PAC dies. SAHistory. Accessed 3 November.](_blank)
/ref>
He was arrested again in August 1976 in connection with the Soweto uprisings after mobilising and organising students in Soweto
Soweto () is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western Townships''. Formerly a s ...
. For this offense, he was accused number one at the Bethal Trial, where he was charged with conspiracy and treason. He was arrested under the terrorism act, and his charges included inciting 16 June Soweto Uprisings. The Bethal Trial was the only secret political trial ever held in apartheid South Africa.[Ebrahim, A. "Pan Africanist Congress" Accessed 1 November.](_blank)
/ref> He was elected as the president of the PAC in 1986 while in prison.
Mothopeng was sentenced to Robben Island again where he was to serve two 15-year terms of imprisonment. He was severely tortured in jail.
Mothopeng was among those who reported police torture because four other detainees had died in detention.
Mothopeng became ill with cancer of the throat while in prison. He was unconditionally released by President F. W. de Klerk in 1988. He rejected calls to join political talks that black people should have all the power.[Zephania (Zeph) Lekoame Mothopeng]
SAHistory.org, retrieved 5 August 2013 Under Mothopeng, the PAC refused to join the negotiations on democracy with the African National Congress under President F. W. de Klerk as the Pan-Africanist Congress believed that only guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or Irregular military, irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, Raid (military), raids ...
would end white minority rule. After his early release in November 1988, he settled in Soweto but never recovered his health.
Personal life
On 10 September 1941, Mothopeng married Urbania Lonake. In 1942, the couple moved into a municipal four-roomed house in Orlando West
Orlando is a township in the urban area of Soweto, South Africa. The township was founded in 1931 and named after Edwin Orlando Leake, Mayor of Johannesburg from 1925 to 1926. It is divided in two main areas: Orlando West and Orlando East.
Histor ...
. They had four children, Locksley, Sheila, John and Lancelot.
While in prison, Urbania was out of work because she suffered from severe arthritis
Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...
.
Death and legacy
On 23 October 1990, Mothopeng died from chest and lung cancer and pneumonia at 78. He was known as the "Lion of Azania
Azania ( grc, Ἀζανία) is a name that has been applied to various parts of southeastern tropical Africa. In the Roman period and perhaps earlier, the toponym referred to a portion of the Southeast Africa coast extending from northern Keny ...
".["Former PAC President, Zeph Mothopeng Honoured with Street Name. 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2017.](_blank)
/ref> Mothopeng is buried with his wife in Avalon Cemetery
Avalon Cemetery is one of the largest graveyards in South Africa. It was opened in 1972, during the height of apartheid, as a graveyard exclusively for black people. The huge extension was officially opened on 9 February by Matshidiso Mfikoe, at ...
.
In a ceremony on 22 October 2016, Mothopeng was posthumously honoured when Pela Street, close to Vilakazi Street Vilakazi is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Benedict Vilakazi (soccer) (born 1982), South African footballer
*Benedict Wallet Vilakazi (1906–1947), South African poet, novelist and educator
*Herbert Vilakazi (1943–2016), So ...
in Orlando West, Soweto, was renamed Zephania Mothopeng Street.[Street Re-naming to Honour Zephania Mothopeng. 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2017.](_blank)
/ref> The renaming is in line with the City of Johannesburg's Policy on the Naming and Renaming of Streets and Other Public Places. Zephania Mothopeng Street links with the Hector Pieterson
Zolile Hector Pieterson (19 August 1964 – 16 June 1976) was a South African schoolboy who was shot and killed at the age of twelve during the Soweto uprising, when the police opened fire on black students protesting the enforcement of teach ...
Precinct.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mothopeng, Zephania
1913 births
1990 deaths
People from Phumelela Local Municipality
South African Sotho people
Pan Africanist Congress of Azania politicians
Anti-apartheid activists
South African prisoners and detainees
Prisoners and detainees of South Africa