Sobukwe celebrations to mark 40 years since death

A series of events have been lined up across the country to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the death of Pan Africanist activist, academic and former Robben Island political prisoner, Professor Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, who died of lung cancer complications on February 27 1978.

The year-long calendar of events, which kicked off with a commemorative lecture at the University of Johannesburg yesterday, will be held in various provinces including Gauteng, Limpopo, Western Cape, and his home province of the Eastern Cape.

Yesterday’s lecture was delivered by Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania’s Tshiamo Moela on the topic: “What would have Sobukwe said about fallism?”.

According to his son, Dini Sobukwe, who is also the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Trust head, there are many planned events this year with the theme of “Sobukwe 40 years on: A silenced voice of liberation”.

Dini said tomorrow at Sammy Mark Square in Pretoria, the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC), led by Narius Moloto, will hold a commemoration under the topic “Searching for Sobukwe’s voice”.

Also on Tuesday, Sobukwe Day, Dini said the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe lecture will be hosted at the Port Elizabeth-based Nelson Mandela University’s north campus conference centre under the topic The thought legacy of Mangaliso Sobukwe: Decolonised African centred education in the 21st century...40 years on. It will be delivered by Christine Qunta.

Sobukwe’s grandson, Tsepo, yesterday said such events will be held to preserve the legacy of his grandfather.

“It is important to us to keep his legacy alive,” Tsepo said. — asandan@dispatch.co.za