Honouring Sobukwe: A year of events for an anti-apartheid fighter

One of South Africa’s most feared political prisoners, Robert Sobukwe, is to be honoured with a series of activities aimed at the youth to commemorate his death and pay tribute to his role as an anti-apartheid fighter.

The activities are a sequel to the declaration of this year as the Year of Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe by the Robben Island Museum.

Year of Robert Sobukwe

The museum will also organise a series of activities, including lectures, seminars, exhibitions, and dialogues as a segue to the affirmation of the 30th anniversary of SA’s democracy next year.

Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) president Mzwanele Nyhontso lauded the museum.

“Sobukwe is leading light among Africanists who taught us to look beyond the dust of the struggle, to be absolutely honest, upright and have an everlasting love for African people,” he said.

“He is a leader who only comes once in a century like a mythical figure. His transformation agenda is very relevant today. Sobukwe’s footprints in the African revolution are yet to be appreciated.”

Triumph of the human spirit

Robben Island Museum council chair Prof Saths Cooper said the activities were not only meant to highlight the historic contributions of individual men and women.

“Their intention is to highlight what the iconic national and world heritage site that is Robben Island has come to symbolise: the triumph of the human spirit over adversity over the centuries,” he said.

Sobukwe was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for incitement of black people to demand the repeal of pass laws after leading a peaceful march to Orlando police station in Soweto on 21 March, 1960.

This was on the same day a similar protest took place in Sharpeville, to hand over their passes to the police, thereby deliberately courting arrest.

The ‘Sobukwe clause’

Sobukwe – who led a breakaway from the ANC to establish the PAC in 1959 over ideological differences – refused to appeal against his sentence on the grounds that the court had no jurisdiction over him because it could not be considered either a court of law or justice.

After his prison term had expired, the new General Law Amendment Act (No 37 of 1963) was passed to allow his imprisonment to be renewed annually at the sole discretion of the justice minister.

This became known as the “Sobukwe clause” and went on for a further three years. He was the only one imprisoned under this clause.

In 1969 he was put under house arrest in his home in Galeshewe, Kimberley, until his death in 1978.