SA’s 1st black female graduate, Makgomo Maxeke, honoured in Polokwane
Botlokwa is the birth-place of South Africa's first black female graduate, Makgomo Charlotte Maxeke (neè Mannya), who obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Wilberforce University in Ohio, USA, in 1901.
LIMPOPO – When the ANC Women’s League recently held a public lecture in Nirvana outside Polokwane, they recalled the legacy of this esteemed religious leader of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, social worker and political activist whose resilience stood the test of time at the height of apartheid.
After a long and eventful life, Maxeke died at the age of 68 on 16 October, 1939 in Johannesburg.
Maxeke’s name has been given to the former Johannesburg General Hospital, which is now known as the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital.
The South African Navy submarine SAS Charlotte Maxeke as well as the main street in Bloemfontein were also named after her.
The late Maxeke received the national Order of Luthuli in Gold for her contribution to the struggle for women emancipation and workers’ rights among others.
It was during this lecture that the ANCWL highlighted the vital role and contributions made by a towering figure who was among those who played a central role in the formation of the Bantu Women’s League (BWL), an organisation that campaigned against the pass laws because “they debased the honour of women”.
Although she focused on educational and spiritual matters during this time, her political activism gradually developed.
When the ANC was founded in Bloemfontein in 1912, she was the only woman among the men, but being a graduate she firmly stood her ground.
Addressing delegates during the public lecture, International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said Maxeke’s life served as inspiration among women in struggle politics.
“Her vision for us was to take control of our lives and to rely on ourselves.
She built schools and churches and involved herself in her community,” Nkoana-Mashabane said.
As young women, both Mannya sisters were members of an African choir that toured England between 1891 and 1893 and performed for the late Queen Victoria.
Maxeke’s great-granddaughter Mmakgoro Mannya, said the family was grateful for the honour the government has conferred to their queen matriarch.
“We appreciate what the Office of the Premier and the ministry of International Relations and Cooperation are doing by honouring our late great-grandmother.
We are privileged to be associated with this legend and will continue to celebrate her legacy.”
