Sefako Makgatho Release 2012.pdf

SEFAKO MAPOGO MAKGATHO (1861– 1951) ‐ SECOND PRESIDENT OF THE ANC.
Joburg 26 January, 2012
Thebe Makgatho (73) has warm memories of his grandfather Sefako Mapogo Makgatho
(ANC President 1917 – 1924). “I stayed with him on the farm in Riverside, Pretoria when I
was 12 for two years. He must have been in his eighties then, and although I was only 12, I
remember him being tall and slim, with grey hair and a warm smile, but a very strict
disciplinarian. He would spend many hours talking to me and we were very close. He had
been a keen cricketer in his youth and there were photographs of him and his team
displayed in the lounge.”
Thebe recalls helping him to chop wood for the house. “He’d let me carry the bundles inside
and follow me with the axe on his shoulders. The house was always full of people wanting
to talk to him and he spent many hours locked in meetings with the elders, but I was too
young to know what they discussed,” he says.
Sefako was a loving husband and Thebe remembers touching moments when Sefako would
playfully tease his second wife Thabitha when she was preparing supper for the family. His
first wife, Mmatjatji, had died in 1944.
That was Sefako the family man, but as a dedicated conscious defender of liberties his life’s
work was in politics and religion. Having studied education and theology in England, he
became a devout Christian and went on to found the United National Church in in Africa in
1931. (It still exists today). As a blood relative and follower of highly respected Chief
Sekhukhune of the Bapedi tribe, he continued to be a student of South African affairs after
Sekhuhkhune’s death.
In 1884, Makgatho vehemently opposed the initiatives of the Berlin (Congo) Conference.
Known as the ‘Scramble for Africa’, it resulted in a process of invasion, occupation,
colonization and annexation of African territories by European powers during the New
Imperialism period. The initial task of the conference was to agree that the Congo River and
Niger River mouths and basins would be considered neutral and open to trade. Makgatho
described this as the ‘rape of Africa’ and foresaw, not only the immediate plundering of its
vast natural resources but also the threat to the freedom, independence and selfdetermination
of her peoples. It took decades of struggle and sacrifices by liberation
movements across the continent to free Africans from the chains of political bondage, and
Makgatho played his part and remained active.
From 1906 to 1908 he served as President of the African Political Union and President of the
Transvaal Native Organisation from 1908‐1912. Both organisations eventually merged to
form the ANC in January 1912. The political slogan “Mayibuye i Afrika (Come back, Africa)’
was adopted embracing, not only South Africans but also the whole of the African

continent. The national anthem ‘Nkosi Sikalel i Afrika’ was introduced and black, gold and
green became the official colours of the ANC flag.
Sefako Makgatho became President of the ANC (1917 – 1924) during a time of change in the
country when the foundations of apartheid legislation were laid. In 1920, the ANC
supported a militant strike by black mineworkers. White workers felt threatened by black
labour on the mines, and revolted in 1922 ‐ a rebellion that was put down violently by Prime
Minister Jan Smuts. During this period the ANC opposed a law to regulate the presence of
Africans in urban areas. It was also the time of the formation of the first major trade union
representing black workers, the Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union (ICU) led by
Clements Kadalie. More restrictions on black South Africans were brought in under the Pact
government from 1924 under JBM Hertzog.
These were only some of the initiatives where Makgatho made his mark. In 1906 he helped
establish the Transvaal African Teachers’ Association and in 1923 he launched ‘The Good
Shepherd,’ a journal that spread the message of equal education opportunities. From 1906
to 1908 he served as president of the African Political Union. From 1887 to 1930 he was an
influential Methodist lay preacher. He also participated in delegations and petitions to
London (after World War 1, 1914–1918).
During these momentous years Makgatho continued to lead as an educationalist and
theologian. He led anti‐pass campaigns, calling the pass ‘infernal’ and a ‘badge of slavery’.
He vigorously opposed the extension of the ‘dompas’ to African woman and successfully
took the government to court over the Transvaal Poll Tax. He spearheaded a successful
campaign in Pretoria for the right to walk on the city pavements instead of competing with
vehicles and horses for space in the middle of the road. Under his leadership Africans won
the right to use segregated first‐class and second‐class facilities on South African trains
instead of being confined to goods trains.
With Makgatho’s active participation in 1912 and in response to the race laws contained in
the South Africa Act (1909) the ANC aimed to unite Africans not just in South Africa, but
also in the neighbouring territories. During his tenure he committed to fighting imperialism,
to spearhead the common struggle for freedom and determination, to destroy racism and
to build on its ruins, a non‐racial South Africa with traditional democratic rights that would
be available to all, irrespective of race, colour, religion or gender.
The Sefako Mapogo Makgatho Memorial Foundation was recently launched to preserve,
promote and transmit the legacy and heritage of the late Sefako Mapogo Makgatho. The
foundation is headed up by businessman and great grandson of Sefako, Tommy Makgatho
(chairman) and Khentu Pitje (CEO).
The month of February has been devoted to paying tribute to Sefako’s life and memory and
is part of the ANC’s centenary celebrations.