The Individual, Auto/biography and History in South Africa

fundamental reconstitution of the field of history, as well as what it meant to be a
historian. 3
Leaders’ lives and public history
It took brutal and untimely death in the midst of South Africa’s transition to provoke
biographical assessment. The assassination of political leader Chris Hani in 1993 in the
midst of political negotiations gave rise to a flood of biographical offerings in the form of
tributes and obituaries in which the politics and career of this “all‐round combatant”, 4 and
“highly cultured” intellectual who “spoke the language of the poor”, 5 were vigorously
fought over. In these biographical contestations over the nature of his “unique” 6 qualities,
Hani was presented in different ways. He was constructed as “a great thinker who was
playing an increasingly important role in defining South Africa’s socialist agenda” and
who looked forward to a conference of “all Left forces” to try to “define the nature of the
socialist project”. 7 On the other hand he was also seen as a “strategist of unrivalled
quality” who “was not a theoretician” but who nevertheless “towered over the liberation
struggle”. 8 Hani, it was said, “led the people because he knew how to listen to them”. 9 A
further account chose to construct Hani as a moderate, a “fighter for peace” who had
spent time convincing ANC militants not to call for war to keep self‐defence units in
check. 10
The murder of Chris Hani and the subsequent outpouring of biographic assessment
seemed to set the scene for a relentless historical concentration on the great individual in
3 Gary Minkley, Ciraj Rassool and Leslie Witz, `Thresholds, Gateways and Spectacles: Journeying
through South African hidden pasts and histories in the last decade of the twentieth century’; Leslie
Witz, Gary Minkley and Ciraj Rassool, ‘Who Speaks for South African Pasts?’.
4Lennox Lagu, ‘Chris Hani: All‐Round Combatant’, Mayibuye, May 1993, p 11.
5Joe Slovo, ‘Chis Hani: The Musketbearer’, Mayibuye, May 1993, p 10.
6Raymond Suttner, ‘Remembering Chris Hani’, The African Communist, No 136, First Quarter, 1994, p
68.
7 Moeletsi Mbeki, ‘Death of a Socialist’, Work in Progress, No 89, June 1993, pp 10‐12.
8 Rok Ajulu, ‘Obituary: Comrade Thembisile “Chris” Hani’, Review of African Political Economy, 1993, pp
2‐5.
9 ‘Editorial Notes’, The African Communist, No 136, First Quarter 1994, pp 3‐4.
10 Nthoana and Mbulelo Mzamane, ‘Hamba Kahle Chris Hani, 1942‐1993’, Southern Africa Report, July
1993, pp 22‐24. See also ‘Tribute to a People’s Hero’ (Poster), Issued by the ANC, SACP and COSATU.
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