Friday Feature

SIBONGILE SUSAN MKHABELA

Sibongile Susan Mkhabela is a former Student Leader, Executive member of the Soweto Students Representative Council (SSRC) and South African Students Movement (SASM) General Secretary – both the driving force behind the nation-wide June 16 1976 revolt. As a former student leader she played a critical role in the June 16 1976 uprisings. In September 1978, she was charged with 10 others for sedition under the Terrorism Act in what was known as the Soweto 11 trial and imprisoned to three years at the Krronstad prison in the Free State.  She was the only woman among the 11 student leaders arrested.

On her release in 1982, Sibongile spearheaded the formation of a Para-legal Advice Centres Association which offered free services to aggrieved un-unionised workers on public law related issues. While in jail, Mkhabela’s numerous applications to study were denied. As she came out, she was served with a banning order that restricted her from entering any place of education. She finally matriculated by correspondence in 1983. Thereafter, she formed and worked with a number of non-governmental organisations to help those in distress. But in 1989, she wanted to stop working and go to university. The youngest of her three children was two years old, but she felt she needed a degree. So, through the University of KwaZulu-Natal, she got an honours degree in Social Work. Over the years she has become A Joel L. Fleishman Civil Society Fellow at Duke University, North Carolina, USA, has several graduate diplomas, and has completed various management courses through the University Of Witwatersrand Business School.

Sibongile describes her youth as a time of mentorship, under great women like Ellen Kuzwayo. She recently won the Ellen Kuzwayo Council Award, recognising her outstanding contribution to higher education that went beyond the bounds of teaching and research. She has worked as a Programme Director of the Development Resource Centre, paving the way to the establishment of the South African Grant Association (SAGA). She served as UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) Consultant to help establish its presence in South Africa. She enlisted into the Office of the then Deputy President Thabo Mbeki, 1995-1999, as Director of Programmes, Projects and Coordinator of a legislative process leading to the establishment of the National Development Agency (NDA). She is currently at the helm of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, as the Chief Executive Officer. (Chairperson since 2006) She serves on the boards of a number of companies and is currently chair of Black Sash.

Sibongile Mkhabela is author of a book, Open Earth and Black Roses – a story of June 16 1976 published by Skotaville Press.

Sources: www.nelsonmandelachildrenshospital.org

www.safm.co.za/sabc/home/safm/features/details?id=aad9d152-2f7f-46b3-bc6b-bddcf9b72743&title=Heroines%20of%20our%20struggle,%20Sibongile%20Mkhabela

Friday Feature

MUHAMMAD ALI " THE GREATEST"

"People don't realize what they had till it's gone. Like President Kennedy, there was no one like him, the Beatles, and my man Elvis Presley. I was the Elvis of boxing." 

Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American Olympic and professional boxer and activist, widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century. From early in his career, Ali was known as an inspiring, controversial and polarizing figure both inside and outside the ring.

Clay was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, and began training as a boxer when he was 12 years old. Cassius Clay Sr. gifted his son a new red-and-white Schwinn in 1954, which was promptly stolen. The 12-year-old, 89-pound Cassius Clay vowed “I'm gonna whup whoever stole my bike!” A policeman, Joe Martin, told young Cassius Clay that he better learn how to fight before he challenged anyone. After 6 months of training with Joe Martin, Cassius won his debut match in a three-round decision. Young Cassius Clay dedicated himself to boxing and training with an unmatched fervor. According to Joe Martin, Clay set himself apart by two things: He was “sassy,” and he outworked all the other boys.

Shortly after his high school graduation, 18 year-old Cassius Clay began his journey towards greatness at the 1960 Rome Olympics. His expansive personality and larger-than-life spirit earned him the nickname “The Mayor of Olympic Village.” The future 3-time Heavyweight World Champion nearly missed the trip to Rome due to his fear of airplane travel; he insisted on bringing a parachute on the plane with him. On September 5, 1960, “The Greatest” proved his dominance in the Light Heavyweight Boxing Division by beating Zigzy Pietrzykowski of Poland, capturing the Olympic Gold Medal. Muhammad Ali participated in the light-heavyweight class Golden Gloves tournament for novices in 1956. It took him three years, but finally in 1959, Ali was named Golden Gloves Champion and earned the Amateur Athletic Union’s national title in the light-heavyweight division.

At 22, he won the WBC and WBA heavyweight championships from Sonny Liston in an upset in 1964. Shortly after that, Clay decided to join the black Muslim group the Nation of Islam. He announced his conversion  and changed his "slave" name to Ali, and gave a message of racial pride for African Americans and resistance to white domination during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.  In 1966, two years after winning the heavyweight title, Ali further antagonized the government by refusing to enter the Vietnam War draft. He was stripped of his championship titles, passport, and boxing licenses. He lost an initial court battle and was facing a 5-year prison term. Muhammad Ali was the first national figure to speak out against the war in Vietnam. During his 3 ½ year layoff, Ali earned a living speaking at colleges. He successfully appealed in the U.S. Supreme Court, which overturned his conviction in 1971. By that time, he had not fought for nearly four years—losing a period of peak performance as an athlete. Ali's actions as a conscientious objector to the war made him an icon for the larger counterculture generation.

Ali remains the only three-time lineal world heavyweight champion; he won the title in 1964, 1974, and 1978. Between February 25, 1964, and September 19, 1964, Ali reigned as the undisputed heavyweight champion. He is the only boxer to be named The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year five times. He was named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he was involved in several historic boxing matches. Notable among these were the "Fight of the Century", "Super Fight II" and the "Thrilla in Manila" versus his rival Joe Frazier, the first Liston fight, and "The Rumble in the Jungle" versus George Foreman.

At a time when most fighters let their managers do the talking, Ali, inspired by professional wrestler "Gorgeous George" Wagner, thrived in—and indeed craved—the spotlight, where he was often provocative and outlandish.  In 1984, Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and publicly announced that he had the disease, a degenerative neurological condition attributed to brain injuries caused by his boxing career. Following his diagnosis, he created and continued to raise funds for the Muhammad Ali Parkinson’s Center in Phoenix, Arizona. 

In 2005, Ali received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush. He also opened the Muhammad Ali Center in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, that same year. Despite the progression of Parkinson's and the onset of spinal stenosis, Ali remained active in public life. He was on hand to celebrate the inauguration of the first African-American president in January 2009, when Barack Obama was sworn into office. Soon after the inauguration, Ali received the President's Award from the NAACP for his public service efforts.

In early 2015, Ali was hospitalized for a severe urinary tract infection after having battled pneumonia. He was hospitalized again in early June 2016 for what was reportedly a respiratory issue. The revered athlete passed away on the evening of June 3, 2016, at a Phoenix, Arizona facility.Ali was survived by his fourth wife, Yolanda, whom he had been married to since 1986. The couple had one son, Asaad, and Ali had several children from previous relationships, including daughter Laila Ali, who followed in his footsteps by becoming a champion boxer.

Sources: http://muhammadali.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ali

http://www.biography.com/people/muhammad-ali-9181165

Friday Feature

Murphy Morobe

In commemoration of the June 16^th 1976 Uprisings, we will feature activists that were part of the South African Students Movement (SASM). SASM came to national prominence when its members organised the boycotts against Bantu Education, and especially against the imposition of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction, which resulted in the June 1976 uprising.

Murphy Morobe was born on 2 October 1956 in Soweto. When he was young he spent a lot of time with his uncle, a Minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and moved around with the family. He began school in Ermelo, but in 1996 returned to his parents in Soweto. He completed Primary School in Soweto and went on to Orlando North Secondary School and Isaacson High School. In high school he became increasingly interested in politics and history, and he began to read up on them at libraries.

In 1972 he joined the South African Student’s Movement (SASM) because he saw unity and community development as important. He was also starting to think about doing something against the education system and apartheid as a whole. The group was very influenced by Black Consciousness ideology, and also organised cultural activities. In 1973 many members of the committee were detained, and it became quite weak. In 1974 he helped with the reorganisation of SASM, and was elected treasurer. In 1976 SASM was to play an important role in the Soweto Uprising, and it was the first time that Morobe took part in a demonstration. In August 1976 the Soweto Students' Representative Council (SSRC) was formed and Morobe became deputy Chairman. The group played a role in organising campaigns and protests, and almost all Soweto schools were involved in the SSRC.

In December 1976 Morobe was arrested for the first time. He was moved around from prison to prison, kept in solitary confinement, asked to testify against the ANC, tried for conspiracy to commit sedition and eventually sent to Robben Island. He was released only in May 1982, and by this time had completed thee matriculation subjects. After his release, Morobe returned to politics and joined the Congress of South African Students (COSAS) and served on the Executive of the Soweto Youth Congress. He also became involved with the General and Allied Worker’s Union, and it was through this that he participated in the formation of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in 1983.

Morobe became very active in the UDF during the 1980s, and served on the Executive. From October to December 1984 Morobe was again detained. During 1984 Morobe left the county to approach the British government and the United Nations for help, and in 1985 he went to the USA, Britain, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Denmark. In 1985 he was elected to the Transvaal Regional Executive of the UDF, and took over Lekota’s work when he was detained. In 1986 he was again detained from January to March.

In 1994 Morobe became the Chairperson and CEO of the Financial and Fiscal Commission in South Africa. He was part of the Council on Higher Education (CHE), which was established as part of the Higher Education Act of South Africa. He left this post in 1999. He is also the current Chairman of the South African National Parks Board (SANP) and the International Fundraising Consortium, an organisation that provides grants to the non-governmental sector. Morobe has also been appointed as Director on the board of Old Mutual South Africa, and has filled the role of Chairman of Ernst & Young South Africa.

Source: http://www.sahistory.org.za/people/murphy-morobe