In an era where rhetoric, media and political messaging seem to revolve around buzzwords like ‘authoritarianism’ and ‘fascism,’ examinations of how human rights defenders and social justice institutions can address American hegemony and the white supremacist establishment are necessary.
The Republic of South Africa and Robert Sobukwe, the renown imprisoned anti-apartheid activist, offer insights for enduring and transforming political despotism.
The nation was once led by a separatist government that persecuted, imprisoned, tortured and killed political dissidents for demanding justice and human rights. This includes Sobukwe, who is often overlooked in contemporary political discourse yet continues to inspire generations.
Much of the international community is aware of Nelson Mandela’s role in South Africa’s road to freedom, yet many people are less familiar with his contemporary, Sobukwe and the invaluable role he had during South Africa’s struggle against the repressive and racist apartheid South African government.
There are historical precedents, both domestic and foreign, that provide guidance for addressing contemporary racialism and political subversion and people dedicated to human rights view them as nonpartisan issues and commemorate the legacies of those who fought for human liberties.
Pan Africanists around the globe find inspiration from Sobukwe’s involvement during South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement.
Netfa Freeman, an organizer for Pan African Community Action (PACA) and the Black Alliance for Peace, and co-producer/host for the radio show and podcast Voices With Vision on WPFW 89.3 FM, believes that political repression needs to be addressed in modern society.
“The international analysis is clear that we have an imperialist global system and require an anti-capitalist movement. Sobukwe and the PAC believed there was a relationship between capitalism, white supremacy and the usurpation of land in South Africa,” Freeman said.
South African anti-apartheid activist, politician, educator and lawyer Sobukwe was one of the country’s many freedom fighters. His level of influence, response to state authoritarianism and his imprisonment—which led to a period where his teachings were banned or absent from historical and modern accounts of political discourse—set him apart.
According to Luvuyo M. Dondolo, professor at the University of South Africa, and author of “One Race: Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe,” despite Sobukwe’s contributions to the South African freedom struggle, his ideas remain “largely unknown” and [many] audio recordings of his speeches were hidden or destroyed.
Between 1948 and 1958, Sobukwe was a leader within the ranks of the African National Congress (ANC) serving as ANC Youth League National secretary and as secretary of the Standerton branch, before departing to create the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC).
Terence Sikweza is a doctoral student in Tshwane, South Africa who believes in pan africanist ideals.
“When discussing Sobukwe it is important to contemplate history and modern South African politics because speaking hastily implies ignorance of true history,” Sikweza said. “Globally his actions are camouflaged by what Nelson Mandela and Steve Biko did, Robert Sobukwe is the man,” he said.
Tumi Hlatshwayo, who grew up in Johannesburg during the 1970s and witnessed the impact of Sobukwe’s efforts, explained the distinctions between Sobukwe and Mandela’s approaches to resisting the apartheid regime of 20th century South Africa.
“Sobukwe was more of a fighter than Mandela when it came to liberating,” said Hlatshwayo. “Sobukwe was loved because he wanted Black South Africans to have everything that belongs to us, while Mandela wanted to share with white monopolists.”
In Dec. 2024 the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (A-APRP), PACA, the Black Alliance for Peace, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and Africa World Now Project cosponsored a viewing and discussion of the 2011 film “Sobukwe: A Great Soul” at Sankofa Video Books & Café. WPFW 89.3 FM and Positive Productions Inc. were also partners for the convening.
Freeman attended the viewing and said he was surprised by the respect people had for Sobukwe. He highlighted the differences between the ANC and PAC, and admired how the film emphasized why the PAC was created and remains necessary in modern South Africa.
“I wish the film had drawn out the distinctions between the PAC and ANC, or Sobukwe and Mandela, in terms of the implications of the PAC’s Africanism, anti-capitalist and pro-socialist stance,” Freeman said. “What made the PAC relevant was the understanding and acknowledgement that the Freedom Charter didn’t deal with the land question.”
According to the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa, the ‘land question’ is how to address historical colonial land displacement and centuries of racial land misappropriation within the nation. The Freedom Charter is a product of the Congress of the People, which attempted to create an alliance of anti-apartheid groups in the 1950s.
The film showcased the Sharpeville Massacre on March 21, 1960, where Sobukwe led thousands of citizens to a local precinct to voluntarily request their arrest to protest against the discriminatory ID-pass laws, and police shot many unarmed, peaceful protesters.
According to Bailey’s African History Archive, the PAC wanted to make the laws unworkable as a first step in a long campaign to achieve ‘freedom and independence’ for Africans by 1963.
Kubheka is an elder in the Sunnyside, Tshwane community, originally from the Johannesburg metropolitan area. He discussed the anti-pass protest and said Sobukwe’s actions influenced South Africans’ views about the political and economic landscape and impacted people globally.
“Black people were required to carry IDs known as ‘dog passes,’ allowing us to enter a white residential or commissioned area. The United Nations commemorates March 21st, as it condemns the police brutality that killed between 67 and 69 people,” Kubheka said.
After the Sharpeville events, Sobukwe’s arrest and celebrated status among Black South Africans led to a special session of the UN, where he was declared “Prisoner No. 1 on Robben Island.”
Initially sentenced in 1960 to three years for inciting protests, on May 1, 1963, when many anticipated his release, the court announced that Sobukwe would remain detained as the government passed the General Law Amendment Act of 1963, a special statute now called “the Sobukwe Clause,” to keep him and his ideas separate from the rest of the world.
Sobukwe was then moved to Robben Island, where he remained for six years. While on Robben Island, Sobukwe was restricted to solitary confinement, his living quarters were separate from the main prison, and he did not interact with any other prisoners.
The ‘Sobukwe Clause’ was never used to detain other South African citizens, and each year it was due to expire on June 30, the government renewed it.
During the apartheid regime, Sobukwe was clear that Western democratic societies were embedded with racial disenfranchisement and economic underdevelopment. However, he worked to address systemic issues and espoused a vision of hope.
“History overlooks that Sobukwe played a crucial role in fighting to dismantle the highly discriminatory apartheid pass laws, which forced Black South Africans to settle in townships that had no jobs, trade, or land to sustain our families,” Kubheka said.
Decades later, the global community still has much to learn from Sobukwe’s efforts against state repression in 20th-century South Africa, as they can help current and future generations of human rights defenders battle racial and economic injustice and navigate the modern road to freedom.
Copy edited by Aniyah Genama
