In baie opsigte vorm hierdie volume ‘n tweeluik met die volume van die VRV wat in 2012 gepubliseer is, A.B. Xuma: Autobiography and Selected Works, so bekwaam geredigeer deur Peter Limb. Nie alleen was Thema (1886-1955) en Xuma (1893-1962) byna tydgenote nie, maar hulle het albei ‘n hoë posisie in die ANC beklee voordat ‘n ongeduldige en militante nuwe geslag jongmense (vir wie hulle ondersteun het met die stigting in 1944 van die ANC Jeugliga) van hulle albei ontslae geraak het. Xuma het van hulle as “Kindergarten boys” gepraat en gesê hulle is “baptised and established by me and the late Mr. R.V. Selope Thema at the Bantu Men’s Social Centre in Johannesburg.”
R V Selope Thema soos hy verskyn in Drum se “Master Piece in Bronze” reeks in Mei 1953. Die byskrif lui: “The most controversial man in Black Politics.”
(Bron: Drum Social Histories Histories/Bailey’s African History Archive/Africa Media Online)
Anders as Xuma was Thema sedert sy twintigerjare diep betrokke in die Afrika-politiek van Suid-Afrika; reeds in 1912 is hy verkies tot eerste sekretaris van die jong Pietersburgtak van die ANC. Gevolglik gee hierdie volume ‘n outentieke weergawe van die idees en ervarings van die eerste generasie moderne Afrika-nasionaliste in die land, wat een van die voordele is van die insluiting van baie van Thema se koerantartikels uit die 1920’s en 1930’s – nie verander met agterna-wysheid nie. ʼn Hoogtepunt is ‘n reeks artikels wat met koue woede reageer op die Naturelle Verteenwoordiging Wet van 1936. Thema se dade het in hierdie tyd met sy woorde ooreengekom. Dr Xuma vertel van ‘n gesprek wat hy en ander Afrika-leiers in Februarie 1936 met die destydse premier, General Hertzog, gehad het: ‘The Prime Minister extended his hand and shook my hand, exclaiming “Eh!” He did the same with Dr. J. S. Moroka and Dr. S. M. Molema, but when he came to Mr. R.V. Selope Thema, Mr. Thema bowed and would not extend [his hand] for a handshake’ (Peter Limb, The ANC’s Early Years)
Hierdie verontwaardiging is egter nie kenmerkend van die toon van Selope Thema se outobiografie nie, wat ook in hierdie volume ingesluit is. Hy het dit waarskynlik as middeljarige geskryf, en dit getuig van ryke, oorwoë, volwasse en goed geformuleerde refleksies. Helaas is dit – soos dr Xuma se outobiografie – onvoltooid; sy lewensverhaal eindig in die vroeë 1920’s. Ons het dus geen eerstehandse verslag van sy jare as redakteur van Bantu World nie, toe hy op die toppunt van sy joernalistieke loopbaan was.
Dali Tambo met beeldhouer Cecilia Wilmot
Daar word gesê dat ʼn halwe eier beter is as ʼn leë dop; daarom, vir hierdie uitstekende geklits en gebak van die halwe eier is ons veel dank verskuldig aan die redakteur, Alan Cobley. Sonder sy inisiatief, ondernemingsgees en harde werk (saam met ons nuwe teksredakteur, Linde Dietrich, en ons indekseerder, Ethleen Lastovica), sou hierdie waardevolle inligting oor twintig jaar nog op ons lys gewees het van ‘Manuskripte op soek na ʼn redakteur’.
Richard Victor Selope Thema (1886-1955) was een van die invloedrykste swart mense in Suid-Afrika in die twintigste eeu – en tog is hy vandag grootliks vergete. Die geredigeerde en geannoteerde uitgawe van sy ongepubliseerde outobiografie en van ander geselekteerde geskrifte bevestig sy plek in die panteon van helde in die swart vryheidstryd in Suid-Afrika.
Verteenwoordigers by die Bantoe Skrywerskonferensie in Florida (naby Johannesburg) op 14 October 1936
Agter: Ongeïdentifiseerd, Z D Mangaela(?), J D Rheinallt-Jones, Prof C M Doke
Middel: Margaret Wrong ,Prof D D T Jabavu, Rev R H W Shepherd, Edith Rheinallt-Jones, Thomas Mofol
Voor : B W Vilakazi, H Dhlomo, R T Caluza?, R V S Thema, Ongeïdentifiseer
‘RV’ – soos hy onder sy vriende bekend gestaan het – was vanaf 1912 vir byna veertig jaar ʼn leiersfiguur in die ANC; vir baie jare was hy op die Nasionale Uitvoerende Komitee. Hy was ook ʼn stigter van die All-African Convention, ʼn verkose lid van die Naturelle Verteenwoordigende Raad (1937-1950), en hy was gedurig in aanvraag om in deputasies en komitees te dien, aangesien hy een van die welsprekendste woordvoerders van die Afrikane van sy geslag was. Thema is ook algemeen erken as die leidende swart joernalis en intellektueel van sy tyd. Baie van sy vroeë geskrifte het verskyn in die ANC koerant, Abantu-Batho, maar sy nasionale reputasie het hy veral verkry as die stigtersredakteur van Bantu World. Hy het vir twintity jaar (1932-1952) redakteur gebly, en onder sy leierskap het Bantu World die belangrikste spreekbuis van die swart middelklas in Suid-Afrika geword. ʼn Hele generasie van swart skrywers het hul loopbane in sy koerant begin, onder sy vleuels. Die koerant word vandag nog gepubliseer as Sowetan.
In sy geskrifte was Thema ʼn onvermoeide advokaat vir die regte van die Afrikaan en ʼn onversetlike teenstander van apartheid. Hy was ʼn ‘Africanist’ voordat die term deur die ANC Jeugliga in die 1940’s en 1950’s gepopulariseer is, en hy kan beskou word as die intellektuele voorvader van sowel die Jeugliga as die Pan-Afrikaniste van die 1950’s.
Selope Thema Laerskool, Orlando Oos, Soweto
AANHALING VANUIT DIE TEKS
‘Along the Colour Line’ by Scrutator 2 September 1933
I vividly remember an incident which took place in one of the big bookstores of Johannesburg. I went into this shop to buy a book – Carlisle’s French Revolution. Behind the counter was a young white lady, and as I came in she shouted,’What do you want, Jim?’ My feelings were hurt and my pride wounded and so I replied,’I am not Jim. Please do not call me Jim next time.’
A white man or shall I say a gentleman (but he does not deserve the designation) came rushing up to us and in an angry tone cried: ‘Why do you insult this lady, you black nigger? Say what you want, or get out!’ Seeing that trouble was imminent, I told him what I wanted.
‘We do not sell such books to Kaffirs,’ he replied. I walked out puzzled and mystified, because to tell the truth I could not understand this attitude of mind. Here were business people whose desire was to make money, but who would not sell me the book I wanted because I happened to be black. But after giving the matter
my serious thought, I solved the mystery. Apart from what he considered to be an insolence on my part in objecting to be called Jim, this white man thought it would be a dangerous thing to the prestige of the white race to sell such a book as Carlisle’s French Revolution to an African. The book, he thought, would make me wiser and thus make me less submissive. Already I was a ‘spoiled kaffir’ who had no respect for a white woman, and how much more if I read of the principles for which the French people had revolted against the authority of their rulers.
Amusing lncident
One day an amusing incident took place in a tea room. An educated black man went into the shop to buy [a] cigarette. Behind the counter was a white man, who
shouted to him as he entered, ‘What do you want, John?’ ‘Charlie,’ replied the black man coolly, ‘l want a cigarette.’ The white man became red with anger: ‘How dare you call me Charlie, you black d- ?’ The African laughed and said, ‘Because you call me John. Who told you I was John? Just as I have no right to call you Charlie, so you have no right to call me John.’The logic of his argument was so convincing that the white man had to cool down. And after thinking for a moment he said: ‘You see, we white people are accustomed to call all Natives in this manner and they never object. You are the first, to my knowledge, to make this protest.’ ‘Perhaps this is so,’ the black man observed, ‘But from today you should understand that all black men are not the same. There are those who do not object when Europeans call them by any name, while others feel insulted when called by names that are not theirs.’ He bought his cigarette and left.
‘I am the King’
Another incident which further reveals the unfriendly attitude of the white man towards the black man happened in the offices of the Municipality of the city of
Johannesburg about five years ago. Accompanied by two friends of mine, I went to pay an account for water on behalf of the Africans’ Club. On arrival, we found that there was a long queue of white men and women. I joined it. Immediately after me there came a white man. Judging by his appearance, he belonged to the working class. Without saying anything he pushed me back and took my place in the queue.‘What do you mean?’ I asked. ‘Tula!’ the man cried, in kitchen Zulu,’wena ayiazi mina Nkosi?’ (‘Don’t you know I am the King?’). So saying he hit me with his fist
on my chest. I staggered and then regained my balance. I said nothing but took his name and address without him noticing me. And after transacting my business, I went straight to Marshall Square and laid a charge against him of assault. In due course he appeared before the city magistrate and was convicted and fined five shillings. The matter did not end there. I instituted civil action, and the man paid. But he had a rude awakening; for he was not aware that there were black men in South Africa who were sufficiently informed as to their legal rights. To him, no doubt, all black men were like the ‘boy’who worked in his house, in his office, in his store or workshop. The existence of black lawyers, doctors, journalists, businessmen……..
REDAKTEUR
Alan Cobley is a graduate of the University of Manchester. He has a Masters degree in Southern African Studies from the University of York, and a Doctorate in South African history from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. He has spent much of his career at the University of the West Indies, where he is Professor of South African and Comparative History, and also serves as Pro-Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Studies. He is the author of numerous publications on aspects of South African and Caribbean history. His hooks on South Africa include: Class and Consciousness: The Black Petty Bourgeoisie in South Africa, 1924–1950 (1990), and The Rules of the Game: Struggles in Recreation and Social Welfare Policy in South Africa (1997).
His articles have appeared in leading journals such as International Labor and Working Class History, History Workshop Journal, the Journal of Southern African Studies, South African Historical Journal and the Journal of Caribbean History.