Tenda Ratshitanga
Tenda Ratshitanga | |
|---|---|
| Born | Tendamudzimu Robert Ratshitanga 1940 |
| Died | September 2010 (aged 70) |
| Political party | African National Congress |
| Relatives | Rashaka Ratshitanga (brother) |
Tendamudzimu Robert Ratshitanga (1940 – September 2010) was a South African activist, politician and writer, best known for his poetry in Tshivenda. Formerly an anti-apartheid activist in the Venda bantustan, he represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly for a brief period after 1994 before joining the civil service. He was a local councillor in Vhembe when he died in 2010.
Early life and political career
[edit]Ratshitanga was born in 1940 in Mulenzhe in the former Transvaal[1] and was the son of a Venda chief.[2] With his elder brother Rashaka Ratshitanga,[2] he was involved in anti-apartheid activism in the bantustan of Venda.[3]
He was arrested in early November 1983 and in March 1984 was convicted under the Terrorism Act for having assisted three anti-apartheid activists to evade arrest.[2] He was apparently offered a plea on a treason charge, which would have carried a lighter sentence, but argued that Venda did not exist as a state against which one could commit treason.[2] He served five years' imprisonment.[2]
According to Collins Chabane, Ratshitanga was a leading figure in establishing ANC branches in the Northern Transvaal after the ANC was unbanned in 1990.[3][4] After the democratic transition, Ratshitanga served briefly in the National Assembly;[4] he was not initially elected in the 1994 general election,[5] but he was sworn in during the legislative term that followed, filling a casual vacancy.[6] He went on to work in the civil service, including as provincial head of the National Intelligence Agency in Limpopo, and as a local councillor in Thulamela Local Municipality and Vhembe District Municipality.[4] At the time of his death, he represented the ANC as the chief whip in the Vhembe council.[3][4]
Literary career
[edit]Ratshitanga published his first book of poetry, Vhungoho na Vivho (Tshivenda for Truthfulness and Jealousy) in 1972, and several others afterwards, including an anthology, Tell Him, Mother, in 1976.[1][2] Several of his poems were prescribed works in classes at public schools and the University of Venda from the 1980s onwards.[2][3][4] He also launched a newspaper, The Bugle, during apartheid.[4]
Personal life and death
[edit]He was married to Christinah Ratshitanga and died in September 2010 at Tshilidzini Hospital after a short illness.[3][4] President Jacob Zuma granted him an official provincial state funeral, and Minister Collins Chabane and Limpopo Premier Cassel Mathale provided eulogies.[3][4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Khorommbi, Ndwambi Lawrence (1996). Echoes from beyond a pass between two mountains: Christian Mission in Venda as reflection in some contemporary Tshivenda literature (Thesis). University of South Africa. p. 94.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Tendamudzimo Robert Ratshitanga (South Africa)". Index on Censorship. 13 (4): 38–38. 1 August 1984. doi:10.1080/03064228408533762. ISSN 0306-4220.
- ^ a b c d e f "Poet and activist Ratshitanga is buried". Sowetan. 27 September 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Tendamudzimu Ratshitanga laid to rest". Zoutnet. 1 October 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
- ^ "Minutes of proceedings of the Constitutional Assembly" (PDF). Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. 24 May 1994. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ^ "Members of the National Assembly". Parliament of South Africa. 3 June 1998. Archived from the original on 28 June 1998. Retrieved 12 April 2023.