Matthew Goniwe

Apartheid
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Matthew Goniwe (27 December 1947 – 27 June 1985) was a South African anti-apartheid activist, and one of the 'Cradock Four' murdered by the South African police in 1985.

Early years

Goniwe was the youngest of eight children born to farm labourer parents, David and Elizabeth, in Lingelihle, a township on the outskirts of Cradock. He attended St James' Primary school and Sam Xhallie Secondary School before matriculating at Healdtown. He attended the University of Fort Hare, where he earned a teacher's diploma majoring in maths and science.^[1]^[2]

Activism

Goniwe taught for a while at his old school, Sam Xhallie Secondary, before starting a school in Mqanduli in the Transkei with a colleague, John Hllekani. He married Nyameka in 1975 and had two children, Nobuzwe and Nyaniso.

He had become politicised at Fort Hare, and started a communist reading group while teaching in the Transkei. Some of the material was banned under the apartheid government's Suppression of Communism Act.

The group was reported by a student, and Goniwe was amongst a number of people arrested on 19 July 1976. After a trial lasting more than a year, Goniwe was sentenced to four-years imprisonment. Goniwe used the time in prison to earn a degree in political science through the University of South Africa.

After his release, Goniwe continued his activism. In 1983 he was elected the first chairperson of the Cradock Youth Association (CRADOYA), which later affiliated with the United Democratic Front (UDF) after its formation in 1983.

The security police, wary of Goniwe, then a principal at Ngweba High in Cradock, arranged with the Department of Education to have him transferred to Graaf-Reinet. Goniwe refused the transfer and was fired. The community rose in support of him, culminating in school boycotts which eventually lasted fifteen months, spreading to a number of schools beyond Cradock.

Goniwe was appointed rural organiser for the UDF in March 1984, leading to his being placed under surveillance by the security police. After CRADOYAO meetings were banned in the same month, the community responded by rioting, which was put down by the police.

On the 19th of March 1984, Barend du Plessis proposed the “removal” of Goniwe at a State Security Council meeting.

Goniwe was detained on the 30th of March, and Minister of Law and Order, Louis le Grange, banned all meetings for three months, leading to riots breaking out. After the police teargassed the township, the community started a boycott of white-owned shops. Goniwe was released to a rapturous welcome on the 10th of October, and called for a "Black Christmas", extending the boycott of white-owned shops.

Murder

After a period of harassment, including having his phone tapped, as well as numerous death threats, Goniwe, along with three others, together known as the 'Cradock Four', were abducted from their car and murdered by the security police. They were travelling from Cradock, where Goniwe had addressed a rally, to Port Elizabeth. His burnt, stabbed and mutilated body was found a number of days later.^[2]

Memorials

After the end of apartheid in 1994, Goniwe was memorialised in a number of ways. The Matthew Goniwe School of Leadership and Governance was founded to serve as the training arm of the Gauteng Department of Education,^[3] and the Matthew Goniwe Memorial High School was named after him.

References

↑ "About Matthew Goniwe". Matthew Goniwe School of Leadership and Governance. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
1 2 "Matthew Goniwe". SA History. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
↑ http://www.mgslg.co.za/

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