Sobukwe and Apartheid

432 Pages·1991·24.765 MB·English

by  Benjamin Pogrund

Sobukwe and Apartheid
Benjamin Pogrund
Thirty years ago, Robert Sobukwe
led a mass defiance of the pass laws
in South Africa. He persuaded
blacks to present themselves at
police stations and demand arrest,
but the nonviolent protest turned to
tragedy when the police opened fire,
killing sixty-nine. It was March 21,
1960, at Sharpeville, Sobukwe’s last
day of liberty. He died while in
internal exile nearly eighteen years
later of lung cancer. Leader of the
Pan-Africanist Congress, Sobukwe
was both a colleague and rival of
figures better known today: Tutu,
Mandela, and Buthelezi. Because
the Pan-Africanist idea was not in
the end supported by the anti-
apartheid leadership, Sobukwe and
his contributions have been largely
forgotten. It is more than appropriate
that his story be told now. Under-
standing his life is essential to a full
understanding of the tensions
among contemporary black leaders
in South Africa.
Benjamin Pogrund, former Deputy
Editor of the Rand Daily Mail, is now
on the Foreign Desk of The Indepen-
dent, London. He was a personal
friend of Robert Sobukwe.

SOBUKWE AND APARTHEID

SOBUKWE
AND
AP eRe LET
—_—_—_———_@______—___
Benjamin Pogrund
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RUTGERS UNIVERSITY PRESS
NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY
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First published in cloth and paperback in the United States
by Rutgers University Press, 1991
First published as How Can Man Die Better . . . Sobukwe and Apartheid
by Peter Halban Publishers Ltd., 1990
First published in paperback in South Africa
by Jonathan Ball Publishers, 1990
Copyright © 1990; epilogue copyright © 1991 by Benjamin Pogrund
No reproduction, copy, storage, or transmission of this publication may be
made without prior written permission of the Publishers.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Pogrund, Benjamin
[How can man die better]
Sobukwe and apartheid / Benjamin Pogrund. '
pro rein:
Reprint. Originally published: How can man die better. London : P.
Halban, 1990.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8135-1692-7 (cloth) — ISBN 0-8135-1693-5 (pbk.)
1. Sobukwe, Robert Mangaliso. 2. Pan Africanist Congress—
_Bi o3: —South Africa. I. Title.
fi : (DT1949.S64P64 1991
: 8.06’092—dc20 91-9432
: (B]
CIP
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All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
For
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