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Discover Pheli People , Places and Culture History

Early life and education In pursuance of the strategy of non-violence he Community work and philanthropy
William Frederick Nkomo was born in became a member of the Moral Re-Armament Nkomo mentored young people and
Makapanstad, Transvaal in 1915. He movement after attending its conference in Caux, adults and founded a secondary
was the son of a Methodist Minister, Switzerland in 1953. To promote peace, he school in Marabastad. He granted
Reverend Abraham Nkomo. Nkomo featured in two lms (one on him, called A Man For scholarships to help students
attended primary school in Mahikeng All People) and another with leaders like Kwame pursue medical degrees and other
and Klerksdorp, studied for his Nkrumah, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Jomo Kenyatta and education. Nkomo's medical
secondary education at St Peter's Manase Moerane. practice was known to not charge
School in Rosettenville and the old and poor.
matriculated at Healdtown Institute in Following the Sharpeville massacre in 1961,
the Eastern Cape. Nkomo was a mediator between the government
and the victims. He was one of the leaders who
Nkomo studied at the South African discussed the political situation in South Africa
Native College (University of Fort Hare) with Dag Hammarskjöld who was Secretary
and obtained a BA degree from the General of the United Nations during his visit to
University of South Africa. He studied this country in January 1961.
medicine on a scholarship at the
University of the Witwatersrand in
1941 and did his internship at
McCords Hospital in Durban. He Reading time at the Nkomo home
practiced in Lady Selborne and Nkomo was trustee of the Bantu
Atteridgeville in Pretoria. Welfare Trust and served on several
boards in Atteridgeville and Lady
Political activism Selborne. He was Honorary Doctor
Nkomo joined the African National for Itireleng School for the Blind near
Congress in the early 1940s.In 1944, Hammanskraal.
he helped found the ANC Youth
League with Nelson Mandela, Anton Recognition
Lembede, Ashley Peter Mda, Walter WF Nkomo delivered this speech at UCT in 14 The community of Atteridgeville
Sisulu and Oliver Tambo. He later August 1968, Nkomo was invited to speak at the annually celebrates WF Nkomo Day
relinquished his position as provisional University of Cape Town's Day of Afrmation of in his honour. Today a secondary
chairman of the league to complete his Academic and Human Freedom.His address, The school in Atteridgeville is named
medical studies. In 1956, due to his Courage to Think followed in a series after that of after him as well as WF Nkomo
militance, he was summarily expelled Robert Kennedy's Ripple of Hope speech in June Street, formerly Church Street,
by the party.In the 1960s he became 1966. In his speech he said, "The idea of a running from historic Church Square
associated with the Black common patriotism and nationalism was always in Pretoria central to Atteridgeville
Consciousness Movement. recognised by all. It was only in recent times with (City of Tshwane). The new shopping
the emergence of apartheid theoreticians that the centre, Nkomo Village in
As documented in Frank Buchman's country denitely deviated from the path of a Atteridgeville was dedicated to
Legacy, the Seeds of Change for Africa common nationalism." his memory in 2018.
the authors Peter Hannon and Suzan
Burrell write that, "WF Nkomo had "Some of the youth are courageous enough to Nelson Mandela mentioned Nkomo
been labelled a communist and he in look at everything with a crucially critical mind, and in 1998, in a speech given at the
turn viewed whites as Fascists”. there are those who follow the path of least installation of the University of the
However Nkomo's activism was in resistance, that of merely accepting things from Witwatersrand's Vice-Chancellor and
search for equality within South Africa their forebears without questioning. If it does not Principal, Colin Bundy. Mandela is
and believed that a future bloodbath appear to be the case in our country it has at any quoted as saying the following:
within his country be avoided. rate manifested itself in other parts of the world.A "This evening brings many memories
quick look at the recent events affecting the from the past and many hopes for
Nkomo heard George Daneel, a students in Berkeley, U.S.A,; in Columbia, U.S.A.; the future. I remember my own days
former Springbok, Dutch at the Sorbonne, Paris; in Rome; in Prague; and as a student and I honour some of
Church priest and anti-apartheid elsewhere will clearly indicate that the youth as my fellows who studied, debated
activist, speak positively about represented by the students have become and agitated on this campus.
change at a Moral Re-Armament impatient with systems where they are merely on
multiracial conference in Lusaka. the receiving end; they are beginning to question
Daneel spoke publicly "That it was the things in a dynamic and revolutionary miner. They
feelings of racial superiority in white are coming to a realisation that the youth and the
men like himself that were creating students especially constitute an important social
the conditions for producing bloody factor in the promotion of social change.
revolution. He said that he had been
wrong and that he was giving his life "The revolt of youth must be accepted and what is
to work for a South Africa where all needed is that instead of pooh-poohing it, the
had a full and equal part". In response world should come to terms with it. After all, these
Nkomo stated: "I have always been a very young people will be the leaders of tomorrow
revolutionary, and I have spent much . History has shown clearly that reformers have
of my life in the struggle for the nearly always been young men. The older folk
liberation of my people. Here I see have followed in the wake of their prophetic
white men change, and black men declarations and put these into the accepted
change, and I myself have decided to traditions of the people".
change. I realise that I cannot love
my people unless I am prepared to
ght for them in a new dimension,
free of bitterness and hate".

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Heritage & History Foundation Page 11 March 2023 Issue 1
153 - 815 NPO