Writer of calibre

THE DESTRUCTION of Sophiatown in the 1950s, and resettlement of residents in Soweto, is well documented.

But while the physical structures were flattened, what the apartheid government failed to destroy were the souls of those who lived in that vibrant early Joburg time and place.

Out of the ashes of Sophiatown arose men and women who contributed greatly to South Africa’s arts and literary world, among them novelist Mirriam Tlali, who passed away at the weekend.

With Muriel at Metropolitan, Tlali became the first black woman to have a book published in this country. The book, which was a mirror on the evils and injustices of the time, was of course banned by the apartheid government.

But what those who tried to silence her didn’t realise was that the book would be translated into several languages, including Japanese, Polish, German and Dutch, and that Tlali was not one to back down easily. She continued to write her people’s stories, she became an award winning novelist and writer, and was recognised postapartheid with the Literary Lifetime Achievement Award and the Ikhamanga Silver Presidential Award. Her death is a huge loss to South Africa, especially coming as it does on the heels of the death of another hero of her era: retired Judge Essa Moosa. Like Tlali, Moosa suffered the indignity of having his home area, District Six in Cape Town, flattened by the apartheid government. As a human rights lawyer, Moosa challenged apartheid violations such as detention without trial, and gave invaluable support to the families of those arrested for apartheid crimes.

As we bid them farewell, our wish is that the lives they lived despite the enormous challenges they faced will inspire a new generation to continue to speak up against unjust systems.