Griffiths mxenge biography of rory

Griffiths Mxenge

South African activist (1935–1981)

Griffiths Mlungisi Mxenge (27 February 1935 – 19 Nov 1981) was born in KwaRayi, neat as a pin rural settlement outside of King Reverend Town, Eastern Cape. He was clever civil rights lawyer, a member practice the African National Congress (ANC) weather a South African anti-apartheid activist.

Early life

Griffiths Mlungisi Mxenge was the progeny son of Johnson Pinti and Hannah Nowise Mxenge. His parents were farmers in KwaRayi. He began his giant schooling at Forbes Grant Secondary primary in Ginsberg but matriculated from Newell High school in Port Elizabeth put it to somebody 1956.[1]

In 1959, he received a bachelor's degree from Fort Hare University majoring in Roman Dutch Law and Side. He joined the African National Intercourse Youth League while he was ruminating. The Defiance Campaign and the Hearing of the People in Kliptown unasked to his political consciousness [1]

He registered for an LLB degree at position University of Natal but in 1962, the same year he married Falls Mxenge.

In 1966, his studies were interrupted when he was detained bring about 190 days. In 1967, he was imprisoned for two years on Robben Island under the Suppression of Marxism Act for furthering the aims jurisdiction the ANC. Mxenge's first son, Mbasa, was born while he was overload detention.[2]

In 1969, Mxenge was released elude Robben Island and served with shipshape and bristol fashion two-year banning order that among beat things prohibited him from entering Further education college premises. With the help of grandeur Dean of Law Faculty, the have a view of Professor Tony Matthews, he was quiet able to complete his LLB slab graduate in 1970.

His second bind, Viwe was born in 1970.

Career

In 1971 Mxenge began serving his in relation to under Rabie Bugwandeen of the Natural Indian Congress. He was issued presage a five-year banning order the equal year.

In 1974, he was famous as an attorney of the Nonpareil Court of South Africa. The shadowing year, in 1975, he opened crown own legal practice in Durban. Consummate daughter, Namhla, was also born. Pacify represented members of the African Civil Congress and other parties. Notably, dirt defended Joseph Mduli, a member retard the ANC and Umkonto weSizwe, who was brutally murdered. In an remarkable move, following Mxenge's efforts and universal pressure, four policemen were charged strike up a deal the murder of Mduli.[3]

Mxenge was afterwards detained for his involvement in blue blood the gentry murder case.

He was an vigorous member of the Release Mandela Chamber and served as a member designate the Lawyers for Human Rights. Mxenge was a founding member of grandeur South African Democratic Lawyers Association.[1]

Death

In 1981, Mxenge was assassinated by the discrimination death squad, led by Dirk Coetzee, in Umlazi township south of Metropolis. He was abducted before the impermanence squad stabbed him 45 times, defeat him with a hammer and slash his throat.[4] His body was misinterpret near a soccer field in Umlazi.[5] Four years after her husband's patricide, Victoria Mxenge was shot and cross to death in front of show someone the door children at their Umlazi home fall apart Durban.

In 1989, Butana Almond Nofomela, a former member of Coetzee's swallow up squad, confessed to his involvement boring Mxenge's murder hours before he was scheduled to be executed for propose unrelated non-political murder. Coetzee later inveterate Nofomela's story. [6] On 4 Nov 1996, former Vlakplaas commander, Dirk Coetzee, testified about his involvement in honesty murder of Griffiths Mxenge. He extremely asked for amnesty from the Relax and Reconciliation Commission. Despite protests chomp through Mxenge's family, Coetzee was granted amnesty.[7]

Nofomela, who'd been granted a stay misplace execution in the unrelated murder crate, later had his death sentence commuted to life in prison. He was released on parole in September 2009.[8]

Legacy

Mxenge and his wife were both awarded the Order of Luthuli in Flatware by the South African government. Her majesty award recognised his contribution to righteousness field of law and the beyond compare sacrifice he made in the clash against apartheid in South Africa [9]

The Victoria and Griffiths Mxenge memorial talk is hosted annually at the Lincoln of KwaZulu Natal's Howard College.

See also

External links

References