James Arthur Calata (1895 – 1983) was a South African priest and politician. He was the Secretary-General of the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

from 1936 to 1949. He was appointed a canon of the

Grahamstown Cathedral The Cathedral of St Michael and St George is the home of the Anglican Diocese of Grahamstown in Makhanda in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is the episcopal seat of the Bishop of Grahamstown. The cathedral is located on Church ...

making him the first Black canon in the

Anglican Church of Southern Africa The Anglican Church of Southern Africa, known until 2006 as the Church of the Province of Southern Africa, is the province (Anglican), province of the Anglican Communion in the southern part of Africa. The church has twenty-five dioceses, of whi ...

Early life

James Arthur Calata was born in Debe Nek, near

King William's Town Qonce, formerly known as King William's Town, is a city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa along the banks of the Buffalo River. The city is about northwest of the Indian Ocean port of East London. Qonce, with a population of aroun ...

in the Eastern Cape on 22 July 1895. His father, James was an uneducated farmer and a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their na ...

. His mother Eliza, reached Standard 4, practiced as a

midwife A midwife is a health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialization known as midwifery. The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughout their lifespan; ...

and was an Anglican. He was educated at St Matthew's College in Keiskammahoek, from 1911 to 1914 and later worked as a teacher for a number of years. He married Miltha Mary Koboka in 1918, they went on to have three daughters. He was grandfather of Fort Calata who was also a politician.

Career

Calata became

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

in the

Anglican Church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...

in 1921, ordained priest in 1926, and worked briefly in

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, S ...

, until he was sent to serve as a

minister Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

at St. James Mission in Cradock during 1928. During this time he served as president of the Inter-denominational African Ministers' Federation (IDAMF). He ministered in Cradock for forty years, then, after the removal of his congregation in the mid-1960s as a result of the

Group Areas Act Group Areas Act was the title of three acts of the Parliament of South Africa enacted under the apartheid government of South Africa. The acts assigned racial groups to different residential and business sections in urban areas in a system of ...

, he became the priest of the Church of the Ascension in the township of Lingelihle. He joined the

(ANC) in 1930 and was elected as the

Cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. T ...

President from 1930 to 1949. In 1935, contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...

, and was given two years’ leave by the church. He became Secretary-General of the ANC from 1936 to 1949, in his capacity as Secretary-general he was a signatory of the 1949 Program of Action. In 1940 he was instrumental in persuading A.B. Xuma to stand for the presidency. He did not stand for re-election as secretary-general during the national conference of December 1949 but, he remained a member of the national executive until 1956. He had been chosen as ANC's senior chaplain in 1950 and he later also acted as Congress speaker. He was banned during the

Defiance Campaign The Defiance Campaign against Unjust Laws was presented by the African National Congress (ANC) at a conference held in Bloemfontein, South Africa in December 1951. The Campaign had roots in events leading up the conference. The demonstrations ...

in 1952, although he was later allowed to continue conducting services. In 1956 he was arrested at the time of the Treason trials and was imprisoned for a short while before being acquitted. His license to marry and permission to keep communion wine were withdrawn. During the 1960s he was restricted to the Cradock district. His wife Miltha was a leader of those who defied

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

laws and was later arrested. He also founded a choir, Congress Choir which he also composed songs for, that became prominent and allowed the choir to tour the Cape to raise funds for the ANC and for school bursaries. He was a canon of

Grahamstown Makhanda, also known as Grahamstown, is a town of about 140,000 people in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated about northeast of Port Elizabeth and southwest of East London. Makhanda is the largest town in the Makana Loc ...

cathedral from 1959, later during the 1960s he served on the council of St. Peter's, the Anglican College within the Federal Theological Seminary in

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

. He was kept under surveillance and lived under a banning order during 1968. In the 1970s, he allowed his home to be used as an underground library by the ANC and the youth of his community.

References

;Citations ;Sources * * * * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Calata, James Arthur 1895 births 1983 deaths People from Amahlathi Local Municipality Cape Colony people Xhosa people 20th-century South African Anglican priests African National Congress politicians Members of the Order of Luthuli

Early life

Career

See also

References

External links