Massabalala Bonnie "M. B." Yengwa (born 5 December 1923–21 July 1987) was a
South African lawyer,
anti-apartheid activist and the Natal Provincial Secretary of the
African National Congress Youth League
The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) is the youth wing of the African National Congress (ANC). As set out in its constitution, the ANC Youth League is led by a National Executive Committee (NEC) and a National Working Committee (N ...
(ANCYL).
Family and education
Yengwa was born in 1923 near
Mapumulo, in
Kwa-Zulu Natal
KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...
. His father was a
Zulu labourer,
who had participated in the
Bambatha Rebellion
The Bambatha Rebellion (or the Zulu Rebellion) of 1906 was led by Bambatha kaMancinza (c. 1860–1906?), leader of the Zondi clan of the Zulu people, who lived in the Mpanza Valley (now a district near Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal) against Britis ...
of 1906 and had been jailed during the
African National Congress
The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...
(ANC) anti-pass campaign of 1919. He attended secondary school in
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, a city in the United States
* Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
and from 1945 he studied part time at the
University of Natal
The University of Natal was a university in the former South African province Natal which later became KwaZulu-Natal. The University of Natal no longer exists as a distinct legal entity, as it was incorporated into the University of KwaZulu- ...
.
He married Edith Minah Sibisi on 21 September 1957 in Maqumbi.
Activism in South Africa
Yengwa became active in the anti-apartheid movement and joined the ANC, becoming provincial secretary of the ANCYL. In 1951, he was elected to the Natal Provincial Executive Committee of the ANC. He served until 1960.
He was a close ally of
Albert John Luthuli and was part of a group, including
Herbert Isaac Ernest Dhlomo and
Jordan Ngubane, who were instrumental in Luthuli's election as ANC president. Yengwa later became Luthuli's secretary, later travelling with him and his wife to
Oslo
Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
, Norway, when Luthuli received the
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...
in 1961.
In 1952, Yengwa was appointed as Volunteer-in-Chief and as joint secretary, alongside
Marimuthu Pragalathan Naicker, of the Joint Action Council in Natal for 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 in South Africa, 1951. The Campaign had roots in events leading up the conferenc ...
of the
South African Indian Congress
The South African Indian Congress (SAIC) was an umbrella body founded in 1921 to coordinate between political organisations representing South African Indians, Indians in the various provinces of South Africa. Its members were the Natal Indian ...
(SAIC).
He was imprisoned for two weeks due his activities as a passive resister.
He next attended the
Queenstown Conference of the ANC, where he met and began an association with fellow activists
Oliver Tambo
Oliver Reginald Kaizana Tambo (27 October 191724 April 1993) was a South African anti-apartheid politician and activist who served as President of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1967 to 1991.
Biography Childhood
Oliver Tambo was ...
and
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...
.
Yengwa was banned by the government in May 1953, prohibiting him from attending any political or public gatherings or from leaving
Durban
Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal.
Situated on the east coast of South ...
.
In 1955, he was banished to Mapumulo for two years.
He was charged alongside 155 other activists at the
1956 Treason Trials,
but was acquitted and discharged a year later.
He was called to
Pretoria
Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country.
Pretoria strad ...
to appear as one of the defence witnesses for treason defendants in September 1960,
where he reiterated in response to several questions that the ANC followed a policy of non-violence to achieve their political aims.
He was arrested again in 1963 and was imprisoned in solitary confinement. Yengwa served 18 months in jail, and when released was placed under 24-hour house arrest in Maqombi in
Mapumulo, unable to leave or work.
Refugee in Swaziland and England
In 1966, Yengwa fled to
Swaziland
Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where ...
,
followed by his wife Edith and their children, where he practiced as a solicitor.
In 1969, following pressure from the South African government on Swaziland, Yengwa and his family were deported and moved to the United Kingdom as refugees.
He attended dissidents meetings in exile.
After Albert Luthuli's death in 1967, from London Yengwa served as one of the trustees of the Luthuli Memorial Foundation (LMF), alongside American activist
Mary Louise Hooper and Luthuli's widow
Nokukhanya Bhengu
Nokukhanya Bhengu (3 March 1904–16 December 1996) was a South African teacher, farmer, women’s leader and anti-apartheid activist. She was married to Albert Luthuli, who was president of the African National Congress (ANC) between 1952 and ...
.
In England he also translated works from
Zulu into
English (with some of his translations held in the collection of the library of the
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...
(SOAS),
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
) and gave lectures on
Zulu music and praise songs.
Yengwa was a religious man and represented the ANC at the World Council of Churches meeting in
Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
.
Death and legacy
Yengwa died in 1987 in London. A road in Durban has been renamed to Masabalala Yengwa Avenue in his honour.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yengwa, Massabalala
1923 births
1987 deaths
20th-century South African lawyers
Members of the African National Congress
People from eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality
Refugees in the United Kingdom
South African anti-apartheid activists
South African emigrants to the United Kingdom
South African exiles
South African Christians
South African translators
University of Natal alumni
Zulu people