Milner Langa Kabane (18 June 1900 – 1945) was a South African teacher, journalist, and

anti-apartheid activist Several independent sectors of South African society opposed apartheid through various means, including social movements, passive resistance, and guerrilla warfare. Mass action against the ruling National Party (NP) government, coupled with So ...

. He was one of the early African graduates of the

University of Fort Hare The University of Fort Hare () is a public university in Alice, Eastern Cape, Alice, Eastern Cape, South Africa. It was a key institution of higher education for Africans from 1916 to 1959 when it offered a Western-style academic education to ...

and played a prominent role in education, politics, and 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 ...

. In 2017, he was

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...

awarded the Order of the Baobab in Silver by the

South African government The Government of South Africa, or South African Government, is the national government of the Republic of South Africa, a parliamentary republic with a three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary, operating in a parliamentary ...

Early life and education

Kabane was born on 18 June 1900 at the Cwecweni Methodist Mission Station near Butterworth in the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...

. His father, William Kabane, was a

Wesleyan Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan–Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charle ...

minister. He received his early education locally and completed a primary teacher training course at Healdtown Institution in 1918. In 1920, Kabane qualified to enter the South African Native College (later the

), where he matriculated in 1922. He graduated in 1925 with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree and a teaching diploma, becoming one of the first Black South Africans to do so.

Career

Kabane began his professional life as a

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

and later joined the staff of Lovedale College, where he eventually became its first Black principal. He also contributed to the Xhosa-language newspaper, Imvo Zabantsundu, as a

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

and editor. In the 1930s, Kabane studied abroad at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, focusing on the Principles of Education and Psychology of Education. Upon returning to South Africa, he taught at the Bloemfontein Bantu High School in the

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( ; ) was an independent Boer-ruled sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeated and surrendered to the British Em ...

and became increasingly active in political affairs. He lived on the same street as T. M. Mapikela, an influential ANC leader, and was deeply involved in the local African political community.

Africans' Claims and the Atlantic Charter

In December 1943, Kabane was selected as a member of a 28-person committee tasked with responding to the

Atlantic Charter The Atlantic Charter was a statement issued on 14 August 1941 that set out American and British goals for the world after the end of World War II, months before the US officially entered the war. The joint statement, later dubbed the Atlantic C ...

from an African perspective. This effort culminated in the drafting of the historic document Africans’ Claims in South Africa, which called for full citizenship rights, land redistribution, and equality before the law. Kabane served on the sub-committee responsible for drafting the document, which was unanimously adopted by the ANC’s Annual Conference on 16 December 1943.

Death and legacy

Kabane died in Bloemfontein in 1945 at the age of 45. He was survived by his wife, Helena Villa Kabane (), and their three children: Temba, Nozipho, and Helen. In 2017, he was posthumously awarded the Order of the Baobab in Silver for his contributions to education and the struggle for liberation in South Africa.

National Order of the Baobab

In 2017, the

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South African government recognised his contribution by awarding him the National

Order of the Baobab The Order of the Baobab is a South African civilian national honour, awarded to those for service in business and the economy; science, medicine, and for technological innovation; and community service. It was instituted on 6 December 2002, and i ...

posthumously, one of the highest in the country. He was awarded "''for his excellent contribution to the field of education and the upliftment of the black community during the struggle for liberation''."

References

{{Reflist Recipients of the Order of the Baobab Yale University alumni South African activists 1945 deaths University of Fort Hare alumni 1900 births