Randall Langa Peteni (6 December 1915 – 8 September 2000) was a

Xhosa Xhosa may refer to: * Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa * Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people See als ...

South African novelist and academic, and author of the novel '' Hill of Fools'' (''Aba Kwazidenge''), which was adapted for television by the

SABC The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations (Amplitude modulation, AM/Frequency modulation, FM) as well as 6 television broadcasts and 3 OTT Services to the general ...

. The novel was Peteni's only novel.

Childhood

Peteni was born in Zingcuka in the Qoboqobo district in the former

Ciskei Ciskei ( , meaning ''on this side of Great Kei River,

he river The He River is a tributary of the Xi River in Guangxi and Guangdong provinces in China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it ...

Kei''), officially the Republic of Ciskei (), was a Bantustan for the Xhosa people, located in the southeast of South Africa. It covered an area of , almost entirely surrounded b ...

, on 6 December 1915.

Career

Peteni graduated with majors in English and Social Anthropology at 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 ...

. Peteni's granddaughter stated that he was friends with

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 ...

during this time, and lent Mandela a cap and gown to wear for his graduation. He taught for a number of years in

Heilbron Heilbron is a town in the Free State (South African province), Free State province of South Africa which services the cattle, dairy, sorghum, sunflower and maize industries. Raw stock beneficiation occurs in leisure foods, dairy products and st ...

before moving to the then

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name ''Transvaal''. * South African Republic (1856–1902; ...

, where he became Supervisor of Schools in the

Krugersdorp Krugersdorp (Afrikaans for ''Kruger's Town'') is a mining city in the West Rand, Gauteng Province, South Africa founded in 1887 by Marthinus Pretorius and Abner Cohen. Following the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand, a need arose for a ...

circuit. After experiencing persecution because of his ethnic background, he returned to 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 ...

and continued teaching. He later obtained an honours degree through the

University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA) is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, UNISA has over 400,000 student ...

(UNISA) and began lecturing English at the

in 1969. Peteni wrote his only novel, ''Hill of Fools'', in 1976. It was published in South Africa by David Philip, and internationally by Heineman as part of their

African Writers Series The African Writers Series (AWS) is a collection of books written by African novelists, poets and politicians. Published by Heinemann (publisher), Heinemann, 359 books appeared in the series between 1962 and 2003. The series has provided an int ...

. In 1980, it was translated into

as ''Kwazidenge'', published by Lovedale Press. In spite of only writing one novel in his sixties, Peteni made a literary impact as author of South Africa's first regional novel in English by a black writer, and first novel in English by a Xhosa speaker. The novel is widely prescribed in school curricula. Peteni retired from the University of Fort Hare in 1981, moving to the College of Education in

Soweto Soweto () is a Township (South Africa), township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western T ...

, before becoming Chancellor of the

University of Transkei The University of Transkei was a university in Umtata in the former bantustan of Transkei in South Africa. It was founded in 1976 as a branch of the University of Fort Hare and after the Transkei gained nominal independence in 1977, it became th ...

in 1989.

Death

Peteni died aged 84 on 8 September 2000 in

East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

after a long illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peteni, R.L. 1915 births 2000 deaths Xhosa-language writers South African male novelists University of Fort Hare alumni University of South Africa alumni Academic staff of the University of Cape Town 20th-century South African novelists 20th-century South African male writers