One of the things I appreciate about the Gauteng province, is the rich history that one is exposed to just by exploring it, free of charge so to speak. Here’s another silent hero, a giant gentleman who I know has a familiar name to many of us. And what a mission it was to get a proper image of him online!

Born in 1861 at GaMphahlele in the Limpopo province, Sefako Mapogo Makgatho was a son of a chief. He moved to Pretoria, as a result of the marked attempts to take over and destroy the Pedi Kingdom at the time, where he completed his primary education. In 1882,he left South Africa to study Education and Theology in Middlesex, England. He returned to the country and stsrted his career as a teacher at Kilnerton Training Institute.

It was here where he formed one of the first teacher unions in the Transvaal. It was in the 1st decade of of the 20th century where made his mark where he was a key figure in the formation of the African Political Union (APU) and Transvaal Native Organization which merged with the South African Native National Congress SANNC in 1912. The SANNC was later renamed to the ANC, 7 years after Makgatho became President.

In 1913, he added his voice to the criticism of the Land Act passed.

Makgatho became SANNC President at the tail end of World War 1,where he worked hard to ensure that the movement remained a key factor in the struggle against segregation. He also played a key role in labour disputes affecting African workers. He strongly denounced the use of violence during the strikes that broke out in the 1918 – 1920.

He used the courts to challenge legislation that affected and undermined Africans in the urban areas, relating to their freedom of movement. As Transvaal President of the SANNC, he also successfully challenged the law providing for segregation on Pretoria’s pavements. He stepped down as President of the ANC at the end of 1924 having helped transform the movement from its traditional support base of Chiefs and small black middle-class to one sympathetic to the plight of the African underclasses. He was succeeded by Rev Z.R. Mahabane.

He continued being active in the Transvaal ANC where he exerted pressure to the then government to address the issue of non-uniform tax enforced for Africans across South Africa. He became the national treasurer during Ka Seme’s Presidency and it was during that time when the unfortunate factional battles began to resurface and intensify in the organization on the basis of ethnic lines.

He was national treasurer until 1933 and during this time, continued his involvement with provincial ANC campaigns well into the 1940s.

Sefako Makgatho passed on the 23 May 1951 at the age of 90, the same year Nelson Mandela’s son from his first marriage to Evelyn was born. Mandela, in paying tribute to Makgatho, named his son Makgatho Mandela, after him. The popular Health Sciences university MEDUNSA was renamed after Sefako Makgatho in 2015.

The R531 road in Pretoria towards the R101 is also named after him.

Today I pay homage to the second ever president of the ANC during the period 1917 – 1924 and Silent Hero who was instrumental in ensuring our freedom of movement in urban professional spaces that we enjoy today.