This man was one of the first black lawyers in South Africa and founded the ANC in 1912 and he’s my next Silent Hero, revered for his ways with words.

Pixley ka Isaka Seme was born on the 1st of October 1881 in Natal and obtained his early education at the local mission school where American missionary Reverend S.C. Pixley took an interest in him and arranged for him to go to the Mount Hermon School in the USA when he was 17 years old.

It was while he was abroad, where he followed deliberations around the Union of South Africa Bill of 1909 and contributed towards upon his return.

Seme did a BA degree in Columbia and went to Oxford University where he completed a degree in Law before returning to South African in 1910. He is credited with being the founder of the South African Native National Congress (SANNC) which later became the ANC in Bloemfontein, 1912. He is considered to have conceptualized the form and structure of the movement.

Seme gave the keynote address at the founding Congress and at the time where members had to vote for President, he proposed that John Langalibalele Dube (descendent from a local chief) be elected. Seme became the Congress’s first Treasurer-General with a tenure that was marked by the SANNC’s financial woes of which Seme attempted to correct using his push to get support from local Chiefs.

Seme established the South African Native Farmers Association in 1913 to encourage black farm workers to own land, this was followed and infact blocked by the Land Act of 1913.

Seme set up a newspaper named Abantu-Batho as a method to draw African people to the political discourse as his star then began to dim. He made a return to politics in the late 1920s when he joined the Nationalist wing of the ANC that pushed for a united organization across all ethic groups.

Seme was elected President of the ANC in 1930 to 1937 at the time of the Great Depression. He proposed and promoted the restructuring of the ANC in a bid to make it more responsive to the prevailing political climate.

Seme was suceeded by Z.R. Mahabane (who became ANC President for his second term). Seme then went back to law practice after his licence had been restored and had represented the likes of ESwatini Regent Labotsibeni and King Sobhuza the second regarding land proclamations in ESwatini.

He passed on 7th June 1951.

Today, the famous Sauer Street running North and South through Johannesburg’CBD was renamed in his honour in 2013. The street is home of The Luthuli House, the ANC’s Headquarters. There is also a municipality in De Aar that is also named after him.

Silent Hero 2 of 4.

#PixleyKaIsakaSeme

Credit to sahistory.org.za.