The Man Who Founded The ANC

The Man Who Founded The ANC

Bongani Ngqulunga

Penguin Books. R230

Bongani Ngqulunga’s biography of Pixley ka Isaka Seme has been published at just the right time. The title is a misnomer as Nelson Mandela clearly states in Long Walk to Freedom that Seme was only ‘one of the founders of the ANC’, influential though he may have been as an individual. Although Ngqulunga somewhat underplays the role of others, such as John Dube and Walter Rubusana, Seme was clearly an important and influential figure in the creation of the then Native Congress, with his now iconic plea ‘against the demon of racialism … the cause of all our woes and of all our backwardness and ignorance today’. The ANC has always been strong when transgressing tribal divisions. For this, the party has Seme to thank. The party also owes a great deal to him for its willingness to engage with other groups to find common ground as a broad-based movement. Both are now under threat from Zuma’s leadership. How ironic then that Ngqulunga is Zuma’s spokesperson. But that does not detract from this insightful and illuminating work.