Maxeke-inspired Freedom Day
This year has been declared the year of Charlotte Maxeke, who was a social and political activist and the first black woman to graduate with a university degree in South Africa.
In his keynote Freedom Day address, Premier Chupu Mathabatha emphasised that this declaration was to observe the 150 years since the birth of Maxeke.
Mama Maxeke as she was affectionately called was born in Limpopo in the Ramokgopa area in Capricorn District, and Mathabatha described her as a daughter of the soil and “one of our own”.
“Charlotte Maxeke was a pathfinder and a true trailblazer. She raised her hand to fight for freedom of the oppressed black people at a time when fighting for freedom meant a real possibility of prison, torture, exile or death. She remains a hero whose actions inspire us to this day.”
Polokwane Observer spoke to Mathole Jimmy Machaka, who also hails from the same area of Botlokwa and Ramokgopa, and he reminisces over how he was first inspired by Maxeke leading him into following her philosophies and belief system.
“When I first heard about this woman, who comes from where I come from and was one of the first woman to contest a leadership position in the current ruling party, I was moved as it meant that even people from here were able to do great things. It gave me hope that wherever she left the baton, any ordinary person could pick it up and fight towards attaining the goals she had set out.”
Machaka says that the life of Mama Maxeke is still relevant today as her life is able to give him the courage to continue to find expression in any activity and her being a scholar and one of the first black woman to obtain a degree has encouraged his attainment of a Master’s Degree in Law.
“As much as this has been declared her year, there is still much that can be done beyond this declaration to ensure that her legacy is widely celebrated and never forgotten. I will personally be involved in the championing of a university named after her in the province. We need more institutions named after our struggle heroes because the ability to use and have these institutions is what they fought for.”
He says it is important to remember that the life of Maxeke proved that one can always use education to champion social ills.
