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BANTU STEPHEN BIKO
December 18, 1946 -
September 12, 1977
A PROFILE
"We have set on a quest for true humanity, and somewhere
on the distant horison we can see the glittering prize.
Let us march forth with courage and determination,
drawing strength from our common plight and brotherhood.
In time we shall be in a position to bestow upon South
Africa the greatest gift possible - a more human face".
Steve Biko.
The above quotation from Steve Biko's essay:"Black
Consciousness - A Quest for a True Humanity", perhaps
encapsulates his mind frame and the role that he set
himself towards the betterment of his people, given
their experience, which he shared.
Bantu Stephen Biko was born in Kingwilliamstown on the
18th December 1946, the third son of the late Mr & Mrs
Mzimgayi Biko.
He did his primary schooling in Kingwilliamstown. His
secondary schooling was virtually all done at the
Marianhill Secondary School in Kwazulu.
He entered the Medical School of the University of
Natal(Black Section) in 1966. This is where he broke his
political teeth.
Biko gave up what could have been a comfortable and
affluent life of the stethoscope to selflessly work for
the total liberation of his people.
He and his colleagues founded the South African
Students' Organisation(SASO) in 1968. He was elected the
first President of the organisation at its inaugural
congress held at Turfloop in 1969. This organisation was
borne out of the frustrations Black students encountered
within the multi-racial NUSAS and geared itself at
addressing those frustrations and problems of black
students and black people generally.
But the black students, under his leadership, went on to
further argue that they were black before they were
students and argued for a black political organisation
in the country. Opinion was canvassed and finally the
organisation, the Black People's Convention (BPC), was
founded in July 1972 and inaugurated in December of the
same year.
Through his inspiration, the youth of the country at
high school level were mobilised and this resulted in
the formation of the South African Students' Movement (SASM).
This is the Movement that played a pivotal role in the
1976 Uprisings, which accelerated the course of our
liberation struggle.
The other formation was the National Association of
Youth Organisations (NAYO), which catered for the youth
generally.
He was instrumental in the formation of one of SASO's
projects, the Black Workers' Project (BWP) which was
co-sponsored by the Black Community Programmes (BCP) for
which Steve worked. This project addressed problems of
Black workers whose unions were then not recognised in
law.
After serving as President, Biko was elected
Publications Director of SASO where he wrote
prolifically under the pen name Frank Talk in the SASO
Newsletter.
On leaving the Medical School in 1972 - from which he
was expelled, Steve joined the BCP, which he co-founded,
in their Durban offices.
This organisation engaged in a number of community based
projects and published a yearly, Black Review, which was
an analysis of political trends in the country.
In March 1973 he was banned and restricted to
Kingwilliamstown. There he set up a BCP office where he
worked as a Branch Executive. But soon his banning order
was amended to prohibit him from working or associating
with the BCP. The BCP did well however, building a
clinic, the Zanempilo Clinic, and a creche, both of
which were very popular.
Despite the inconvenience brought about by the
restriction order, Steve was instrumental in the
founding of the Zimele Trust Fund in 1975. This was set
up to assist political prisoners and their families.
This was another example of the man's resolve and his
indestructible black pride.
In Ginsberg, he set up the Ginsberg Educational Trust to
assist black students.
In January 1977, the Black People's Convention (BPC), in
recognition of his momentous contribution to the
liberation struggle, unanimously elected him its
Honorary President.
In his short but remarkable political life, Steve was
always a target of the "system". He was frequently
harassed and detained under the country's notorious
security legislation.
On the 18th August 1977, he was arrested in a police
roadblock with his colleague and comrade, Peter Cyril
Jones and detained under Section 6 of the nefarious
Terrorism Act.
Steve and Peter had in fact been to Cape Town, despite
Steve's banning, to lend their weight to efforts to get
all political organisations of the people to agree to a
broader programme of co-operation to advance our course.
His quest for black unity was eventually to cost him his
life.
That is the kind of man Steve was, no price was ever too
high for him if what was asked of him was to advance the
struggle.
Unfortunately, this detention rudely interrupted Steve's
noble journey in his quest for a true humanity. His
death in detention at the hands of the operatives of one
the most savage and repressive regimes ever known to
humankind, less than a month after his detention, robbed
the country of one of its foremost political thinkers
and analysts.
But, he did us proud as people, because even in the face
of his death, he remained dignified. The man died on his
feet and not on his knees as the enemy would have loved.
Compiled by Mpotseng Jairus Kgokong
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