University of Fort Hare
Fort Hare University is located on the
Tyhume river in a
South African town known as
Alice in English or as eDikeni in the local
isiXhosa language. It is in the
Eastern Cape Province about 50 km west of
King Williams Town (or eQonce) in a region that for a while was known as the "independent"
Bantustan of
Ciskei.
Originally, Fort Hare was an
English fort in the wars between British and the
amaXhosa of the
19th century. Some of the ruins of the fort are still visible today. Missionary activity (James Stewart) led to the creation of a school for missionaries from which at the beginning of the 20th century the University resulted. It is one of the oldest Universities in Southern Africa and the first tertiary educational facility open to Africans in the whole of the continent. The University can count a number of famous people amongst its alumni - see below.
In the struggle years there was much anti-
apartheid activity, including the
Black Consciousness Movement of
Steve Biko.
Unfortunately, the end of
apartheid has not been kind to the University, as is indeed the case for other historically disadvantaged institutions in South Africa.
The student numbers dropped greatly, because black students could now go to other (historically white) institutions. In addition, the first black Vice Chancellor (
Sibusiso Bengu) proclaimed that 'the halls of learning would now be opened to all'. The result was that the students stopped paying their tuition fees. Once Bhengu was promoted to minister of education, however, he insisted that the university was responsible for the resulting budget deficit. His successor, Mbulelo Mzamane was locally known as the Visiting Chancellor, because he was not present very often. Once impending
bankruptcy resulted in the refusal of the banks to honor UFH paychecks, staff and students joined forces and expelled managers by force. The new management under Derrick Swartz imposed a restructuring program that has given the university a future rather than just a glorious past. The University has taken over the East London campus of Rhodes University, now University of Fort Hare East London, under the Governments higher education restructuring programme.
| Name | DoB - DoD | Notes |
|---|
| Z.K. Mathews | 1901-1968) | lectured at Fort Hare from 1936 to 1959 |
| Archibald Campbell Jordan | 30 October 1906 - 1968 | novelist, pioneer of African studies |
| Govan Mbeki | 1910 - 2001 | South African politician |
| Yusuf Lule | 1912 - 1985 | Interim president of Uganda 1979 |
| Cedric Phatudi | 1912 - 1987 | Chief Minister of Lebowa 1972 - 1987 |
| Kaiser Matanzima | 1915 - 2003 | President of bantustan Transkei |
| Oliver Tambo | October 27, 1917 - April 24, 1993 | member, African National Congress |
| Joshua Nkomo | 1918 - July 1, 1999 | founder of the ZAPU. |
| Nelson Mandela | July 18, 1918 - | Former President of South Africa |
| Lionel Ngakane | July 17, 1920 - November 26, 2003 | South African filmmaker |
| Seretse Khama | July 1, 1921 - July 13, 1980 | first President of Botswana. |
| Julius Nyerere | July 19, 1922 - October 14, 1999 | President of Tanzania |
| Herbert Chitepo | June 15, 1923 - March 18, 1975 | ZANU leader |
| Robert Sobukwe | 1924 - 27 February, 1978 | founder of the Pan Africanist Congress |
| Robert Mugabe | February 21, 1924 - | President of Zimbabwe, attended 1949-1951 |
| Kenneth Kaunda | April 28, 1924 - | first President of Zambia |
| Allan Hendrickse | October 22 1927 - March 16 2005 | politician, preacher, and teacher |
| Mangosuthu Buthelezi | August 27, 1928 - | leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party |
| Desmond Tutu | October 7, 1931 - | Archbishop, South African peace activist |
| Frank Mdlalose | 29 November 1931 - | First premier of KwaZulu-Natal province |
| Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri | 18 September 1937 - | Communications Minister, South Africa |
| Manto Tshabalala-Msimang | 9 October 1940 - | Health Minister of South Africa |
| Chris Hani | June 28, 1942 - April 10, 1993 | leader of the South African Communist Party |
| Joseph Diescho | born 1955 | Namibian novelist |
| Bulelani Ngcuka | May 2, 1954 - | South Africa's director of Public Prosecutions |
(Others, unknown DOB)
* T. Sogana - religion
* B. Pityana - religion
* L. Nongxa - science
* K. Mokhele - science
* Don Ncube - business
* W. Nkhulu - business
See also:
List of universities in South Africa*
Official Homepage*
Promotional site*
Some Fort Hare Alumni
