Renowned activist, writer, playwright and director Ronnie Govender, 86, has died in Cape Town from age-related illnesses.
In his writing, Govender, who died on April 29, explored the resilience, vitality and pain of the South African Indian community. He will be remembered for his pioneering work in various anti-apartheid sporting, cultural and literary organisations.
His play, At the Edge, which was staged in front of hundreds of thousands of theatregoers over many years, celebrated the vibrant community of his birthplace, Cato Manor in Durban, and portrayed the subsequent forced removals. In the play, the character Thunga refuses to leave his home, declaring "over my dead body" when the first eviction orders arrive.
Sathieseelan Gurulingam Govender, popularly known as Ronnie, was born on May 16 1934, one of 11 children. His grandparents on both sides had come from South India as indentured labourers. His father was a bakery van driver and his mother a housewife.
"I used to devour any kind of reading material at that time," he said in an interview. "I think it was a kind of family tradition in that respect. My father, despite the fact that he only went to standard 2, would read the newspaper from cover to cover."
Govender attended school in Cato Manor before spending a year studying law at the University of Cape Town in 1954. He was treasurer of the Students Democratic Association, which was formed to protest at the ban on African students from outside SA attending local universities. Former Constitutional Court judge Albie Sachs was president of the association.
Govender worked as a sports journalist at the newspaper The New Age, which operated from 1953 to 1962, using his wages to pay his university fees.
"I attacked racism in sport also. And I think at that early stage I had also attracted the attention of the Special Branch. Because my articles were quite outspoken about this kind of racism," he said.
When the newspaper was banned he returned to Durban and enrolled at Springfield Training College to become a teacher. He worked as a teacher for 11 years, before being forced out because of his political activism.
Govender's first play, Beyond Calvary, was based on a couple he had known from different religious backgrounds, Hindu and Catholic. The Lahnee's Pleasure told the story of characters in a hotel in apartheid SA.
In 1964, Govender and a group of theatre enthusiasts launched the Shah Theatre Academy to "create theatre that reflected our lives". It went on to train several leading actors, directors and playwrights.
"We felt that we had to then reflect our lives honestly and sincerely and that meant that we had to reflect political realities of life. Whether you were white, brown or whatever, you know. And the political realities were such that it affected every aspect of our lives."