Dr Tlou Cholo. (Tshwane University of Technology)
If one borrows from cricket lingo, Dr Tlou Theophilus Cholo’s birthday this year, on 20 October, could be compared to a player scoring 99 runs in a gruelling match. The struggle stalwart and former trade unionist navigated persistent obstacles on the oval called Earth, including torture and incarceration on Robben Island.
In 2018, Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) conferred on him an honorary doctorate in public administration for his outstanding public service.
The freedom stalwart, who is probably the only surviving veteran from uMkhonto weSizwe’s Luthuli Detachment era, celebrated his 99th birthday with close family at his home in Soshanguve on that Sunday afternoon.
Even though he is about to score a century Cholo still enjoys an active lifestyle and contributes to the national discourse, always ready to offer nuggets of wisdom, especially in relation to social, economic and ecological matters.
Coinciding with his birth month, to honour and celebrate his legacy and times, TUT’s Faculty of Humanities, in partnership with the Tlou Cholo Foundation, recently hosted the 3rd Annual Dr Tlou Cholo Legacy Lecture. Appropriately held at Freedom Park in Pretoria, the lecture was delivered by Ronald Lamola, minister of international relations and cooperation, with the theme, South Africa’s Thirty Years of Democracy — Quo Vadis?
The lecture reflected on where the country is going against the backdrop of the persistent triple developmental challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment, which Cholo feels need urgent attention.
Professor Mashupye Maserumule, executive dean of the Faculty of Humanities, said: “Dr Cholo’s fight against colonialism and apartheid stands as a call for continued efforts toward social and ecological justice.”
He also asked the audience, and society generally, to critically reflect on the country’s path and the effect of its decisions on the future of humanity.
Lamola highlighted existing economic problems while articulating his confidence in the ability of the government of national unity to address them effectively. The minister spoke of climate change mitigation, especially the need for more funding for Global South countries and the policy agility to grow their economies.
He decried the lack of funding for innovation and said that partnership with academic institutions could be key to achieving results.
During the lecture, Cholo challenged South Africa and its global counterparts to address global warmings. He posed pertinent questions, including who should be responsible for informing the population of extreme weather events caused by global warming and what precautions should be taken.
Cholo fought against policies that perpetuated separate development along racial lines. The Urban Areas Act, which promoted segregated housing and businesses by race, gave birth to Cholo’s current township of residence, Soshanguve (then Mabopane East) 50 years ago. Some Soshanguve residents at the lecture raised concerns about the township’s environmental deterioration and the effect on people’s health and livelihoods.
People asked Lamola to support the drive to plant more trees on Aubrey Matlala Street, one of the area’s main roads, where the TUT Soshanguve North and South campuses are situated, and coincidentally, a stone’s throw from Cholo’s home on Steve Makena Street.
The township’s golden jubilee celebrations were held at the TUT Soshanguve South Campus as part of Heritage Month 2024.
Cholo’s journey as a freedom fighter began when he joined a trade union in 1949, after having left his village in Limpopo at the age of 19 in search of work in Johannesburg.
One of the first volunteer cadres of uMkhonto weSizwe in the early 1960s, his last role as a public office bearer was as a member of the Limpopo legislature from 1994 to 2014.
Cholo’s tenacity and self-sacrifice in the struggle against apartheid, and distinguished leadership in the trade union movement culminated in him being awarded the Order of Luthuli in Silver by the government in 2009.
His resilience and big-match temperament have come to the fore throughout his service to humanity.
Malesela Maubane and Shalate Davhana are Tshwane University of Technology alumni, with the latter also a TUT staff member. They write in their personal capacities.