Thabo Mbeki experienced his first disappointment with politics when he and Kabelo heard about an ANC meeting to be held in Queenstown. From a young age, Mbeki developed a love for reading and music. Mbeki spent the years growing up with Moerane’s six children, his cousin Kabelo being closest to him. Moerane was a music teacher and a composer of classical music. In Queenstown, Mbeki stayed with Michael Moerane, his mother’s brother. Mbeki attended the Ewing school in his neighbourhood up to grade 6 thereafter he had to attend school in Queenstown as the Ewing school did not have senior classes. MaMofokeng, his mother, ran a shop called the Goodwill Store, and the family also kept sheep and goats. Mbeki’s parents were very involved in improving the conditions of their community and took part in schemes to feed the poor. Mbeki had an older sister, Linda and two younger brothers, Moeletsi and Jama.
Thabo Mbeki was named after one of his father’s best friends, Thabo Mofutsanyana, a leading member of the Communist Party at the time. His father, Govan Mbeki, was a leading figure in the activities of the African National Congress (ANC) in the Eastern Cape. Both his parents were teachers, activists and members of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA later renamed the SACP). His middle name ’Mvuyelwa’ is Xhosa and means ‘he for whom the people sing’. Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki was born on June 18 1942, in Mbewuleni (meaning ‘place of seed’), a tiny village in Idutywa in Transkei (now Eastern Cape).
0 kommentar(er)
