The House of Pixley Ka Seme

Pixley ka Isaka Seme (1881-1951) was one of the first black lawyers in South Africa and a founder and President of the ANC. Seme was born in Durban at the Inanda Mission Station of the American Zulu Mission of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. When he was 17 years old, he moved to the US for his studies. He first studied at the Mount Hermon School before attending Columbia University. In 1906, he was awarded the Curtis Medal which was Columbia's highest oratorical (public speaking) honor.

Subsequently he decided to become an attorney. In October 1906 he attended Oxford University where he became a member of Jesus College. He was admitted to the Middle Temple on 12 February 1907 and he was Called to the Bar on 8 June 1910. In 1910, Seme returned to South Africa and began to practice as a lawyer in Johannesburg.

In 1911, Seme established the South African Native Farmers Association in order to encourage black workers to buy land in the Daggakraal, Driefontein and Driepan areas. This would allow the workers to attain personal independence. Consequently, the white government introduced the Natives Land Act of 1913. This stopped black people from owning land in South Africa.

In 1928, his efforts for an equal society gained him recognition and he was granted an honourary doctorate by Columbia University. He was ANC president from 1930 to 1936 and his home in Daggakraal was a venue for ANC meetings and a legal office space.