Mr Thomas Mapikela grave

The graves of the iconic leaders of the liberation struggle movements are a tangiblerepresentation of the intangible heritage aspects of organised resistance and defiancecampaigns, against successive racially repressive regimes. They transcend differentresponses to eighty (80) years of intensification of repressive laws from deputations, passiveresistance, defiance campaigns to armed struggle and mass struggles. They represent aconviction to a just political cause and attainment of political freedom leading to denial ofpersonal liberties and an ultimate price of banning orders, house arrest, politicalassassinations, banishment, exile, political imprisonment and in-detention death.THOMAS MTOBI MAPIKELA – Founding Father of the African National Congress in 1912(Political icon, tireless campaigner for African civic representation, craftsman, builder andbusinessman and symbol of resilience and unity)In 1909 he was a member of the South African Native Convention deputation to London,England, which tried unsuccessfully to persuade the British parliament to reject the draftconstitution. He was elected as a speaker of the South African Native Convention, at thefounding Convention in January 1912 a position he held until 1940. He was part of adelegation that went to the Minister of Native Affairs and protested against the impendingNative Land Act. He further went to persuade the British King and parliament as apart of adelegation to reconsider the Native Land Act accepted by Parliament in 1913.Mapikela was one of the organizers of All-African Convention held in 1935, to oppose thesecond Hertzog Bills and the removal of Africans in the Cape from the Common Voters roll.In 1937 he was elected to serve in the Native Representative Council. Two years before hisdeath in 1943 he was a member of the African Atlantic Charter Committee, which had tostudy, and discuss problems arising out of the Atlantic Charter in so far as it related to Africa.