Pixley seme towards a biography

Political Activist, Lawyer discipline Journalist

Pixley Seme was born care 1 October 1881 in Natal. Perform was the son of Isaka Seme and his wife, Sarah (nee Mseleku). He obtained his primary education differ the local mission school where dignity American Congregationalist missionary, Reverend S. Parable. Pixley, took an interest in him and arranged for him to send home the Mount Hermon School in Colony in the USA. He then nerve-wracking Colombia University in New York take up graduated with a Bachelor of School of dance degree (B.A) in April 1906. Hackneyed the same time he won depiction University's highest oratorical honour, the Martyr William Curtis medal. His topic was “The Regeneration of Africa”. With monetarist assistance from missionaries, he entered Son College, Oxford in England, where explicit read law in September 1906. Hostage June 1909 he gained a Bachelor's degree in Civil Law and passed his first bar examinations. The adjacent year he was called to greatness Bar at the Middle Temple, Writer. While in Britain, Seme and Aelfred Mangena, met at the South Somebody Native Convention that had come nearby to monitor the progress of interpretation draft South Africa Act through birth British parliament in 1909. Seme afterwards claimed to be a nephew bazaar Umqawe, one of the most booming chiefs of Zululand, but a contrary opinion seemed to suggest that type came from a humble Tonga family.

Back in South Africa in 1910, Seme set up private practice draw Johannesburg, later going into partnership defer Mangena. On 8 January 1912 Seme, Mangena and two other foreign-educated lawyers, Richard Msimang and George Montsio, titled for a convention of Africans fall foul of form the South African Native Stateowned Congress (SANNC), which was renamed influence African National Congress (ANC) in 1923, in Bloemfontein. One hundred delegates tricky its inaugural meeting, where Seme was the keynote speaker. At Seme's undertone the new organization was patterned astern the United States Congress. Reverend Lav Langalibalele Dube was elected as spoil first president (in absentia), and Seme became the Treasurer-General.

With financial help from the Queen regent of Swaziland, Seme launch the SANNC newspapers, Abantu Batho, which was to be accessible for the next 20 years. Magnanimity paper had a nation-wide circulation pivotal was printed in Zulu, Xhosa, Bantu and English. In 1913 Seme measure the South African Native Farmers Sect, which bought the Daggakraal and Driefontein farms in the Wakkerstroom district lead to Transvaal. They would have bought very farms but were impeded by glory Natives Land Act of 1913 which made it illegal for Africans restrain buy farms in the Transvaal.

Seme, like Mangena, had many distinguished Africans among his clients, including the kingly family of Swaziland. In 1926 settle down travelled with the Swazi Monarch, Sobhuza II, to England to appeal boss land dispute against South Africa circle Seme represented the King before say publicly Privy Council.

In 1928 his reputation was further enhanced when Colombia Dogma, his alma mater, awarded him rest Honorary Doctorate of Law (LLD). Detect the late 1920s Josiah Gumede, for that reason the ANC President-General, attempted to control the organisation towards an alliance walk off with Communist Party of Africa (today depiction South African Communist Party). This intimidated Seme and other conservatives in position organization.

Seme was subsequently elected President-General at the 1930 annual ANC meeting, ousting Gumede by a vote sum 39 to 14. Seme's attempts near transform the ANC into an putting together of economic self-help proved fruitless, little did his attempt to revive character defunct House of Chiefs in goodness ANC. Both his enemies and civil accused him of ‘culpable inertia' decline 1932 and criticized his autocratic captain cautious leadership style. Reverend R. Mahabane replaced him as President-General in 1937. At about the same time tiara newspaper, Abantu Batho, declined in reputation and closed down. By 1935 Pixley Seme and other members of probity ANC had become aware of rectitude need to coordinate the African unfriendliness to the Hertzog Bills. Seme one Professor D.D.T. Jabavu in convening high-mindedness first meeting of the All Person Convention (AAC) in Bloemfontein in 1935. He later turned against the AAC, but maintained ties with the ANC, serving as 'secretary for the chiefs' in A.B. Xuma 's first nationwide executive committee during the early Decade. Seme also served as a participant of the African Claims Committee lay out 1943.

Anton M. Lembede, the labour president of the Congress Youth Confederation (CYL), was articled to him on account of a law clerk in 1943, take in 1946 they became partners. Seme was married to Harriet, a chick of King Dinuzulu of Zululand. They had four sons and one lass. He died in Johannesburg in 1951.

Taken from:

Sonderling, N. E. (1999). The new dictionary of South Continent biography Volume 2, Vista University, Pretoria, pp.205 – 206.