University of Fort Hare
Encyclopedia
The University of Fort Hare is a public university
in Alice, Eastern Cape
, South Africa
. It was a key institution in higher education for black Africans from 1916 to 1959. It offered a Western-style, academically excellent education to students from across sub-Saharan Africa
, creating a black African elite. Fort Hare alumni were part of many subsequent independence movements and governments of newly independent African countries.
In 1959, the university was subsumed by the apartheid system, but it is now part of South Africa's post-apartheid public higher education system.
The University's main campus is located on the Tyhume river, in a town known as Alice in English and Dikeni in Xhosa language
. It is in the Eastern Cape Province about 50 km west of King Williams Town (or eQonce) in a region that for a while was known as the "independent" Bantustan
of Ciskei
. In 2011, the Alice campus had some 6400 students. A second campus at the Eastern Cape provincial capital of Bhisho was built in 1990 and hosts a few hundred students, while the campus in East London, acquired through incorporation in 2004, has some 4300 students.
The University has five faculties (Education, Law, Management & Commerce, Science & Agriculture, Social Sciences & Humanities) all of which offer qualifications up to the doctoral level.
activity (James Stewart) led to the creation of a school for missionaries from which at the beginning of the 20th century the university
resulted. In accord with its Christian principles, fees were low and heavily subsidised. Several scholarships were also available for indigent students.
-style tertiary education
institution in the whole continent to be open to non-white students. (African madrasah
s have been teaching Islam and other subjects, at a scholarly level, to all races since the 9th century.) A number of notable students have attended Fort Hare, including some who were expelled for protests during the period of white minority rule and thus did not graduate
.
of Steve Biko
. A few students became politically active and opposed the apartheid authorities who enjoyed the unqualified support of the Fort Hare authorities since it became a University in 1972.
Further narrowing the focus, 14 institutes were founded to deal with specific issues, such as the UNESCO Oliver Tambo Chair of Human Rights. Through their location the institutes have excellent access to poor rural areas, and consequently emphasis is placed on the role of research in improving quality of life and economic growth (and especially sustainable job creation). Among the outreach programmes, the Telkom Centre of Excellence maintains a "living laboratory" of 4 schools at Dwesa on the Wild Coast
, which have introduced computer labs and internet access to areas that until 2005 did not even have electricity. The projects at Dwesa focus research on Information and Communication for Development (ICD).
Incorporation of Rhodes University's former campus in East London in 2004 gave the University an urban base and a coastal base for the first time. Subsequent growth and development on this campus have been rapid. Initial developments of the new multi-campus university were guided by a three-year plan; currently the University is following the new "Strategic Plan 2009-2016", set to take the institution to its centennial year.
(Others, unknown DOB)
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
in Alice, Eastern Cape
Alice, Eastern Cape
Alice, a town in South Africa, is named after Princess Alice, daughter of the British Queen Victoria. Many of the current political leaders in South Africa were educated at the University of Fort Hare, also the alma mater of former President Nelson Mandela...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It was a key institution in higher education for black Africans from 1916 to 1959. It offered a Western-style, academically excellent education to students from across sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
, creating a black African elite. Fort Hare alumni were part of many subsequent independence movements and governments of newly independent African countries.
In 1959, the university was subsumed by the apartheid system, but it is now part of South Africa's post-apartheid public higher education system.
The University's main campus is located on the Tyhume river, in a town known as Alice in English and Dikeni in Xhosa language
Xhosa language
Xhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa. Xhosa is spoken by approximately 7.9 million people, or about 18% of the South African population. Like most Bantu languages, Xhosa is a tonal language, that is, the same sequence of consonants and vowels can have different meanings when said...
. It is in the Eastern Cape Province about 50 km west of King Williams Town (or eQonce) in a region that for a while was known as the "independent" Bantustan
Bantustan
A bantustan was a territory set aside for black inhabitants of South Africa and South West Africa , as part of the policy of apartheid...
of Ciskei
Ciskei
Ciskei was a Bantustan in the south east of South Africa. It covered an area of 2,970 square miles , almost entirely surrounded by what was then the Cape Province, and possessed a small coastline along the shore of the Indian Ocean....
. In 2011, the Alice campus had some 6400 students. A second campus at the Eastern Cape provincial capital of Bhisho was built in 1990 and hosts a few hundred students, while the campus in East London, acquired through incorporation in 2004, has some 4300 students.
The University has five faculties (Education, Law, Management & Commerce, Science & Agriculture, Social Sciences & Humanities) all of which offer qualifications up to the doctoral level.
The Fort
History
Originally, Fort Hare was a British fort in the wars between British and the Xhosa of the 19th century. Some of the ruins of the fort are still visible today, as well as graves of some of the British soldiers who died while on duty there. MissionaryMissionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
activity (James Stewart) led to the creation of a school for missionaries from which at the beginning of the 20th century the university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
resulted. In accord with its Christian principles, fees were low and heavily subsidised. Several scholarships were also available for indigent students.
University
Fort Hare is one of the oldest universities in southern Africa, and was the first WesternWestern world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
-style tertiary education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
institution in the whole continent to be open to non-white students. (African madrasah
Madrasah
Madrasah is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, whether secular or religious...
s have been teaching Islam and other subjects, at a scholarly level, to all races since the 9th century.) A number of notable students have attended Fort Hare, including some who were expelled for protests during the period of white minority rule and thus did not graduate
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
.
Ranking
Anti-apartheid activity
In the struggle years there was much anti-apartheid activity, including the Black Consciousness MovementBlack Consciousness Movement
The Black Consciousness Movement was a grassroots anti-Apartheid activist movement that emerged in South Africa in the mid-1960s out of the political vacuum created by the jailing and banning of the African National Congress and Pan Africanist Congress leadership after the Sharpeville Massacre in...
of Steve Biko
Steve Biko
Stephen Biko was a noted anti-apartheid activist in South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. A student leader, he later founded the Black Consciousness Movement which would empower and mobilize much of the urban black population. Since his death in police custody, he has been called a martyr of the...
. A few students became politically active and opposed the apartheid authorities who enjoyed the unqualified support of the Fort Hare authorities since it became a University in 1972.
University of Fort Hare Strategic Plans
Following a period of decline in the 1990s, Professor Derrick Swarts was appointed as Vice-Chancellor with the task of re-establishing the University on a sound footing. The programme launched by Prof. Swartz was the UFH Strategic Plan 2000. The plan was meant to address the universities financial situation and academic quality standards simultaneously. The focus of the university was narrowed and consequently 5 faculties remained:- Education
- Science & Agriculture
- Social Sciences & Humanities
- Management & Commerce
- Law
Further narrowing the focus, 14 institutes were founded to deal with specific issues, such as the UNESCO Oliver Tambo Chair of Human Rights. Through their location the institutes have excellent access to poor rural areas, and consequently emphasis is placed on the role of research in improving quality of life and economic growth (and especially sustainable job creation). Among the outreach programmes, the Telkom Centre of Excellence maintains a "living laboratory" of 4 schools at Dwesa on the Wild Coast
Wild Coast Region, Eastern Cape
The Wild Coast is one of the four regions of the Eastern Cape, a province of South Africa. The region stretches from its border with Buffalo City in the south to the Mthamvuna River near Port Edward in the north...
, which have introduced computer labs and internet access to areas that until 2005 did not even have electricity. The projects at Dwesa focus research on Information and Communication for Development (ICD).
Incorporation of Rhodes University's former campus in East London in 2004 gave the University an urban base and a coastal base for the first time. Subsequent growth and development on this campus have been rapid. Initial developments of the new multi-campus university were guided by a three-year plan; currently the University is following the new "Strategic Plan 2009-2016", set to take the institution to its centennial year.
Notable alumni
| Name | DoB - DoD | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Z.K. Mathews | 1901–1968 | Lectured at Fort Hare from 1936 to 1959 |
| Archibald Campbell Jordan Archibald Campbell Jordan Archibald Campbell Mzolisa Jordan was a novelist, literary historian and intellectual pioneer of African studies in South Africa.-Early life:... |
30 October 1906–1968 | Novelist, pioneer of African studies |
| Govan Mbeki Govan Mbeki Govan Archibald Mvuyelwa Mbeki was a South African politician, and father of the former South African president Thabo Mbeki and political economist Moeletsi Mbeki... |
9 July 1910 - 30 August 2001 | South African politician |
| Yusuf Lule Yusuf Lule Yusuf Kironde Lule was provisional president of Uganda between 13 April and 20 June 1979. His name is sometimes spelled Yusufu.-Early years:... |
1912 - January 21, 1985 | Interim president of Uganda Uganda Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by... 1979 |
| Cedric Phatudi Cedric Phatudi Cedric Namedi Phatudi was the Chief Minister of Lebowa, one of the controversial South African bantustans.Born in Mphahlele, Phatudi initially worked as a teacher and educational administrator before attending the University of Fort Hare, gaining a BA in 1947 and a teaching diploma in 1950 at the... |
27 May 1912 - 7 October 1987 | Chief Minister of Lebowa Lebowa Lebowa was a bantustan located in the Transvaal in north eastern South Africa. Seshego initially acted as Lebowa's capital while the purpose-built Lebowakgomo was being constructed. Granted internal self-government on 2 October 1972 and ruled for much of its existence by Cedric Phatudi, Lebowa... 1972–1987 |
| Kaiser Matanzima Kaiser Matanzima Kaiser Matanzima was a former leader of the Transkei in South Africa.-Biography:Born in Qamata, Eastern Cape, a nephew of Nelson Mandela, Matanzima received the name Daliwonga upon reaching manhood as an "isikhahlelo" . It means "Maker of Majesty"... |
5 June 1915 - June 15 2003 | President of bantustan Transkei |
| Oliver Tambo Oliver Tambo Oliver Reginald Tambo was a South African anti-apartheid politician and a central figure in the African National Congress .-Biography:Oliver Tambo was born in Bizana in eastern Pondoland in what is now Eastern Cape... |
27 October 1917 - 24 April 1993 | member, African National Congress African National Congress The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a... - Expelled while doing his second degree. |
| Joshua Nkomo Joshua Nkomo Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo was the leader and founder of the Zimbabwe African People's Union and a member of the Kalanga tribe... |
1918 - 1 July 1999 | Founder of the ZAPU. |
| Nelson Mandela Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing... |
18 July 1918 - | Former President of South Africa- - Expelled and later graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand. |
| Lionel Ngakane Lionel Ngakane Lionel Ngakane was a South African filmmaker.Ngakane was educated at Fort Hare University College and Wits University, and worked on Drum and Zonk magazines from 1948 to 1950. In 1950 he began his career in film as an assistant director and actor in the film version of Cry, the Beloved Country,... |
17 July 1920 - 26 November 2003 | South African filmmaker |
| Seretse Khama Seretse Khama Sir Seretse Khama, KBE was a statesman from Botswana. Born into one of the more powerful of the royal families of what was then the British Protectorate of Bechuanaland, and educated abroad in neighbouring South Africa and in the United Kingdom, he returned home—with a popular but controversial... |
1 July 1921 - 13 July 1980 | First President of Botswana Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966... . Later Sir Seretse Khama. |
| Julius Nyerere Julius Nyerere Julius Kambarage Nyerere was a Tanzanian politician who served as the first President of Tanzania and previously Tanganyika, from the country's founding in 1961 until his retirement in 1985.... |
19 July 1922 - 14 October 1999 | President of Tanzania Tanzania The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state... |
| Herbert Chitepo Herbert Chitepo Herbert Wiltshire Chitepo led the Zimbabwe African National Union until he was assassinated on March 1975. Although his murderer remains unidentified, the Rhodesian author Peter Stiff says that a former British SAS soldier, Hugh Hind was responsible.Chitepo became the first black citizen of... |
15 June 1923 - 18 March 1975 | ZANU leader |
| Robert Sobukwe Robert Sobukwe Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe was a South African political dissident, who founded the Pan Africanist Congress in opposition to the apartheid regime. In 2004 Sobukwe was voted 42nd in the SABC3's Great South Africans.... |
1924 - 27 February 1978 | Founder of the Pan Africanist Congress |
| Robert Mugabe Robert Mugabe Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980... |
21 February 1924 - | President of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three... , attended 1949–1951 |
| Kenneth Kaunda Kenneth Kaunda Kenneth David Kaunda, known as KK, served as the first President of Zambia, from 1964 to 1991.-Early life:Kaunda was the youngest of eight children. He was born at Lubwa Mission in Chinsali, Northern Province of Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia... |
28 April 1924 - | First President of Zambia |
| Allan Hendrickse Allan Hendrickse Helenard Joe Hendrickse was a South African politician, Congregationalist minister, and teacher. He participated in an act of defiance by swimming at a South African beach reserved for whites only. He was born in Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape and died of a heart attack at Port Elizabeth's airport... |
22 October 1927 - 16 March 2005 | Politician, preacher, and teacher |
| Mangosuthu Buthelezi Mangosuthu Buthelezi Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi is a South African Zulu politician who founded the Inkatha Freedom Party in 1975 and continues to lead the party today.His praise name is Shenge.-Early life:... |
27 August 1928 - | Leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party Inkatha Freedom Party The Inkatha Freedom Party is a political party in South Africa. Since its founding, it has been led by Mangosuthu Buthelezi. It is currently the fourth largest party in the National Assembly of South Africa.-History:... - Never graduated but transferred to University of Natal University of Natal The University of Natal was a university in Natal, and later KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, that is now part of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. It was founded in 1910 as the Natal University College in Pietermaritzburg, and expanded to include a campus in Durban in 1931. In 1947, the university... to study History and Bantu Administration; graduated to become leader of KwaZulu KwaZulu KwaZulu was a bantustan in South Africa, intended by the apartheid government as a semi-independent homeland for the Zulu people. The capital, formerly at Nongoma, was moved in 1980 to Ulundi.... Bantustan in apartheid South Africa |
| Desmond Tutu Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid... |
7 October 1931 - | Archbishop Archbishop An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop... , South African peace activist Peace activist This list of peace activists includes people who proactively advocate diplomatic, non-military resolution of political disputes, usually through nonviolent means.A peace activist is an activist of the peace movement.*Jane Addams*Martti Ahtisaari... , Chaplain at Fort Hare in 1960 |
| Frank Mdlalose Frank Mdlalose Dr Frank Themba Mdlalose was the first Premier of the newly renamed KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa, after the African National Congress won the country's first all-inclusive general election in April 1994.... |
29 November 1931 - | First Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Premier of KwaZulu-Natal The Premier of KwaZulu-Natal is the head of government of the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa.For a discussion of the election, role and powers of the Premier, see the article "Premier ".-List of Premiers of KwaZulu-Natal:... |
| Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri was a South African politician. She was the country's Minister of Communications from 1999 until her death.... |
18 September 1937 - 6 April 2009 | Communications Minister, South Africa |
| Manto Tshabalala-Msimang Manto Tshabalala-Msimang Dr. Mantombazana 'Manto' Edmie Tshabalala-Msimang was a South African politician. She was Deputy Minister of Justice from 1996 to 1999 and controversially served as Minister of Health from 1999 to 2008 under President Thabo Mbeki... |
9 October 1940 - 16 December 2009 | Health Minister of South Africa |
| Chris Hani Chris Hani Chris Hani, born Martin Thembisile Hani was the leader of the South African Communist Party and chief of staff of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress . He was a fierce opponent of the apartheid government... |
28 June 1942 - 10 April 1993 | Leader of the South African Communist Party South African Communist Party South African Communist Party is a political party in South Africa. It was founded in 1921 as the Communist Party of South Africa by the joining together of the International Socialist League and others under the leadership of Willam H... - Expelled, later graduated from Rhodes University Rhodes University Rhodes University is a public research university located in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, established in 1904. It is the province’s oldest university, and is one of the four universities in the province... . |
| Wiseman Nkuhlu | 5 February 1944 - | economic advisor to President Thabo Mbeki, Head of NEPAD |
| Makhenkesi Arnold Stofile | 27 December 1944 - | Sport Minister of South Africa |
| Sam Nolutshungu Sam Nolutshungu Samuel Clement Nolutshungu was one of the foremost South African scholars, and an internationally acclaimed expert on South African politics.... |
15 April 1945 - 12 August 1997 | South African scholar |
| Nyameko Barney Pityana Barney Pityana Nyameko Barney Pityana FKC is a human rights lawyer and theologian in South Africa. He is an exponent of Black theology.... |
7 August 1945 - | lawyer and theologian, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of South Africa |
| Bulelani Ngcuka Bulelani Ngcuka Bulelani T Ngcuka was the first national Director of Public Prosecutions in South Africa, and is the husband of former Deputy President of South Africa Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. He was embroiled in controversy after being accused of being an apartheid spy... |
2 May 1954 - | South Africa's former Director of Public Prosecutions Director of Public Prosecutions The Director of Public Prosecutions is the officer charged with the prosecution of criminal offences in several criminal jurisdictions around the world... |
| Loyiso Nongxa | 1954- | Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand |
| Joseph Diescho Joseph Diescho Joseph Diescho is a Namibian writer and political analyst. In 1988, he wrote Born of the Sun, the first novel by a native-born Namibian author.-Education:... |
1955 - | Namibian novelist |
| John Hlophe John Hlophe John Mandlakayise Hlophe is Judge President of the Western Cape High Court.-Background and career:... |
1 January 1959 - | Judge President of the Cape Provincial Division of the High Court |
(Others, unknown DOB)
- Tiyo Soga - religion, Vice-Chancellor of the University of South Africa
- K. Mokhele - science
- Don Ncube - business