Legacy lecture marks 100 years of freedom fighter, Dr Tlou Cholo’s life
Academics
17 October 2025
By Nhlawulo Vision Chauke
The South African State Theatre was the stage for an evening of reflection and inspiration as leaders, scholars, alumni and students.
Buti Manamela, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation
The event, “Lessons of the Tlou Cholo Generation: Have They Been Betrayed?”, marked the centenary of Dr Tlou Theophilus “TT” Cholo, a towering freedom fighter whose courage, intellect and unwavering dedication to justice helped shape South Africa’s liberation struggle.
Delivering the keynote address, Buti Manamela, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, who also serves as a member of the ANC National Executive Committee and the SACP Central Committee, reflected on Dr Cholo’s enduring impact on South Africa’s political and moral landscape.
He noted that Dr Cholo’s generation fought not only for political freedom but for social and economic justice. “They believed in unity, discipline and a vision of a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic society. Our duty is to ensure that the National Democratic Revolution they started is completed,” said Manamela.
The Minister described Dr Cholo as “a worker, a soldier and a teacher,” whose life was a lesson in humility and service. Born in Ga-Matlala in the mid-1920s, Dr Cholo joined the African National Congress during the Defiance Campaign, co-founded the South African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU) and was one of the earliest members of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), serving 16 years on Robben Island. For his lifelong service, he was decorated with the Order of Luthuli in Silver and the ANC’s highest honour, Isithwalandwe/Seaparankwe.
In his opening remarks, Prof Tinyiko Maluleke, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), set the tone for the evening with a moving reflection on the intersection of art, history and memory.
Faculty of Humanities Alumni Chapter Chairperson, Khoisan Sonti
He acknowledged Aubrey Sekhabi, who directed The Fatherland musical, alongside the cast and production team, including Siyabonga Gaza, Boitumelo Muchiwa, Malebu Kekana, Ontlametsi Masilo (Assistant Director), Princess Sechele (Producer) and Lesego Moripe (Arts and Costume Administrator).
Prof Maluleke described the musical as more than a stage performance; he called it a living archive of memory. “It is a virtual reality on stage that transports us from Ha-Matlala via Makala to the GP hostel, to the kitchens and gardens of Germiston where Dr Cholo once worked,” he said.
He lauded the production for capturing the spirit of a generation that believed in the power of service and collective struggle, reminding the audience that history is not just to be remembered, but to be relived.
Taking to the podium, Dr Gwen Ramokgopa delivered a heartfelt reflection that centred on the moral vision and selflessness of Dr Cholo’s generation. “We are gathered here to honour a generation of selflessness; the generation of Dr Cholo and his comrades who contributed immensely to the attainment of our democracy and freedom,” she said.
Dr Ramokgopa said this generation’s ideals are enshrined in the Freedom Charter and the Constitution, which call for participatory democracy and mandate us to “improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person.” She reminded the audience that these founding values also charge us to “establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights.”
Prof Mashupye Herbert Maserumule, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Humanities.
Adding his reflections, Prof Mashupye Herbert Maserumule, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, described the Dr Tlou Cholo Legacy Lecture as an opportunity to learn what it means to be human and how to relate to each other as a nation.
“Let’s thank Dr Cholo and his family for giving us this moment of historical consciousness and the joy of learning from the horse’s mouth,” said Prof Maserumule.
“Cholo and his generation believed in the beauty of a dream for us and for future generations to live in a society free of racial and gender discrimination. They embraced this vision on our behalf.”
Dr Gwen Ramokgopa