Onkgopotse Tiro Comprehensive School, situated in the quiet tucked-away dorpie of Slurry, 30 kilometers outside of Mahikeng, was a hive of activity on 14 June 2019. On this day the school commemorated the life of its namesake and student activist Onkgopotse Tiro.
Various dignitaries attended the event. They included Prof Marilyn Setlalentoa, North-West University (NWU) deputy vice-chancellor for community engagement and for campus operations in Mahikeng, Elisha Raymond, ANC chief whip at the North West Legislature, Sello Hatang, chief executive of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, radio personality Oshebeng Keonyaditse, and former SABC journalist Mr Sello Tatai.
In her message of support, Prof Setlalentoa outlined the importance of not only celebrating the freedom that we enjoy, but also to spare a thought for the sacrifices that were made in the attainment of our freedom.
She also congratulated learners from Onkgopotse Tiro Comprehensive School who have gone on to study with the NWU and have made significant contributions in their fields of study.
“It is individuals such as Onkgopotse Tiro that bring to reality the real cost of our freedom,” said Prof Setlalentoa. “Through initiatives such as these, we are able to educate and build a legacy for many generations to come. This is the responsibility we have today as free men and women.”
Who was Onkgopotse Tiro?
Abram Onkgopotse Tiro was born in on 9 November 1945 in Dinokana, a small village near Zeerust. He was a South African student activist and black consciousness militant who was killed on 1 February 1974 during the apartheid era.
He joined the University of the North (now known as University of Limpopo) and became an active member of the South African Student Organisation, from which the Black Consciousness Movement grew. In 1972 he was expelled because of his political activities.
After his expulsion and following his scathing critique of the Bantu Education Act of 1953, he went on to teach history at Morris Isaacson High School near Central Western Jabavu in Soweto in 1973.
Tsietsi Mashinini, who was an integral part of the 1976 student uprising, was also one of Tiro's students during the time. Many of his students have recalled his impact on their own political views during this period of student organisation in South African history.
Prof Marilyn Setlalentoa gives a message of support on behalf of NWU during the annual Onkgopotse Tiro lecture.
