The 2025 John Langalibalele Dube Memorial Lecture

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This year marks the twenty-second anniversary of the John Langalibalele Dube Lecture at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), a testament to the University’s commitment to keeping Dube’s legacy alive.

“We are honoured to be the custodians of this lecture,” said Professor Nobuhle Hlongwa, Dean and Head of the School of Arts, “and are thrilled to see the growth of scholarship on the life of Dube within the University.”

Born in 1871, Dube became one of the most influential South African thinkers and leaders, dedicating his life to uplifting his people through education, journalism, and political activism. He believed deeply that education was the key to freedom and self-realisation.

Guided by this belief, Dube made significant contributions across these fields. He founded the Ohlange Institute - the first school in South Africa established by a Black person. There, students received both academic instruction and practical training in skills such as carpentry, farming, and printing, fostering independence and self-sufficiency despite the racial barriers imposed by colonial society.

Dube created Ilanga lase Natal ‘The Natal Sun’, a Zulu-language newspaper that provided Africans with a platform to share their views, tell their stories, and challenge injustices. Through the power of the press, he encouraged his readers to rise with dignity and claim their rightful place in society. A founder of the African National Congress (ANC), Dube moved between education, journalism, and politics, guided by a singular purpose: to build a better future for his people.

The theme of the 2025 lecture was ‘What Went Wrong with the Nation-Building or the Rainbow Nation Project? Race and Race Relations in Post-apartheid South Africa’.

Professor R Simangaliso Kumalo from the School of Arts welcomed guests and Professor Emmanuel Mgqwashu, the new Dean of Education, introduced the keynote speaker, Professor Hlonipha Mokoena, Director of the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research (WiSER) at the University of the Witwatersrand. 

Mokoena’s address, titled ‘Isitha Somuntu - The Black Man’s Enemy: John Langalibalele Dube and the Unfinished Project of Self-Help’, offered the audience a reconsideration of Dube’s incendiary text ‘Isitha Somuntu Nguye Uqobo Lwakhe (1928)’ [A Person’s Worst Enemy is Themselves]. 

“I will consider Dube’s disappointments with ‘congress’ politics and how his book is a turning away from politics and an embrace of the philosophy of self-help,” she explained. 

Mokoena led the audience through Dube’s work, highlighting themes of assimilation, racial equality, self-examination and self-criticism. 

In response to the theme of the lecture, Mokoena stated, “Dube asserts that the real struggle for Black people is to continue learning and improving their knowledge, especially of their own history and language and seeing education as the first step towards self-knowledge and self-worth.” Mokoena contended that Dube would have advocated for ‘self-help’ first and ‘freedom’ second. “He would have argued that it is far better to build one’s self-worth than to expect that self-worth should be given to us by others,” she added.

Weighing in, Dr Sibusiso Masondo from the School of Arts said, “Dube had a transformative vision and leadership that aimed at unifying diverse South African communities in a complex socio-political landscape at the beginning of the 20th century. He defended inclusiveness and unity in a racially fractured society. His vision extended beyond simple coexistence; he aspired to build a shared identity that transcended racial boundaries.” 

A fruitful question-and-answer session facilitated by Masondo, drew inspiring discussions from the audience and brought the event to a close on an engaging and reflective note.

Guests were entertained by musical performances from Ohlange High School and the Nkunzemnyama Cultural Group.

Words: Jennene Naidu

Photographs: Albert Hirasen