Kaiser Matanzima
| Kaiser Mathanzima | |
|---|---|
| 1st Prime Minister of Transkei | |
|
In office 26 October 1976 – 20 February 1979 |
|
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | George Mathanzima |
| Chief Minister of Transkei | |
|
In office 6 December 1963 – 26 October 1976 |
|
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | None |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Kaiser Daliwonga Mathanzima 15 June 1915 Qamata, Cape, South Africa |
| Died | 15 June 2003 Queenstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa |
| Political party | Transkei National Independence Party |
Kaiser Daliwonga Mathanzima, misspelled Matanzima (15 June 1915 – 15 June 2003), was the long-term leader of Transkei.
Born in Qamata, Eastern Cape, a nephew of Nelson Mandela, Mathanzima spent part of his childhood at the homestead of Chief Falo Mgudlwa, a known authority on Thembu history and lore. He received the name Daliwonga (meaning "Maker of Majesty") upon reaching manhood as an "isikhahlelo" (praise name). Mathanzima studied law at Fort Hare University and completed his articles in the Transkei capital, Mthatha, in 1948. However, he never practised law, instead he involved himself in Thembu and Transkei politics.
Made paramount chief of the "Emigrant Thembus", a breakaway and sub-group to the Thembus, Mathanzima's support of the South African government's Bantu Authorities Act (1951), which looked to foster traditional African leadership structures, gave the Act credibility in the eyes of many chiefs, but saw him part ways with Mandela politically (although the two initially remained friends, with Mathanzima acting as best man at Mandela's wedding).
In his 1975 book Independence My Way, Mathanzima argued that emancipation would come through a federation of semi-autonomous black states, such as Transkei, rather than through the militant nationalism espoused by the African National Congress (ANC). Mandela condemned Mathanzima as a de facto supporter of apartheid.
Mathanzima became a member of the United Transkeian Territorial Council in 1955 and an Executive Council member of the newly created Transkeian Territorial Authority (TTA) in 1956. In 1961 he graduated to Chairman of the TTA, survived an assassination attempt in December 1962 by members of the Pan Africanist Congress, and in 1963 was an obvious candidate for Chief Minister of the newly formed Transkeian Legislative Assembly. Mathanzima founded the Transkei National Independence Party, led it to election victories in 1968 and 1973, and was sworn in as Prime Minister in 1976 when Transkei became the first bantustan to gain nominal independence. According to an article published in Time Magazine at the time, though Transkei declared independence theoretically as a “free state”, Mathanzima ruled the territory as a de facto puppet-state dictator, banning local opposition parties and buying at subsidized prices Transkei farmlands offered by the South African government.
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