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The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Blade Nzimande, has expressed his shock and great sadness at the news of the passing of Professor Noel Chabani Manganyi – a distinguished academic, scholar, intellectual activist, psychologist, and public servant.

Manganyi passed away on Tuesday, 31 October 2024, at the age of 84.

“I knew Prof Manganyi in a number of different respects. Firstly, we both trained in psychology and thus shared many intellectual positions on the importance of mental liberation as a site of struggle, especially for all black people in the face of apartheid colonialism. 

“Secondly, we were both activists in the struggle against apartheid and shared a common vision for a radically transformed post-apartheid South Africa, including challenging dominant intellectual discourses.

“This brought us together in the period immediately after the establishment of democratic rule, working together in the reconstruction and development of South Africa’s post-apartheid education system,” the Minister recalled. 

Manganyi was the first Director-General of the Department of Education after the establishment of democracy and worked with the Minister in his capacity as the first Chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Education.

Nzimande has described his fellow former activist as one of the most eloquent and deeply thoughtful intellectuals spawned by the black consciousness movement. 

“His writings are still as relevant as ever,” said the Minister.

According to the Minister, Manganyi’s earlier book, ‘Being Black in the World’ was one of his prescribed texts in his Honours Psychology class in 1980 at the then University of Natal. 

“A fine text indeed in the mould of the black consciousness philosophy, but very well written and well-argued. 

“Prof Manganyi is without doubt one of our country’s most decorated academics.” 

His roles include a Professorship at the then University of Transkei in Mthatha (now Walter Sisulu University), where he established the Department of Psychology and served as its first Chairperson. 

In the 1980s, he was appointed Professor and Senior Research Fellow at the University of the Witwatersrand’s African Studies Institute.

He also served as Vice-Principal of the University of Pretoria, Vice-Chancellor and Principal at the University of the North (now the University of Limpopo) and as Chairperson of the Council on Higher Education.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Manganyi published a series of monographs, which included ‘Being Black in the World’ and the biographies of E’skia Mphahlele, Gerard Sekoto and Dumile Feni.

Adding to his already vast body of work, in 2016, he published a memoir and autobiography titled ‘Apartheid and the Making of a Black Psychologist’. 

“Through this work, he examines the impact of apartheid underdevelopment, and how it hindered the success prospects of black people.

“Owing to his exceptional and groundbreaking scholarship, he was conferred with a number of prestigious national and international honours.”

These include being an Honorary Fellow of the Psychological Society of South Africa in 2012, the Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Research Foundation in 2016 and the Humanities Book Award by the Academy of Science of South Africa in 2018.

“Through his life’s work, Prof Manganyi enhanced our understanding of the impact of racism and colonial underdevelopment on the black psyche, identity, and power relations in apartheid South Africa. However, his work also reinforces the honour of fighting for freedom in a context where some chose to be indifferent,” Nzimande said.

Nzimande is of the view that the passing of Manganyi constitutes a monumental loss for the country and its people. 

The Minister believes the Professor represents a rare breed of intellectuals, who concerned themselves with both the oppressive nature of society and the struggle to rid society of oppression. 

“He was endowed with intellectual courage, an irrepressible urge to serve his people and despite his monumental personal achievements, he possessed a disarming humility. We will remember him as an incorruptible public servant and selfless son of the soil,” the Minister said.

He has since conveyed his heartfelt condolences to his wife, Dr Sekele-Manganyi, their children Nkhensani and Tintswalo, and extended family. 

The memorial service for the late Manganyi will take place at the University of the Witwatersrand on Wednesday, 6 November 2024. 

The funeral service will be held on Friday, 8 November 2024, at St Michael’s Anglican Church in Sandton in Gauteng. – SAnews.gov.za