Rename KAGISO AVENUE to MICHAEL SELLO MATSOBANE in Kagiso 2
BRIEF PROFILE: MICHAEL SELLO MATSOBANE
Michael Sello Matsobane is a Pan-African Congress (PAC) stalwart. Ntate Matsobane served time in Robben Island twice (5 and 11 years respectively). He was also one of the Bethal Trialists. There is a book written about him, titled "An unsung struggle hero: the story of Michael Sello Matsobane". There is also an annual lecture in his name.
Matsobane attended his primary and high school in Munsieville. In high school, the principal was Archbishop Desmond Tutu's father, Zacharia. Archbishop Tutu also taught in the same school, but for a brief period. The schools in Munsieville ended with a Junior Certificate (JC).
After completing JC, Bra Mike, as he is popularly known, wanted to obtain matric. Through the part-time jobs, he raised enough money to do matric. He then registered at Madibane High in Soweto. One day, the PAC recruiters visited Madibane High and invited students to join the pass boycott. Bra Mike was sold.
When the apartheid regime forced Munsieville families to move to Kagiso, his family was also moved. In Kagiso, Matsobane started a political youth movement disguised as a church youth club. He worked closely with Reverend Frank Chikane, who was a pastor at Kagiso Apostolic Faith Mission and a former DG in the Presidency.
The youth movement was launched at the Anglican Church in Kagiso. Archbishop Desmond Tutu was the keynote speaker, and the church was full. This demonstrated Bra Mike's exceptional organizational skills. The movement provided literacy education to the community. The youth movement also spread to high schools in the West Rand.
Most of Mosupatsela students joined the youth movement and later participated in the June 1976 uprising. Matsobane, together with some of Mosupatsela students, was apprehended for their involvement in the 1976 uprising. They were later transferred to Bethal prison. Their trial was aptly called the Bethal Trial, one of the longest political trials during the apartheid era.
In jail, political prisoners were tortured. During torture, bra Mike's eardrum burst. At Robben Island, he studied law via correspondence. When he was in his final year, with three modules left, the institution instructed him to take one of the modules in Afrikaans. He refused to do the module in Afrikaans and dropped out.
When bra Mike was released from jail, he started a business in the North West – and it thrived. During Codesa, he was apprehended by the security police. Codesa stopped, and participants demanded that he be released. He was released, and Codesa resumed after that. He's now 83, frail and sick.
It is our considered view that Bra Mike Sello Matsobane is a worthy individual who deserves to be recognised for his contribution in the struggle against apartheid. In 2025, the Executive Mayor, Lucky Sele, bestowed the “Freedom of the City” upon him. This is the highest honour in Mogale City. Renaming Kagiso Avenue after Ntate Matsobane will keep his legacy alive so that generations to come will learn and know about him.
Mogale City Local Municipality Contact the author of the petition