HUMA Book Launch

Author: Phakamisa Ndzamela, University of Stellenbosch

Introduction: After almost ten years of painstaking research, seasoned business journalist Phakamisa Ndzamela has emerged with a deeply expansive, passionate and well-researched history on the rise, fall and resilience of Black traders in South Africa. Native Merchants – The Building of the Black Business Class in South Africa captures various historical epochs of Black lives going back to the fifth century AD in which an agro-pastoral society of natives mined iron ore and copper. Ndzamela shows that trade in areas such as Levubu in Makhado, in Limpopo, saw successful mining ventures by the VhaVenda that yielded quality ore at the renowned Iron Mountains of Tshimbupfe. There was also mining in other parts of South Africa long before Europeans arrived, albeit with differing and complex degrees of success. Native Merchants shows the entanglements of race and politics in the shaping and destruction of Black entrepreneurship, especially after South Africa officially became an apartheid state in 1948.  

About the author: Phakamisa Ndzamela was born in Mthatha. He completed his schooling at Gladys King Primary School and Mariazell High School in Mthatha and Matatiele. He holds a BA (Hons) in journalism from the University of the Witwatersrand. Phakamisa began his career as an intern and graduate at Thomson Reuters in Johannesburg and London. He lives in Cape Town and is currently an MA student in the history department at the University of Stellenbosch. 

About the Discussant: Athambile Masola is a lecturer in the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Cape Town. 

Convenor: Sandile Ngidi

More about the HUMA Book Lunch Series

Light refreshments will be served at 12:30 SAST (GMT+2).

RSVP to attend: send us an email at huma@uct.ac.za

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