Jabulani “Mzala” Nxumalo Dies in London

Jabulani “Mzala” Nxumalo Dies in London Jabulani Nobleman “Mzala” Nxumalo died in London on 22 February 1991 at the age of 35. His death robbed the African National Congress (ANC) and its Alliance partner, the South African Communist Party (SACP), of one of its most prolific writers, a revolutionary intellectual and thinker. His death was a huge loss to the entire South African people at a time when his thinking skills were hugely needed inside the country during the negotiations period and a time to rebuild the ANC inside the country. Jabulani Nobleman Nxumalo, colloquially known as “Mzala” in the national liberation struggle, was born on 27 October 1955 in Ngoje, a predominantly rural village between Vryheid and Dundee, in northern Natal. From an early age, his school-teacher parents inculcated in him a disciplined approach to studying. At both primary and secondary schools, his record was outstanding, as he was a prolific debater, a poet, a black belt karate devotee and enjoyed jazz and choral music. Mzala attended school at Louwsburg, then Bethal College in Butterworth and later matriculated at KwaDlangezwa in Empangeni. In 1972, at the age of 15, he was detained without trial for his role in a school boycott at KwaDlangezwa High School, which is a stone throw from the University of Zululand. The following year, he was arrested again and charged with public violence for his part in students’ uprisings and workers’ strikes. After Matric, he stud