Recalling Jabulani “Mzala” Nxumalo: 35 Years On
On 22 February 1991, Jabulani Nobleman “Mzala” Nxumalo died in London at the age of 35. The African National Congress (ANC) and its alliance partner, the South African Communist Party (SACP), were robbed of one of their most prolific writers, a revolutionary intellectual and thinker, as well as a gallant guerrilla fighter with Mzala’s death. His death was considered to be a huge loss to the entire South African people at a time when his analytical skills were hugely needed inside the country during the negotiations process and at a time when the ANC needed to rebuild itself inside the country.
Jabulani Nobleman Nxumalo, fondly 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 went to 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 char
