EThekwini Mayor Cllr James Nxumalo expressed great sadness on the passing of world renowned South African novelist and 2012 eThekwini Living Legend Award recipient Lauretta Ngcobo.
This struggle stalwart, who was at the forefront of the 1956 women’s anti-pass march, passed away in Johannesburg last night, 3 November 2015.
Nxumalo described Ngcobo as a Durban citizen of note whose selfless contribution and efforts has promoted literature and gender equality in the City and beyond.
“I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of this beloved novelist. Her writings earned her the Presidential National of Order of Ikhamanga in silver for excellence in the field of literature as well as for championing the cause of gender equality in South Africa. The City remains grateful for her contribution and will continue striving to foster a socially cohesive society that is sensitive to gender equality,” said Nxumalo.
He extended his heartfelt condolences to the Ngcobo family on behalf of the Municipality and the people of eThekwini.
“I wish to send our deepest sympathies to her family, friends, the writers’ community and all who cherished her and her sterling work,” Nxumalo said.
Ngcobo was a world-renowned novelist and essayist. She was born in 1931 and was raised in the rural community of Ixopo, KwaZulu-Natal. She attained a BA degree from the Fort Hare University in 1953.
In 1963 Ngcobo was forced to flee South Africa to escape imminent arrest and went into exile in Swaziland with her family. She moved from Swaziland to Zambia before finally settling in England where she worked as a teacher for 25 years. She began her writing career on her return to South Africa. Her first book, Cross of Gold, was published in 1981.
Her other work includes And They Didn’t Die (1990), Let it be Told (1987), Fikile learns to like other people (1994) and in 2012 she edited a book titled Prodigal Daughters: Stories of South African Women in Exile.
