By Edwin Naidu
Unassuming but a powerful intellectual, Professor Chabani Manganyi, the country’s first black psychologist, made an invaluable contribution to the profession and the higher education sector.
He was the first education director-general in the democratic dispensation. Manganyi died on 31 October 2024. He was 84. His role during the struggle as a forensic psychologist in apartheid’s courtrooms has been well documented.
To date, there has been no murmur of whether he will get a presidential send-off. President Cyril Ramaphosa has not yet formally acknowledged his passing.
Given Manganyi’s stature and contribution to democracy, one would have expected he would get a state funeral. But if this is the start of a process to cut down on such expense given that times are tough, one hopes it becomes the norm.
But certainly, many in academia will argue that Manganyi warrants some form of recognition for his contribution to post-apartheid South Africa.
In conversation with a former vice-chancellor, he was of the view that Manganyi appointed under the leadership of the country’s first education minister, Professor Sibusiso Bengu, never “kissed political ass”, but made profound and brilliant contributions to psychology and academia.
Ramaphosa and the presidency may currently have their hands full addressing the ongoing children of food poisoning of children. Or simply they don’t care about Manganyi as much as they did about other varsity heads.
South Africa, however, is not oblivious to Manganyi’s importance to the nation.
Soon after his death, the University of Witwatersrand said it was saddened by the passing of the prolific author, scholar, biographer and higher education leader.
Manganyi joined Wits in 1981 as a senior research fellow and visiting professor at the then African Studies Institute. He spent a decade at Wits where he continued with research and teaching, opening up new areas of scholarly enquiry.
His work at Wits culminated in the publication of the book Political Violence and the Struggle South Africa adding to earlier publications offering insight into the black experience, including Exiles and homecomings: A biography of Es’kia Mphahlele. He remained a friend of Wits University post his tenure and served on the board of Wits University Press (WUP) at the invitation of then-chair, Prof. Belinda Bozzoli, due to his intellectual integrity and passion for the preservation of South Africa’s rich cultural and scholarly heritage.
“He displayed these qualities – and more – in abundance during his long tenure from 2005 to 2018. With his gentle manner and deep insight as a psychologist and academic, he offered guidance to the press as it sought to renew its identity and place in the local scholarly publishing ecosystem,” WUP said in a statement.
His exceptional writing skills meant that he wrote a number of books, five of which were published by WUP over the years; they have taken on the status of classics in their fields.
Manganyi was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Literature by Wits in April 2008.
Born on 13 March 1940 in Louis Trichardt, Manganyi earned a BA, BA Honours, Masters and Doctorate from Unisa. From 1973 to 1975, he held a post-doctoral fellowship in clinical psychology at the Yale University of Medicine.
He developed expertise in political violence and would often be called upon to give expert evidence in political trials. The university’s archive attest to his enormous impact with the 2008 citation stating: “Manganyi’s oeuvre has made a substantial contribution to South African psychology, a contribution which has still to be fully acknowledged.”
An astute administrator, he contributed to higher education in South Africa by establishing a psychology department at University of Transkei (1976), served as the vice-chancellor and principal of the University of the North (1990), director-general of education under Minister Sibusiso Bhengu during Nelson Mandela’s presidency, vice-principal (2003-2006) of the University of Pretoria, and as the chairperson of the Council on Higher Education (CHE).
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande, said: “I knew Prof. Manganyi in a number of different respects. Firstly, we both trained in psychology and thus shared many intellectual positions on the importance of mental liberation as a site of struggle, especially for all black people in the face of apartheid-colonialism.
“Secondly, we were both activists in the struggle against apartheid and shared a common vision for a radically transformed post-apartheid South Africa, including challenging dominant intellectual discourses.
“And this brought us together in the period immediately after the establishment of democratic rule, working together in the reconstruction and development of South Africa’s post-apartheid education system.”
Nzimande described Manganyi as one of the most eloquent and deeply thoughtful intellectuals spawned by the black consciousness movement, and his writings “are still as relevant as ever”.
During the 70s and 80s, Manganyi published a series of monographs, which included ‘Being-Black-In-The-World’ and biographies of E’skia Mphahlele, Gerard Sekoto and Dumile Feni. in 2016, Manganyi published a memoir and autobiography titled ‘Apartheid and the Making of a Black Psychologist’.
Through this work, he examines the impact of apartheid underdevelopment, and how it hindered the success prospects of Black people.
“On a number of levels, the passing of Prof Manganyi constitutes a monumental loss for our country and its people, as he represents a rare breed of intellectuals, who concerned themselves with both the oppressive nature of society and the struggle to rid society of oppression” remarked the Minister.
In December 2023, Prof. Manganyi was nominated for an Honorary Doctoral degree in Industrial Psychology by Nelson Mandela University. Qapela Ngcobo, a lecturer in the School of Industrial Psychology and Human Resources, said Prof. Manganyi was born during a time when the Black narrative was riddled with despondency.
Ngcobo, whoconducted a psychobiography on Prof. Manganyi for her master studies, said thathis achievements single-handedly changed the course of the profession and validated the dreams of many who would come after him.
“Although Prof. Manganyi had made such substantial contributions across the discipline of psychology, for years his name remained unknown amongst many colleagues. This could be attributed to the climate of the country at the time; however, the honour being bestowed upon him by the Nelson Mandela University validates his life-long contributions in the emancipation of many who now carry the title of psychologist with such bravado and conviction,” she said.
“During a time that was unfavourable for a Black person to dream to be better than the predetermined legislature, Prof. Manganyi dreamed the impossible and went above and beyond to make it a reality.”
With such a rich legacy, Manganyi certainly deserves to be better remembered.
Naidu is Editor of Inside Education.
INSIDE EDUCATION
