The family of Robert Sobukwe says it had hoped the renaming of Graaff-Reinet to Robert Sobukwe Town would help unify the region, but the decades-long suppression of the late anti-apartheid activist’s contribution has made this challenging.
This is according to Sobukwe’s grandson, Mangaliso Tshepo Sobukwe, who yesterday said he was shocked by objections raised during public hearings, including from some residents of Masizakhe — the township where Sobukwe grew up — who questioned his influence in the area.
Sobukwe said the process had been devastating.
“I feel Robert Sobukwe has been deliberately suppressed in the history of this country.
“His contributions are not spoken about to the extent they should be.
“I would even say that some people in the community did not know who he was.
“They did not know the impact he had or the sacrifices he made in the fight against apartheid and colonialism.
“I was very shocked and surprised by the pushback I saw in Masizakhe.
“This was not coming from a specific demographic — it was some of the youth from Masizakhe.
“Someone even asked what Sobukwe’s contribution had been to the place,” he said.
The renaming of Graaff-Reinet previously sparked debate, with proposals to honour either Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe or fellow anti-apartheid activist Fred Hufkie.
Sobukwe — a teacher, lawyer and Graaff-Reinet native — was eventually selected.
He was the founding president of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) and led the 1960 Sharpeville anti-pass law protests.
After his arrest, Sobukwe was detained on Robben Island under the notorious “Sobukwe Clause”.
Following his release, he was placed under house arrest until his death. February 27 2026 marks 48 years since he died. - Daily Dispatch
