The old man sat quietly on his chair while the room slowly sank into darkness. The setting sun’s rays barely illuminated the figure, with its back to the window.
A few children could be heard playing and laughing on the streets of Pimville, Soweto, on a cool and breezy Friday evening.
The elderly man stared pensively into the distance – his eyes reflecting a peace and wisdom that could only come through a long and unpredictable life.
Donald Daniel Dliwayo, affectionately known as “DD”, has overseen the futures of thousands of children in Soweto’s townships after spending over 40 years in education.
Dliwayo, who turned 95 two weeks ago, has worn many hats throughout his life. From being a teacher and helping to fund his pupils’ education, to being the chairperson of Orlando Pirates and developing it into one of the biggest clubs on the continent, Dliwayo has seen it all.
Born in Musina, Limpopo, to a father who was a mineworker and a mother who contributed to the family’s upkeep by baking and selling fat cakes, Dliwayo yearned to be a better version of his parents’ life while contributing to his community.
His father’s death when he was only 11 years old opened his young eyes to the reality of the abject poverty that he and his family lived in as they struggled to bury him. “He was a breadwinner, he worked in the copper mine and contracted silicosis and died at the age of 37. After his death, I got a bicycle and travelled through our village and sold my mother’s fat cakes so that we could have something to eat at the end of the day.”
Yesterday, Dliwayo’s family celebrate their patriarch for the efforts and energy he extended throughout his life building his community.
After completing his secondary education, Dliwayo was faced with limited prospects of clawing his way out of suffering and poverty. This led him to enroll for a teacher’s diploma at Lemena Training College – an institution that was funded by the Swiss government in Louis Trichardt (now Makhado) where he completed his course to become a teacher. With nothing but the clothes on his back, Dliwayo boarded a train without knowing its destination.
“I did not have anything and I could not pay the fees, but I was always in the top three of students who performed well. After finishing my course, I caught a train and did not know its destination, but it landed in Johannesburg. At the time I did not know where I was – I just found myself in an urban area where I spent a few nights without having a place to sleep, or food to eat,” he said.
Dliwayo recalled how he began his career teaching in Alexandra, northern Johannesburg, before moving to Sophiatown and finally to Leratong Higher Primary School in Orlando East, Soweto, where his contributions to his community took flight.
“When I got my first job, I still owed school fees, so my salary was garnished until my fees were fully paid up. It was something that was hard to accept because I wasn’t earning much,” he said.
During his tenure as a teacher, which culminated in him being a principal, Dliwayo’s sense of being became intertwined in the fabric of his community in Orlando. He saw that his upbringing and challenges as a young boy was mirrored by the challenges he encountered. Alongside Thamsanqa Kambule, the pair founded the Rand Bursary Fund in the late 1960s to raise funds for students to further their studies.
“This bursary ran until the late 1970s and helped thousands of children to obtain education. In some instances, we were able to fund tertiary education for hundreds of children who could not afford it,” he said.
Dliwayo’s plate, though seeming full – being a family man, educator, and father to his community – he took on the chairmanship of Pirates in the 1970s at a time when the club was struggling. He secured sponsors for the club, while contributing to the football fraternity and mentoring the likes of Kaizer Motaung and Irvin Khoza.
In the twilight stages of his teaching career, Dliwayo became a school inspector while he offered Saturday classes to pupils in and around Soweto.
The climax of the Saturday classes was the opening of the first black-owned, low-cost private schools, DD Dliwayo Primary School and DD Dliwayo Senior Primary School.
Dliwayo sighed and looked into the distance. Though this feat signified the highlight of his life, it also served as the most painful period of his life.
The Gauteng department of education shut down the schools after they were marked by controversy.
Dliwayo’s son, Kutlwano, i says the reason the schools were shut was because there was a lack of a succession plan. “It was difficult back then as there wasn’t a clear plan on how the schools would move forward.”
Now, Dliwayo spends his days taking stock of all that he has achieved.
No one can deny the contributions he has made in building Soweto’s communities.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.