Pandelani Nefolovhodwe

Pandelani Jeremia Nefolovhodwe (born 2 February 1947) is a South African politician and former anti-apartheid activist who served as deputy president of the Azanian People's Organisation (AZAPO) from 1992 to 2010. He represented the party in the National Assembly from 2002 to 2009 and was formerly its president from 1990 to 1992.

During apartheid, Nefolovhodwe was a leading member of the Black Consciousness movement, particularly at the University of the North at Turfloop. He was national president of the South African Students' Organisation (SASO) in 1974, when he and eight others were charged under the Terrorism Act in the SASO Nine trial. He was imprisoned on Robben Island from 1976 to 1982 and upon his release became involved in union organising, including as a founding member of the National Council of Trade Unions.

Early life and activism Nefolovhodwe was born on 2 February 1947 in the village of Folovhodwe in the former Northern Transvaal. He attended the University of the North, where he was elected to the student representative council in 1971. He was politically active in the Black Consciousness movement and was involved in the student protests at Turfloop in 1972, leading to his expulsion from the university. and he was one of several SASO leaders arrested by the Security Branch in the aftermath. He and eight others were charged with violations of the Terrorism Act and became known as the SASO Nine. After a prolonged and highly publicised trial in the Pretoria Supreme Court, all nine were convicted in December 1976.

Unions and AZAPO After his release in 1982, Nefolovhodwe resumed his political activism and joined the Black Consciousness-aligned Black Allied Mining and Construction Workers Union; he was elected its secretary-general in 1984. He also joined the Azanian People's Organisation (AZAPO) and served as AZAPO president from 1990 until 1992, when he became AZAPO deputy president.

Post-apartheid political career Nefolovhodwe remained AZAPO deputy president from 1992 until 2010, but after the democratic transition he worked in development and in the private sector, chairing the Imbumba Group until 2001. He was a staunch advocate for land reform in South Africa. During the legislative term that followed, he also served on the Pan-African Parliament. In May 2016, he was appointed to a four-year term as chairperson of the council of his alma mater, by then restructured as the University of Limpopo. He was also a member of the Robben Island Museum Council.