Honorary TUT Alumnus, Dr Tlou Cholo,
who will turn 100 in October this year.
As we celebrate Human Rights Month, we reflect on honorary TUT Alumnus, Dr Tlou Cholo, who will turn 100 in October this year.
Dr Tlou Cholo, a Freedom stalwart, is probably the only surviving veteran from uMkhonto weSizwe’s Luthuli Detachment era. Cholo was incarcerated on Robben Island for 16 years for his role in the emancipation of South Africans. His journey as a freedom fighter began when he joined a trade union in 1949, after having left his village in Limpopo at the age of 19 in search of work in Johannesburg. Cholo fought against policies that perpetuated separate development along racial lines. The Urban Areas Act, which promoted segregated housing and businesses by race, gave birth to Cholo’s current township of residence, Soshanguve (then Mabopane East) 50 years ago.
Cholo’s last role as a public office bearer was as a member of the Limpopo legislature from 1994 to 2014. His tenacity and self-sacrifice in the struggle against apartheid, and distinguished leadership in the trade union movement culminated in him receiving the Government’s Order of Luthuli in Silver in 2009.
Coming from a colonial and apartheid past, even after 30 years of democracy, South Africa seems to be on the back foot in dealing with inequality, poverty and unemployment. It would not be far-fetched to say corruption has become the fourth problem.
According to Cholo, as South Africa embarks on reviving its economy, it must accelerate its efforts in developing young people’s skills so that they can carry out tasks in sectors such as infrastructure development, manufacturing, mining and agriculture.
In 2018 the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) conferred an honorary doctorate (humanities) on the former trade unionist. His international footprint resulting from the struggle against apartheid, can be traced to the then Unionist of Social Soviet Republic (USSR), China, Tanzania and Botswana among others.