by Phumla Mkize
Academic, columnist and orator Prof Tinyiko Maluleke flaunts his masterful storytelling, acute observation and trenchant wit in newly released book, Faces and Phases of Resilience: A Memoir of a Special Kind.
It is indeed a memoir of a special kind. Welded to Prof Maluleke’s life story are short and equally captivating biographies of his peers, heroes and heroines. Packaged in pithy essays, the book includes riveting reflections on leadership, politics, race, class, sustainability, language and gender.
Prof Maluleke’s gift for characterisation comes alive in his portrayal of key personalities in his life, giving readers a window into his upbringing in the hustle and bustle of Soweto, and the tranquillity of Valdezia, a village in Limpopo.
Self-portraits, profiles, opinion pieces, obituaries and travel guides collide, showcasing Maluleke’s authority in short-form writing. Above all, the book is an ode to the resilience of phenomenal boys and girls, and men and women, underscoring the challenging conditions of living in apartheid and democratic South Africa.
The opening chapter whirls readers in an eddy of emotions as a little Maluleke recollects his mother’s funeral and manner of her death. Belying the tragedy of four children left motherless and a grandmother faced with the role of primary caregiver, is the piercing commentary on migrant labour and its role in damaging the nucleus of black families – and women’s power and strength amid myriad struggles.
He writes: “In those days, young black women like her were spoilt for choice when it came to ways of dying – difficult pregnancy, childbirth, physical labour, heartache, hopelessness and domestic violence. Many women died from waiting, and not just waiting for husbands, as aptly observed by Njabulo Ndebele. The women of my mother’s time died from waiting for the rain … waiting for the life for which they went into matrimony for; waiting for respite; waiting for happiness.”
Prof Tinyiko Maluleke, author of the newly released book, Faces and Phases of Resilience: A Memoir of a Special Kind.
He opines about the denigration of black men at factories, mines and offices in big cities such as Joburg as he chokes with memories of his own migrant father.
“My respect for him grew when I realised how much abuse he stoically endured from his white bosses at No 216 Bree Street, Johannesburg, where he worked as a ‘tool boy’ and ‘tea boy’ … Instead of the assertive man he was among his friends and family at his matchbox house in Soweto, the Obed Huhlwani Maluleke of Bree Street was as meek as a lamb, even in the face of verbal abuse. On the homeward bound bus every evening, he would put his Dobbs hat on and seamlessly transform into the father I knew.”
Faces and Phases of Resilience is a celebration and a commemoration, affording the known and little-known people equal stature. In it, you meet Dudu Mokoa who is remembered for her diligence as a personal assistant in the higher education sector. Mokoa lives on in the pages of Maluleke’s book featured alongside trailblazers – Professors Puleng LenkaBula, Pamela Dube, Nokuthula Sibiya and Thoko Mayekiso.
Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke and paediatric oncologist Dr Vhutshilo Netshituni-Loff, who have broken historical barriers in their fields, and the village giants who raised them, are lauded in equal awe. Black visionaries, geniuses and virtuosos are revered just as the 97-year-old village woman who dragged a grumpy six-year-old from an early morning slumber to enrol him at a local primary school is also revered. The boy grew up to become one of the leading voices in higher education.
Faces and Phases of Resilience is the first solo book by Prof Maluleke, a seasoned writer with several titles as co-author and co-editor, including Ecumenical Encounters with Desmond Tutu: Visions for Justice, Dignity and Peace, and The Legacy of Stephen Bantu Biko: Theological Challenges.
Prof Maluleke, the Tshwane University of Technology Vice-chancellor and Principal, has had an illustrious career in academia in South Africa and abroad, including in top positions at Universities of Pretoria, Johannesburg and South Africa.
He is a world-renowned scholar, who until 2024, was rated B1 (internationally acclaimed researcher) by the National Research Foundation. He has been a member of the Academy of Science for South Africa since 2013. He’s serving as the deputy chair of the National Planning Commission and contributes extensively to national publications as a columnist.
• Faces and Phases of Resilience, published by Tracy McDonald Publishers, is available at reputable books stores from 7 April 2025 and online.