“Truth is the bridge across which we will have to walk if we are to meet with one another again and find common solutions to the ills of our nation… Truth tells us that we need not despair – that we are not condemned to lives of uselessness in a failing society. Truth is the signpost to a better future.” These words were spoken by Arch Bishop Thabo Makgoba at the funeral of Zwelakhe Sisulu in 2012. In celebrating the life of the late anti-apartheid stalwart, at an event graced by prominent dignitaries and South African leaders, Makgoba wasted no time addressing the current state of the nation. He highlighted the problems besetting the nation and pointed to failures in leadership.
Speaking truth to power at every opportunity is a pattern that has characterised Makgoba’s life. He was born in 1960 to the royal Makgoba family in Limpopo. He was raised in Magoebaskloof in Limpopo as well as in Alexandra Township in Johannesburg. He attended Orlando High in Soweto. He joined the church at a very young age, working as a member of the church’s youth group. He was faced with options of either becoming a village chief in Magoebaskloof, joining Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK, the ANC’s military wing), or formally joining the church. He and a group of other young members of the church, went to Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu seeking clarity on a path for their lives. They were motivated by the pain and struggles they were witnessing under the anarchy/shadow of apartheid.
Makgoba has said that observing the order that was inherent in the church and watching his revered Bishop, Desmond Tutu, march during church processions, instilled new hope in him. He envisioned taking the order and integration inherent in the church and making it a reality in the broader South Africa. So rather than take up arms to fight the injustices of the system, Makgoba put on a robe and went into ministry, using the weapons of faith and words to enact the changes needed to create a better society for all South Africans.
Makgoba’s qualifications span way beyond the walls of a seminary. He has a Bachelor of Science degree, and a Masters in Educational Psychology from Wits University, as well as a Ph.D. from the University of Cape Town. In 2007, at the age of 47, he became the youngest Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, stepping into the shoes of his mentor Desmond Tutu, who was the Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996.
