9th March, 2025
By Nehru Odeh
Internationally acclaimed South African playwright, novelist, director, and actor Athol Fugard has passed away at the age of 92.
Widely regarded as one of the most influential playwrights of the 20th century, Fugard was known for his searing political dramas, including Sizwe Banzi is Dead and The Island, which challenged the injustices of apartheid.
Fugard died on Saturday, according to a report by News24.
A relentless dissident against apartheid, Fugard wrote over 30 plays, among them Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act (1972) and “Master Harold” … and the Boys (1982). His works drew heavily from his experiences in the 1950s, when he worked as a court clerk witnessing black South Africans being systematically convicted under the country’s oppressive pass laws. The daily dehumanisation he observed became a central theme in his storytelling.
According to The Guardian, Fugard’s cultural and political impact was rivalled only by Václav Havel’s work in Soviet-controlled Czechoslovakia.
While Havel was imprisoned before later becoming the Czech Republic’s first president, Fugard, despite founding theatre companies in segregated black townships and defying apartheid’s “whites only” audience restrictions, managed to avoid imprisonment—his whiteness shielding him from harsher reprisals. Instead, his punishments included passport confiscation, play bans, and book burnings. Yet, he remained acutely aware of the privileges granted by the same system he condemned.
Tributes Pour In
South Africans have mourned Fugard’s passing, hailing him as a literary giant.
Western Cape Cultural Affairs and Sports MEC Ricardo Mackenzie described him as one of South Africa’s greatest playwrights.
“He had a unique way of turning the pain of the past into a story of hope for the future. His contribution to the arts is immeasurable.”
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde echoed similar sentiments: “His sharp wit has left an indelible mark on our cultural heritage. His deep understanding of our country’s political and social complexities was unmatched. He will be sorely missed. May his legacy live on in our theatres and beyond.”
Veteran actor John Kani, who starred in several of Fugard’s plays, also expressed his sorrow from the United States:
“I am saddened by the news of the passing of my dear friend.”
A Life That Shaped a Nation’s Consciousness
Born in 1932, Fugard was the only child of Harold Fugard, an Irish-descended jazz pianist-turned-shopkeeper, and Elizabeth Potgieter, from an early Afrikaans settler family. In 1935, the family moved to Port Elizabeth, the industrial city that would remain Fugard’s primary home and creative backdrop for nine decades.
As a teenager, Fugard experienced a moment of personal reckoning that would shape his artistic conscience. In his notebooks, he recounted how Sam Semela, a black employee at his family’s café, was his closest childhood friend.
But after a heated argument, the young Fugard spat in Semela’s face, an act he immediately regretted. He later channelled this guilt into “Master Harold” … and the Boys, a devastating exploration of racial power dynamics. The play was dedicated in part to Sam, with whom Fugard had reconciled.
Though lauded as a moral voice against apartheid, Fugard was not without controversy. In later years, critics retroactively questioned whether his work perpetuated a “white saviour” narrative—a notion he resisted, often preemptively addressing his privilege and the complexities of his position in his writings.
Beyond theatre, Fugard’s influence extended into cinema. His 1980 novel Tsotsi was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film starring Presley Chweneyagae, Terry Pheto, and Rapulana Seiphemo.
Fugard is survived by his wife, Dr. Paula Fourie, and their family. His legacy, immortalised in his plays and political defiance, remains a towering force in global theatre and South African history.
