Lucas Mangope facts for kids

Kgosi Lucas Manyane Mangope (born 27 December 1923 – died 18 January 2018) was a leader in South Africa. He led a special territory called Bophuthatswana. This area was one of the "homelands" created during the Apartheid era. Bophuthatswana was located in parts of what are now the Free State and North West Province. Mangope also started and led a political group called the United Christian Democratic Party. This party was mainly active in the North West area of South Africa.

Lucas Mangope's Education

Lucas Mangope went to an Anglican mission school for most of his early education. He finished high school at St. Peter's College in Johannesburg in 1946. After that, he studied to become a teacher at the Diocesan Teachers' Training College in Polokwane. He later earned a higher teaching diploma from Bethel College in the Transvaal in 1951.

After graduating, he became a teacher, specializing in Afrikaans. He taught at several secondary schools, including those in Mahikeng, Motswedi, Krugersdorp, and Potchefstroom. In 1959, he received an award because one of his classes had the best Afrikaans results in South Africa.

Political Career

In 1961, when the Tswana Territorial Authority was formed, Mangope became its vice-chairman. He worked alongside Chief TR Pilane. By 1968, he was promoted to Chief Chancellor of this organization. He held this position until 1972. Then, he became the first Chief Minister of Bophuthatswana.

Map of South African Bantustans.

In 1977, Bophuthatswana was declared "independent" by the South African government. At this time, Lucas Mangope became its President. However, on 10 February 1988, a military police unit briefly removed him from power. This group was led by Rocky Malebane-Metsing. They accused Mangope of corruption and said the recent election was unfair. But the South African Defence Force stepped in and put Mangope back in charge. South Africa said it was helping the legal government of a "sovereign nation."

Some people, like journalist Sasha Polakow-Suransky, thought Mangope was not taken seriously in South Africa during his time as president. However, he did get some recognition when he visited Israel. He met important people there, like Moshe Dayan. Bophuthatswana even had an unofficial "embassy" in Israel in the 1980s. This was despite the Israeli Foreign Ministry not officially recognizing Bophuthatswana as a country.

Mangope was accused of using his police and defense forces to stop protests. There were also accusations of police brutality when a student protest was put down. However, his supporters argued that Bophuthatswana was more successful than other homelands. They pointed to its mineral wealth, which helped its social and economic growth. Even though Bophuthatswana was meant for Tswana people, it was a mixed society where Apartheid laws did not apply, similar to other homelands.

The 1994 Crisis

During the negotiations to end apartheid in 1993, Mangope made it clear that Bophuthatswana would stay separate from the new, united South Africa. He also said he would not allow the first non-racial election to happen in "his country." However, most people living in Bophuthatswana wanted to rejoin South Africa. Because of this, the homeland's military rebelled. Mangope asked for outside help, but he was eventually forced to leave Bophuthatswana. Soon after, all the homelands, including Bophuthatswana, became part of South Africa again.

After Bophuthatswana

In March 1994, Pik Botha, who was South Africa's Foreign Minister, and Mac Maharaj removed Mangope from his position.

After South Africa became a democracy, Mangope stayed involved in politics. He formed the United Christian Democratic Party in 1997. His party's support was mostly in the North West Province, where most of Bophuthatswana had been. At its strongest, his party held three seats in the National Assembly. His party believed that under the new government, the quality of life for Tswana people would get worse. They argued that conditions were better when Tswana people ruled themselves.

Mangope led the party for fifteen years. But in 2012, he was removed from the party. He was accused of being too controlling in his leadership. He did not attend his hearing, so his membership was ended. Before the 2014 election, many party members, encouraged by Mangope, left to join the Democratic Alliance. After this, his party lost all its seats in both the national and provincial parliaments.

Lucas Mangope's Beliefs

In June 1980, Mangope spoke to the Financial Mail newspaper. He said he believed in free enterprise, which is a type of economy where businesses are mostly free from government control. He thought this would bring "true freedom and prosperity" to his people, as long as it was guided by a strong sense of social responsibility. He felt that capitalism had not done enough to attract people in Africa and defend itself against Marxism. Mangope believed that free enterprise had led to more wealth in African countries that adopted it.

Death and Legacy

A statue of Lucas Mangope was put up outside the Bahurutshe Boo Manyane tribal office in Motswedi. This was his birthplace in the North West. He died at his home in Motswedi, Lehurutshe on 18 January 2018, at the age of 94. After his death, officials hoped to make the statue a tourist attraction.

In 2012, a street in Pretoria that was named after Mangope was renamed to honor Molefe Makinta. Another street named after his wife Leah was also renamed.

In 2020, it was reported that many buildings and roads built by Mangope's administration, worth a lot of money, were no longer being used by the current government.

Family Life

Lucas Mangope was first married to a woman named Leah. They had seven children together. In the mid-1980s, Leah was in a car accident involving a donkey. Soon after, her husband ordered the police to kill many donkeys. This killing of animals continued for seven years. Mangope said he ordered it because donkeys were dangerous and caused hazards on the roads. Leah passed away on 23 July 2003. In May 2007, Mangope married again to Violet Mongale, who was a senior nurse.

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