Dr Godfrey Mokgonane Pitje

20 July 1917 – 23 April 1997

Godfrey Mokgonane Pitje was a South African academic, attorney and political leader whose career spanned education, law and anti-apartheid political organisation.

He was born in 1917 in the Northern Transvaal. He studied at the University of Fort Hare, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1944. In 1948, he returned to Fort Hare as a lecturer in anthropology.

During this period, Pitje became involved in organised politics through the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL). He played a role in establishing Youth League structures at Fort Hare. In 1949, following the resignation of A.P. Mda due to ill health, Pitje was appointed President of the ANC Youth League and was elected to the ANC National Executive Committee. He served in this role until 1951, when he was succeeded by Nelson Mandela.

In the early 1950s, Pitje withdrew from active party politics and turned his focus to the legal profession. He trained as an attorney and completed his articles with Mandela and Tambo, qualifying as an attorney in 1959.

Pitje is historically associated with a landmark apartheid-era courtroom incident in which he was charged after refusing to comply with racially segregated seating arrangements for legal practitioners. The case became part of the legal record illustrating racial discrimination within South African courts.

From 1963 to 1975, Pitje was subjected to state banning orders, restricting his movement and professional activity.

In his later years, Pitje was associated with Daveyton, where he lived and where parts of his professional and organisational work continued. He is frequently cited as a foundational figure in the development of Black Lawyers Association, and memorial lectures and civic recognitions have been held in his name.

Dr Godfrey Mokgonane Pitje died in 1997.