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The African National Congress regrets to announce the untimely and sudden death of Seretse Choabi in London on August 19, 1991.
Seretse was born on 16 May 1936 in Bothaville, Kimberley. He attended primary school in Alexandra, and completed his Junior High certificate at the Kilnerton Institute in Pretoria. He completed his matric at Madipane High School, going on, in 1958, to study politics and philosophy at Fort Hare until his arrest in 1964.
From 1964 to 1967 he served a prison term on Robben Island for ANC activities. Upon his release Seretse was placed under house arrest, though he continued to work in the underground movement of the ANC.
Seretse left South Africa in 1968 where he read philosophy at Magdalen College, Oxford, after which he took up a lectureship offered him in Ife, Nigeria. In 1974 he was recalled by the ANC to head the Luthuli Foundation in London. He continued to work for the Foundation until 1988, when he was transferred to Lusaka to take up the position of Secretary of Education.
Seretse Choabi died suddenly in London, where he had been taken ill while en route to Nigeria in pursuance of his duties as an ANC functionary.
The funeral will take place on 31 August, 1991. There will be a small service at 8.45am at 2350 Rockville, Soweto, proceeding at 9am to the Methodist Church, Rockville, Soweto. At 12 noon the cortege will proceed to Alexandra Old Cemetery. ANC Deputy President Walter Sisulu and NEC member Steve Tshwete will speak on behalf of the ANC.
We send our sincere condolences to the Choabi family. Your personal loss is one felt by the entire nation.
Hamba Kahle, Comrade Seretse Choabi
Issued by:
The Department of Information and Publicity