DURBAN - IT IS expected to be an emotional farewell service for South African playwright, activist and author Sathieseelan Gurulingum “Ronnie” Govender on Monday afternoon.
Dr Govender, 85, died on Thursday. He was born in Cato Manor, Durban, and recently moved to Cape Town.
In 2014, the Durban University of Technology (DUT), awarded Govender an honorary doctorate in technology in arts and design, for his contribution to literature and the arts in general as well as his contribution to democracy, peace and justice in South Africa through theatre.
DUT’s interim executive dean for the faculty of arts, Professor Brian Pearce, said that over the years, students from the department of drama and production studies had produced plays that Govender wrote as directing projects. Pearce said these plays had been well received.
“Dr Govender was a legend in the theatre world as well as in South African literature.”
Govender received a Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for his play At the Edge and Other Cato Manor Stories, which was also performed at the Edinburgh Festival. In 2008, Govender was awarded the Order of Ikhamanga by the SA government for his contribution to democracy in the country through the genre of theatre.
Actress Jayshree Parasuramen said Govender stood up for what – and those – he believed in. “He was not just a pillar of strength to the Indian community during historical struggles, he had paved the way for so many more dreamers to come, in an unforgiving industry. He was a leader in our country, for an industry where many voices were often silenced,” she said.
Govender was the former vice-president of the Natal Congress of South African Writers (Cosaw). Videovision entertainment chief executive Anant Singh said Govender was a man for all seasons – a journalist, political activist, playwright and author. Singh said Govender took his inspiration from the “Indian experience” of apartheid in South Africa and immortalised this rich cultural and social tapestry in his many works.
“Having known him since the 1970s, we spent memorable evenings in his company when he ran the Aquarius Restaurant in Reservoir Hills. Due to limited theatre venues for Indians in those days, he opened the Aquarius as a theatre venue to stage his plays and that of fellow playwrights, making it one of the most popular entertainment venues of the time.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa said that in telling his own story and the stories of the Indian community, Govender provided a vibrant and textured addition to the rich tapestry of our national identity.
Daily News