Sol Plaatje University, in partnership with the Teemaneng Running Club and the Faculty of Humanities, will host the Phakamile Mabija Public Lecture on Wednesday, 11 March 2026.
The lecture will be delivered by General Setsi Motlharemang Dipone, a former political prisoner, liberation activist and former Acting Provincial Commissioner of the Northern Cape.
Born and raised in Ga-Kgosi Galeshewe in Kimberley, General Dipone was among the young activists who initiated the 1980 school boycotts against Bantu education in the township. The protest actions spread across schools in the area and formed part of the broader resistance movement during the apartheid era.
During this period he was detained and later charged under apartheid-era security legislation in what became known as the Kimberley Terror Trial. He spent more than seven years in detention and imprisonment, including time on Robben Island. Profile General Setsi Motlharem…
Following the advent of democracy, General Dipone joined the South African Police Service through the integration of former liberation movement structures and served in senior intelligence and leadership roles for several decades. He later served as the Provincial Head of Crime Intelligence in both the Free State and Northern Cape and concluded his career as Acting Provincial Commissioner of the Northern Cape.
The lecture will reflect on the theme:
“If he walked among us today: if he worked with us…”
The event forms part of ongoing engagements that reflect on the historical legacy of struggle figures and the continuing relevance of their ideas in contemporary society.
The lecture will take place at 17:30 in Auditorium 3, Humanities Building, Central Campus.
