Athol Fugard hailed as a playwright pioneer

South African director and actor, Tony Kgoroge, has hailed globally celebrated playwright, Athol Fugard, as one of the greatest to come out of Mzansi.

“Athol Fugard was one of the great playwrights that South Africa produced,” says Kgoroge. “He was one person who would make you connect with every character of any of his plays because when he writes he does it for the soul, spirit and understanding,” he elaborates.

Tributes continue to flock in following the announcement of Fugard’s passing from a long standing ailment yesterday in Stellenbosch, Cape Town.

The internationally acclaimed writer passed on peacefully at home aged 92.

Kgoroge also commended Fugard’s ability to write on different people across the racial spectrum, without hitting any nerves.

“He would write for everybody; He would write for coloured people, black people, and white people without offending anyone,” remarks Kgoroge.

Many, who also shared a space with Fugard in the film and theatre industry, have paid homage to his contribution to the country’s political plays and also expressed their grief over his departure.

South African veteran actor and co-writer, John Kani, who contributed to Fugard’s 1972 “Sizwe Banzi Is Dead” also expressed his sadness over the storytelling vanguard’s death.

Recognised as one of SA’s legendary English theatre icons, Fugard played a pivotal role in political plays critical of the apartheid system, through his work especially in “Sizwe Banzi Is Dead”.

The political drama giant, who was also recognised as a political dissident playwright of the 20th century, penned more than 30 dramas, including 1980s “Master Harold …and the Boys”, which is one of the dramas inspired by his experience as a court clerk in the 1950s where he mostly witnessed black South Africans being charged and convicted of breaching pass laws designed to dictate movements of a racially segregated population under the apartheid.

Kgoroge deems himself blessed to have collaborated with Fugard on this heart-wrenching play.

“I was one of the lucky actors that played in one of his plays called “Master Harold…and the Boys” alongside the late Sello Motloung and Jonny Andiano Babuzano. We were given an opportunity and blessed to be on the Market Theatre doing this wonderful play” says Kgoroge

Kgoroge paid tribute to Fugard saying that he is instrumetal in inspiring emotions out of characters and hopes that his followers take on a similar trajectory.

“We really lost a legend, but I would love to celebrate him and I hope that he would become our ancestor in pouring that creative spirit unto us, for us to also be able to get into the emotions of the people and characters that we write and also ensure we connect with our audience with stories that we try to tell. May his soul rest in peace and I hope his family finds peace,” says Kgoroge.

SA Guild of Actors’ Jack Devnarain also took an opportunity to pay his heartfelt respect to the late prolific playwright’s fearless storytelling acumen.

“Athol Fugard has passed and today we celebrate his immortality. He leaves us a legacy that can only be described as one of courageous social justice activism. He was obviously a genius, a literary master who forced us to recognise in the characters and stories that he created, the pathos, the triumphs and the tragedies make us all human. It’s a reminder too that as creators and performers we have a duty to speak up about social injustice. We have a duty to speak up for ourselves and to stand up for our professional industry. The SA Guild of Actors sends its deepest symphaties to Mr. Fugard’s family at this difficult time of their grieving,” offloads Devnarain.

Among some of Fugard’s most renowned work is his 1980 novel titled, Tsotsi, which was later adopted into an Oscar winning Film in 2006. Written by Odirile Rabolao