Early life Qwelane was born in
Mafikeng, as one of nine siblings. His father was a school teacher, and his mother was a domestic servant. When the
Apartheid policy of deliberately inferior
Bantu education for black children was introduced, Qwelane's father took a job in neighbouring
Botswana and arranged for 7 of his 9 children to be educated in that country. Qwelane spent his holidays in South Africa, and after completing school, he took a clerical government job.
Journalistic career Qwelane worked as a freelance sportswriter for a local Mafeking newspaper, and began sending articles about local politics to the
Rand Daily Mail in
Johannesburg. He moved to Johannesburg in 1974 and took a series of jobs, including a job with
The World, which was subsequently banned by the government, and short stints with the
Sunday Times,
The Citizen, the Rand Daily Mail and
Drum Magazine, and the Afrikaans paper
Beeld, from which he lost jobs as a consequence of his alcoholism. Qwelane was hired by
The Star in 1979, and fired in 1982, but was conditionally rehired after three months. He joined
Alcoholics Anonymous and continued a long association with The Star. and he covered unrest in the
townships, including a 1985 stint in the townships near
Uitenhage. He got his first column in 1983, that was published in the Star's Africa Edition (aimed at blacks); it was called
My World, which began his career as a political commentator, in addition to being a reporter. He also edited, and partially owned a magazine called
Tribute in the 1990s, after leaving the Star. intimating that
gay marriage would ultimately legitimise
bestiality. This resulted in a large number of complaints to the
South African Human Rights Commission, which took Qwelane to the
Equality Court, which, in turn, fined Qwelane, and ordered him to apologise. He completed his four-year term in 2014. and it was implied by the
Mail & Guardian that this appointment was a reward for his support for then-president
Jacob Zuma. Qwelane's appointment raised concerns that it would fuel tensions in Uganda,
which had severe penalties for homosexual conduct. ordering that the law be redrafted, as it was overly-broad, and infringed on the constitutional right to
freedom of expression. The judgment was referred to the
Constitutional Court for confirmation in
Qwelane v South African Human Rights Commission, and a hearing was held in September 2020. and he named his oldest son
Sobukwe, after Pan Africanist leader
Robert Sobukwe. He suffered from respiratory and heart issues.
Death and afterward Qwelane died on 24 December 2020, was given an official provincial funeral on 4 January 2021 and buried in
Mmabatho. ==References==