Draft:Frank Anthony (poet)

Frank Anthony (1940-1993) was a poet, novelist and social justice activist involved in the South African struggle against Apartheid. In his early years, having been conscientized at high school, Anthony became a member of the Non-European Unity Movement (NEUM). The NEUM later became aligned with the African People's Democratic Union of South Africa (APDUSA,) and Anthony subsequently also became a member of APDUSA until he was later expelled from the party for exposing ineptitude and increasingly centralized power among the leadership. Anthony was arrested and incarcerated on Robben Island between 1972 and 1978, and, on his release, was put under a banning order and restricted to the Kraaifontein district of the Western Cape for a further five years.

Early Life
Anthony became involved in politics as a high school student, whilst attending Lückhoff High School. Lückhoff High School is located in the rural town of Stellenbosch and was designated as a "Coloured" school under the Apartheid classification system. Here, he was taught history by Ronnie Britten, who was a member of NEUM and, through Britten, Anthony also became a member of the organization. Anthony later studied at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). He married Lorraine Britten, the sister of his teacher Ronnie, and had two daughters, Renée and Lynn.

Later Life
Before his arrest, Anthony had been a schoolteacher at Trafalgar High School in Cape Town, and, while incarcerated on Robben Island, through correspondence study, earned a BCom degree majoring in Economics. In 1986, Anthony went on to  lecture Economics at Khanya College, run by the South African Committee on Higher Education that sought to challenge black exclusion from institutions of higher learning.

As a member of APDUSA, Anthony met and married his second wife, Valma Abrahams, after his divorce from Lorraine Britten. Abrahams was also an APDUSA member, who played the risky role of message courier for the organization. Anthony has one son from his second marriage, Richard Anthony, born in the year of Anthony’s death.

Arrest, Incarceration, Banning and Exile
In April 1972, Frank Anthony, along with fourteen others, members of the Unity Movement and APDUSA, faced charges under the Terrorism Act in what became known as "The Maritzburg Trial". Convicted on four counts, Anthony spent three months in Leeuwkop Prison before being transferred to Robben Island on April 6, 1972, where he remained until March 23, 1978. He was subsequently moved to Victor Verster Prison until April 5, 1978, and was then subject to a banning order in terms of Act No. 44 of 1950 Sec. 9 (1), restricting him to Kraaifontein until April 30, 1983. While he was serving his banning order, Anthony was detained for a further four months from February to May 1982 under Section 22 of the General Laws Amendment Act. From the late 1980s to the early 1990s, Anthony was in exile, first in Botswana, and then in Namibia.

Robbeneiland: My Kruis, My Huis
Frank Anthony marked his literary debut in Afrikaans with the poetry collection Robbeneiland: My Kruis, My Huis, published in 1983. This collection gained notable attention for its attempt through art to transcend political and physical challenges faced by the author on Robben Island. While some reviews criticized its literary merit, others appreciated its insider perspective on Robben Island's daily life, and its significance as a work of protest literature in Afrikaans, considered to be the “oppressor’s language”.

The Journey: The Revolutionary Anguish of Comrade B
Inspired by Anthony's experience as a member of APDUSA, The Journey delves into the central political principles of APDUSA. APDUSA emerged in 1961 as a branch of the Non-European Unity Movement, with a mission rooted in the principles of establishing black political unity and dismantling white supremacism in South Africa. The organization staunchly advocated for non-collaboration and boycotting of racist institutions, placing a key focus on addressing the land question as a central aspect of their liberatory struggle. By the mid-1960s, the organization’s leadership was forced into exile, first in Lusaka, Zambia, and later in Harare, in Zimbabwe. By the late 1980s, growing frustration with the pace of political advancement, led the organization to adopt the armed struggle. Anthony draws in his novel on the mission he undertook from Bellville in Cape Town to Harare to test the organization’s infrastructure, which he found sorely lacking. The novel also is a satirical critique of leadership that had become out of touch and authoritarian.

Despite being read by some as thinly-veiled autobiography, the minutes of Ravan Press meetings, and a review from literary-activist Jeremy Cronin emphasizes The Journey as an insightful and complex work of fiction. (Ravan was the anti-Apartheid publishing house that published the novel.) Cronin's review, titled "An Ultra-Left Pilgrim’s Progress," applauds the novel's literary qualities and its exploration of ultra-leftist politics, linking it to broader historical and political contexts

Articles on Frank Anthony and His Work

 * Brink, André P. “Robbeneiland-bundel misluk as poësie, maar het ander sin.” Rapport, June 1983, p. 42.
 * Britz, E. C. “Meesleurende gedigte.” Die Burger, 18 August 1983, p. 6.
 * Cloete, T. T. “Poësie wat min sê.” Die Volksblad, 12 October 1983, p. 14.
 * Conradie, P. J. J. “Afrikaans: ’n eiland reik uit.” Stilet, vol. 1, March 1998, pp. 1–9.
 * Cronin, Jeremy. “An Ultra-Left Pilgrim’s Progress.” Work in Progress (WIP), vol. 74, 1991, pp. 47–48.
 * Esterhuyse, Frans. “Robben Island Imagery.” The Argus, 13 July 1983, p. 15. “Former Robben Island Man Held.” Weekend Argus, 9 January 1982, p. 3.
 * JB. “Hollow My Leader.” Sunday Tribune, 25 August 1991, p. 9.
 * JHP. “Poetic Memories of Robben Island.” The Natal Witness, 12 August 1983, p. 31.
 * Kromhout, Jan. “Speaking beyond Robben Island.” The Star, 18 June 1983, p. 8.
 * Marais, René. “Verdien om gelees te word.” Beeld, 31 October 1983, p.10.
 * “Op die Boekrak: Robbeneiland, My Huis, My Kruis.” Tempo, 4 November 1983, p. 7
 * Moolla, F. Fiona. “The Road Not Travelled: Tracking Love in Frank Anthony’s The Journey: The Revolutionary Anguish of Comrade B.” English in Africa. English in Africa 50.1 (Apr 2023): 73–98, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/eia.v50i1.4
 * Rabie, Jan. “’n Splinternuwe groei in ons letterkunde.” Die Burger, 30 July 1983, p.10.
 * Rapola, Zachariah. “A Journey toward Political Meaning.” Weekly Mail, 5–11 July 1991, p. 4.
 * Rassool, Ciraj. “The Individual, Auto/Biography and History in South Africa.” PhD Dissertation, University of the Western Cape, 2004.
 * Unity Movement of South Africa. “Unity Movement Members Charged Under the Terrorism Act.” Pamphlet. SA History Online, < https://www.sahistory.org . za/archive/unity-movement-members-charged-under-terrorism-act>.
 * Williams, Moegsien. “‘Banned’ from Job: Robben Island Men Find Work Prospects Bleak.” Weekend Argus, 22 April 1978, p.8.