Percy Mabandu

Percy Mabandu is an art historian and freelance writer based in The city of Tshwane.

Stories by: Percy Mabandu

Jazz dancing and pantsula perfection

An effervescent jazz dancer, Harry Msimango died in his sleep last winter. He didn’t become famous for his dancing, he simply stepped into the hearts of all who’d ever seen him move.

By: Percy Mabandu
28 Oct 2019

Culture

9 March 1952: Black passengers filled a train compartment marked ‘Europeans only’ in defiance of apartheid prime minister DF Malan's segregation rules, shouting the slogan ‘Africa’ on the ride into Cape Town. The police arrested 34 of them. (Photograph by Bettman/Contributor)

Stimela: The train and South Africa’s musical heritage

As politicians shake off the election season trauma of being stranded on the Metrorail, Percy Mabandu considers the train as a force that shaped South African music over the decades.

By: Percy Mabandu
11 Jul 2019

Features

30 May 2019: Tendayi Sithole with some of his treasured books at his home in Johannesburg. He is the author of ‘Steve Biko: Decolonial Meditations of Black Consciousness’.

The train vendor who became a professor

When his bursary fell through, Tendayi Sithole found a home among train vendors who opened a way for him to save for university. It led to him becoming an associate professor of African politics.

By: Percy Mabandu
31 May 2019