Athol Fugard’s

Athol Fugard
 Athol Fugard
• Harold Athol Lanigan Fugard, was born in 1932 in
Middelberg in the Karoo.
• His mother spoke Afrikaans and his father spoke
English.
• The family relocated to Port Elizabeth.
• His mother was forced to work due to his father’s
unemployment and alcoholism.
• Fugard grew up in South Africa during apartheid.
 Athol Fugard
• Fugard’s father shared many of the prejudices of
the government, but his mother did not support
the injustices of the law.
• This influenced Fugard too.
• He often expresses his anger at the workings of
apartheid in his writing.
• He spent time travelling through Africa and the Far
East.
 Athol Fugard
• Upon returning to South Africa, Fugard moved to
Cape Town.
• He married Sheila Meiring (an English-born
actress).
• She introduced him to the world of theatre, which
contributed to his focus on writing plays.
 SETTING
• Tsotsi is set in an unnamed township just outside
Johannesburg (possibly Sophiatown), in the 1950’s.
• There are references to the bus boycott and the
first man-made object to land on the moon.
• The novel clearly describes the difficulties of living
in the townships and a number of passages are
critical of the actions taken by the apartheid
government and of the society it created.
 SOUTH AFRICA
• 1948 - DF Malan (NP) becomes Prime
Minister
• 1950 - Group Areas, Immorality
Amendment, Population
Registration acts pass.
• 1952 - Black people, Indians, people of
mixed race and a few white people
begin a non-violent campaign
against the enforcement of
 SOUTH AFRICA
• 1955 - Freedom Charter is adopted; forced
removals start in Sophiatown.
• 1956 - Coloured people are denied their
right to vote.
• 1958 - Hendrik Verwoerd becomes PM.
• 1960 - Sharpville Massacre
• 1961 - Armed wing of the ANC; uMkhonto
weSizwe formed.
 SOUTH AFRICA
• 1964 - Mandela sentenced to life
imprisonment for political activities
and incarcerated on Robben Island.
• 1966 - Verwoerd is murdered.
• 1968 - Forced removals start in District Six.
• 1976 - Soweto Uprisings; thousands of
school children protest segregated
education and teaching in
Afrikaans; many were killed.
 SOPHIATOWN
• Suburb in Johannesburg, South Africa.
• A legendary black cultural hub that was destroyed
under apartheid, rebuilt under the name of Triomf.
• Returned to its original name in 2006.
• Despite the violence and poverty – it was the
epicentre of politics, jazz and blues during the
1940s and 1950s.
• Produced some of SA’s most famous writers,
musicians, politicians & artists.
 SOPHIATOWN
• Named after speculator Hermann, Tobiansky’s
wife, Sophia.
• Due to the distance from Johannesburg as well as
the nearby sewage plant the area was considered
less attractive -> most whites had moved out by
1920 leaving a multi-racial community.
 FORCED REMOVALS
• Neighbouring white working-class areas continued
to develop.
• From 1944 onwards, the Johannesburg City Council
planned to move the residents out of the Western
Areas, including Sophiatown.
• After the National Party won the election in 1948
the Immorality Amendment Act of 1950 was
implemented which stated that people of mixed
races could not reside together.
• Sophiatown residents united to protest against the
forced removals.
• On 9 February 1955, policemen forcefully removed
the black families of Sophiatown to Meadowlands,
Soweto.
• Other ethnic groups were also relocated.
• Sophiatown was flattened and removed from the
maps of Johannesburg.
• In 1997, the council took the decision to re-instate
the old name.
 CRIME & GANGSTERISM
• Crime & violence were a reality of urban life and
culture in Sophiatown.
• Poverty, misery, violence and lawlessness led to
growth of many gangs.
• Township youths struggled to find jobs due to lack
of education & experience as well as undisciplined
behaviour.
• Gangsters spoke a mixture of Afrikaans & English,
known as tsotsitaal.
CHARACTERS
 TSOTSI (DAVID)
Leader of the gang
Violent thug, murderer, rapist & thief
Does not tolerate questions
Well respected by other gang members
Feared by society
Emotionally scarred
Searches for redemption
Learns to empathise with others
 BOSTON
Gang member
Educated
Problem-solver & thinker
• Limited experience with love
• Natural speaker & storyteller
• Rejects violence but integral to it
• Has a soul (is decent)
• Empathises with gang’s victims
 BUTCHER
Gang member
Violent thug who can kill with accuracy
Murderer and rapist
Impatient
Not to be trusted
Quick to react when violence is proposed
Has no respect for women
Shows bravado
 DIE AAP
Gang member
Has very long arms
Strong
Listener
Obedient follower
Slow thinker
Is a threat, but does not know it
 THE BABY
• Given to Tsotsi by a woman under
the bluegums
• Victim of circumstance
• Struggles to survive
• Talisman for Tsotsi’s memories
• Almost killed by Tsotsi
• Rescued by Miriam
• Tsotsi redeems himself by sacrificing
 MIRIAM
• 18 year old single mother
• Forced to breastfeed Tsotsi’s
baby
• Does laundry and cleaning
jobs for people in the white
suburbs
• Keeps to herself
 MORRIS TSHABALALA
• Disabled
• Fearless
• No longer appreciates life
• Proud
• Bitter
• Angry; wants to feel valuable
to society
 GUMBOOT DHLAMINI
• Murdered by Tsotsi’s gang
• Victim
• Migrant worker
• Cares for his family
• Postive
• Happy; smiles; laughs
• Hopes for a better life
 ISIAH
• Elderly
• Gardener
• Christian
• Kind
• Obedient
• Is a link to God and
redemption
 MINOR CHARACTERS
• Tsotsi’s mother (Tondi)
• Rosie
• Soekie
• Reverend Henry Ransome
• Old man at the tap
• Woman who gives her baby to
Tsotsi
• Miss Marriot
 THEMES
• Redemption • Belonging
• Survival • Identity
• Apartheid • Human decency
• Religion • Belonging
• Fate & Choice
• Hope & Fear
 NARRATOR
• We see what happens through the eyes of an
omniscient third person narrator.
• We are thus able to gain a good understanding of
the other characters.
• He describes what they look like, what they say, and
the effect their actions have on the other
characters.
• We also gain an insight into Tsotsi’s criminal psyche
 THE PLOT
Exposition Rising Action Climax Denouement/
Highest
Resolution characters, action,
Introduction to setting,
characters and socio-
Development of
tension
Final outcome of the
novel
political context, creates the Outcome of conflict
atmosphere for the rest of
themes.
Falling Action
explored, events
the novel. resulting from
outcome.
Explanations.

Flashback to Tsotsi’s
Conflict within Tsotsi. past, flashback to the
Boston questions Tsotsi. Tsotsi stalks original agent of
Tsotsi, Boston, Butcher, Die Tsotsi becomes angry at Tsotsi in conversation with
Morris. Tsotsi change, memory of
Aap, Gumboot Dhlamini the questions. Miriam and then Isaiah,
and Morris have Tsotsi’s mother being
Gang culture, township life, Questions prompt discussions about moving
a conversation. taken away in a raid
migrant labour, apartheid Tsotsi to think and forward in life and religion.
Tsotsi lets Morris and his father kicking
remember. Baby acts as Redemption of Tsotsi. Tsotsi
live. the yellow bitch.
agent of change. Tsotsi sacrifices his life to save the
Catharsis. Tsotsi seeks out
 SOURCES

• Oxford Exam Success,