Frank Chikane Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}} {{Use South African English|date=August 2012}} {{Infobox person | name = <!-- include middle initial, if not specified in birth_name --> | image = File:Frank Chikane (14774389996).jpg | alt = Frank Chikane 2014 | caption = Frank Chikane 2014 | birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name --> | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1951|01|03|df=yes}} | birth_place = [[Bushbuckridge]], [[Transvaal Province|Transvaal]], [[Union of South Africa|South Africa]] | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | death_place = | nationality = [[South Africa]]n | spouse = {{marriage|Kagiso Chikane|1980}} | relations = | children = {{plainlist| *Obakeng Chikane *Otlile Chikane *Rekgotsofetse Chikane}} | education = [[Naledi High School]] | alma_mater = {{Flatlist|*[[University of the North]] * [[Harvard Kennedy School]]}} | party = [[African National Congress]] | other_names = | occupation = {{Flatlist|* [[Civil servant]] * [[Writer]] * [[Cleric]]}} | years_active = | known_for = | notable_works = }} '''Frank Chikane''' (born 3 January 1951 in [[Bushbuckridge]], [[Transvaal Province|Transvaal]]) is a South African civil servant, writer and cleric. He is a member of the [[African National Congress]] and moderator of the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs for the [[World Council of Churches]] (WCC).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rev. Frank Chikane: Working together to heal wounds of conflict|url=https://www.oikoumene.org/news/rev-frank-chikane-working-together-to-heal-wounds-of-conflict|access-date=2021-02-13|website=World Council of Churches|language=en}}</ref> ==Early life and education== Chikane was born to James and Erenia Chikane and he grew up in [[Soweto]] attending [[Naledi High School]].<ref name=sowetan>{{cite news|last=Mecoamere|first=Victor|title=Naledi High turns 50|url=http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2013/05/27/naledi-high-turns-50|access-date=23 July 2013|newspaper=The Sowetan|location=South Africa|date=27 May 2013}}</ref> As the son of a preacher in the [[Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa]] (AFM), a South African [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]] church, Chikane was able to receive an education. After finishing primary school, Chikane attended the [[University of the North]] to study sciences in hopes of becoming a physician. While at the university, Chikane became involved in the [[Black Consciousness Movement]], also known as the [[Stephen Biko]] movement, and met [[Cyril Ramaphosa]], who went on to become a post-[[apartheid]] South African President, and others. Chikane led protests at the university against apartheid, which resulted in his leaving the university without a degree in 1975. ==Career== In early 1977, while working in the AFM as a layman, he was detained for a month under the [[Terrorism Act No 83 of 1967]] but was eventually released after a judge dismissed his case. Chikane was eventually ordained by the church in 1980, when he began advocating social programs such as a soup kitchen and adult education within the church for its primarily African population. For these actions, Chikane was suspended from the conservative minded AFM in 1981, which would last until his reinstatement in 1990. After suspension from the AFM, Chikane joined the Institute for Contextual Theology, a Christian think-tank inside the [[South African Council of Churches]] (SACC), which promoted [[liberation Theology]]; he became general secretary of SACC in 1987. On 20 August 1983 the [[United Democratic Front (South Africa)|United Democratic Front]] was launched in the community hall in [[Rocklands, South Africa|Rocklands]], near [[Cape Town]]. After a conference of delegates from 565 organisations (400 were already members), a public rally was held, attended by about 10,000 people. Chikane, who was the first major speaker, called the day "a turning point in the struggle for freedom". In 1985, Chikane was one of the leading promoters of the [[Kairos Document]], a leading Christian denunciation of apartheid. In late 1989, agents of the apartheid government attempted to [[assassinate]] Chikane by lacing his underwear with [[Paraoxon]]. Two of the suspects were former Police Minister [[Adriaan Vlok]] and his then-police chief Johan van der Merwe. Each of them received suspended 10-year prison sentences. Vlok sought forgiveness from Rev. Chikane in 2006 by washing his feet.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6950553.stm|title=Apartheid murder plotters guilty|date=2007-08-17|access-date=2018-01-09|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081008015006/http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN730915.html ''S.Africa's apartheid police minister spared jail''], [[Reuters South Africa]], 17 August 2007</ref><ref>[http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20070817121754437C571810 '' 'I'm pleased that I know what happened' ''], [[Independent News & Media|Independent Online (South Africa)]], 17 August 2007</ref> From 1987 to 1994, Chikane was secretary general of the SACC. In 1995, he earned a [[master of public administration]] from the [[Harvard Kennedy School]]. From 1997 on, Chikane has been a member of the [[African National Congress]]' National Executive Committee. Since 1999, Chikane has been the Director General<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/people/bios/chikane-f.htm|title=Frank Chikane|last=sahoboss|date=2011-02-17|work=South African History Online|access-date=2018-01-09}}</ref> of the [[President of South Africa|presidency of South Africa]] under [[Thabo Mbeki]]. He was also a consulting advisor for Presidents [[Kgalema Motlanthe]] and [[Jacob Zuma]]. He is currently the President of AFM International, an international religious body formed to promote the image of the Apostolic Faith Mission worldwide and to coordinate fellowship between AFM national churches in all countries. In July 2010, Chikane published a series of eight articles which served as a memoir of his time in government and detailed what happened behind the scenes within the [[African National Congress|ANC]] and government during the removal of [[Thabo Mbeki]] as South African President in September 2008 and the shaky transition that followed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Frank Chikane {{!}} South African History Online |url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/frank-chikane |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=www.sahistory.org.za}}</ref> The articles appeared in several Independent newspapers and were dubbed "The Chikane Files". In March 2012, Chikane launched a book: “Eight Days in September: The Removal of Thabo Mbeki”. along the same theme as well as exploring Mbeki's legacy. ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{commons category}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20050415065638/http://www.dacb.org/stories/southafrica/chikane_frank.html Biography on DACB.com] {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Chikane, Frank}} [[Category:1951 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Bushbuckridge]] [[Category:African National Congress politicians]] [[Category:Anti-apartheid activists]] [[Category:South African revolutionaries]] [[Category:South African activists]] [[Category:South African Christian clergy]] [[Category:South African Pentecostals]] [[Category:South African memoirists]] [[Category:South African civil servants]] [[Category:Harvard Kennedy School alumni]] [[Category:University of Limpopo alumni]] Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Templates used on this page: Frank Chikane (edit) Template:Authority control (edit) Template:Birth date and age (edit) Template:Br separated entries (edit) Template:Cite news (edit) Template:Cite web (edit) Template:Commons category (edit) Template:Count (edit) Template:DMCA (edit) Template:Flatlist (edit) Template:If empty (edit) Template:Infobox person (edit) Template:Main other (edit) Template:Marriage (edit) Template:PAGENAMEBASE (edit) Template:Plainlist (edit) Template:Plainlist/styles.css (edit) Template:Pluralize from text (edit) Template:Reflist (edit) Template:Reflist/styles.css (edit) Template:Sister project (edit) Template:Unbulleted list (edit) Template:Use South African English (edit) Template:Use dmy dates (edit) Template:Wikidata image (edit) Module:Age (edit) Module:Arguments (edit) Module:Check for clobbered parameters (edit) Module:Check for unknown parameters (edit) Module:Citation/CS1 (edit) Module:Citation/CS1/COinS (edit) Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration (edit) Module:Citation/CS1/Date validation (edit) Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers (edit) Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities (edit) Module:Citation/CS1/Whitelist (edit) Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css (edit) Module:Date (edit) Module:Detect singular (edit) Module:If empty (edit) Module:Infobox (edit) Module:Infobox/styles.css (edit) Module:InfoboxImage (edit) Module:List (edit) Module:Separated entries (edit) Module:String (edit) Module:TableTools (edit) Module:Text (edit) Module:Unsubst (edit) Module:Wd (view source) Module:Yesno (edit) Discuss this page