Tom Manthata

Tom Manthata
Born
Thomas Madikwe Manthata

(1939-11-29)29 November 1939
Died10 July 2020(2020-07-10) (aged 80)
Alma materUniversity of South Africa
Political partyAzanian People's Organisation

Thomas Madikwe Manthata (29 November 1939 – 10 July 2020) was a South African activist who was active in the anti-apartheid movement. After the end of apartheid, he served as a member both of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and of the South African Human Rights Commission.

During apartheid, Manthata was a teacher in Soweto and worked for the South African Council of Churches. A stalwart of the Black Consciousness movement, he was a founding member and one-time general secretary of the Azanian People's Organisation. He was one of the defendants in the Delmas Treason Trial and in November 1988 was convicted of treason for his political activity. He served one year of a six-year sentence before the verdict was overturned on appeal in 1989.