Tshenuwani Farisani

Tshenuwani Farisani
Member of the National Assembly
In office
2009–2010
PresidentJacob Zuma
Speaker of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature
In office
April 2004–April 2009
Premier
Preceded byRobert Malavi
Succeeded byRudolph Phala
Member of the Limpopo Executive Council
In office
July 1997–April 2004
PremierNgoako Ramatlhodi
President of the Black People's Convention
In office
1973–1975
Preceded byWinnie Kgware
Succeeded byHlaku Kenneth Rachidi
Personal details
Born (1948-08-30) 30 August 1948 (age 76)
Northern Transvaal, Union of South Africa
Political partyAfrican National Congress
Other political
affiliations
South African Communist Party
Occupation
  • Politician
  • Lutheran minister
  • theologian
  • anti-apartheid activist

Tshenuwani Simon Farisani (born 30 August 1948) is a South African politician, theologian, and Lutheran minister. During apartheid, he was one of the country's most prominent black clergymen and preached anti-apartheid liberation theology from his diocese in Venda and Transvaal. He founded the Black Evangelic Youth Organisation with Cyril Ramaphosa in the early 1970s and was also active in the Black Consciousness movement, especially as president of the Black People's Convention from 1973 to 1975. He was arrested on four occasions, according to Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience, and he testified abroad about the torture he was subjected to by the apartheid police.

After the end of apartheid, Farisani represented the African National Congress in the Limpopo Provincial Legislature and National Assembly. He was a Member of the Executive Council in the Limpopo provincial government under the inaugural Premier of Limpopo, Ngoako Ramatlhodi, from 1997 to 2004, and from 2004 to 2009 he was Speaker of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature.