Internationally acclaimed playwright Athol Fugard dies

Renowned SA playwright, actor and director Athol Fugard has died at his Stellenbosch home after a long illness.

John Kani, the actor with whom he achieved much success, shared: “I am deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend Athol Fugard. May his soul rest in eternal peace. Elder.”

The Eastern Cape-born Fugard, who was named the greatest living playwright in the English-speaking world by Time magazine in 1989, wrote about his growing political awareness of apartheid’s destruction of humaneness and about the resilience of ordinary people.

He grew up poor, with his mother as the family of five’s breadwinner. In Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), she ran a boarding house and later a tea room in the then-popular St George’s Park, which provided the setting for one of his most popular plays, Master Harold ... and the Boys (1982).

He shot to international fame with Blood Knot (1961). Other works include Boesman and Lena (1969), Sizwe Banzi is Dead (1972), The Island (1972), Tsotsi (1980) and The Road to Mecca (1984).

Fugard’s first marriage to actress and novelist Sheila Meiring, with whom he had a daughter, Lisa, ended after more than five decades. His daughter, who moved to the US in 1980, is also a writer. Fugard returned to SA after a stint in the US. 

He had developed a substantial following there and was a recipient of the Tony lifetime achievement award. The citation includes the years of government harassment of Fugard’s family. Under surveillance, their mail was opened, phones tapped and home raided at midnight by the apartheid police. His plays were banned and his passport was withdrawn.

Fugard celebrated his 92nd birthday in June 2024 with his second wife, academic and playwright Paula Fourie, with whom he had two children, Halle and Lanigan.

The Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal commended “his incredible contribution to SA theatre”, adding that “his plays will be a lasting legacy for generations of South Africans”.

Khwerha Ye Afrika Projects said Fugard’s death leaves an irreplaceable void in the world of theatre.

“Your legacy will forever illuminate the path for generations to come. You were not just a playwright, you were a fearless storyteller, a custodian of truth and a voice for the silenced. Through your words, you challenged injustice, exposed the raw realities of apartheid and gave dignity to those who had been marginalised.

“Your plays were acts of defiance, beacons of change and mirrors reflecting the soul of a nation in turmoil. You taught us that theatre is not merely entertainment but a powerful instrument of social transformation.

“SA’s artistic landscape was shaped by your courage, your unyielding belief in the power of storytelling, and your commitment to justice. The world watched, listened and learnt through your work. You gave theatre a conscience, and for that, we are eternally grateful,” it said.

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