Arthur Maimane, the first black journalist at Reuters News Agency, died last month.
Born in
Pietersburg, South Africa, in 1932, Arthur’s life encompassed more than
50 years of journalism and creative writing, starting with Anthony
Sampson’s celebrated African magazine Drum in Johannesburg in its 1950s
heyday, and then in Ghana at Ghana Radio.
In 1961, Arthur came to
London and worked for Reuters News Agency, going to Dar es Salaam as
its East Africa correspondent. He joined the BBC African Service in
1964, moving to BBC Television in 1966 where he worked on the current
affairs programme 24 Hours.
In 1972 Arthur moved to Independent Television News (ITN) where he remained until taking early retirement in 1989.
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He
wrote prolifically and his novel Victims was published in London in
1976, and republished in South Africa in 1999 as Hate No More.
After
the release of Nelson Mandela in 1990, Arthur was invited to return to
South Africa by the Weekly Mail and reported on the early dismantling
of apartheid legislation in 1991 as its parliamentary correspondent.
In
1994, he again returned to South Africa as managing editor of the
Johannesburg Star. After an operation for lung cancer in Johannesburg
in early 2003, Arthur returned to London with his wife Jenny and died,
aged 72, on 28 June this year.
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Arthur had three daughters –
Jacqueline, Thandiwe and Lynne – from his marriage to his first wife,
Theresa Magang. His second marriage was to Jenny Rice and they had two
daughters, Refilwe and Eleanor, all of whom, including his 11
grandchildren, survive him.
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