Editing Sol Plaatje (section)

== Recognition and legacy ==

* 1935: three years after his death, a tombstone was erected over Plaatje's grave with the inscription: "''I Khutse Morolong: Modiredi Wa Afrika – Rest in Peace Morolong, You Servant of Africa''".{{sfn|Willan|1984|p=390}}

Decades passed before Plaatje began to receive the recognition he deserved. "Much of what he strove for came to nought," writes his biographer Brian Willan; "his political career was gradually forgotten, his manuscripts were lost or destroyed, his published books largely unread. His novel ''Mhudi'' formed part of no literary tradition, and was long regarded as little more than a curiosity."{{sfn|Willan|1984|p=390}}

* 1970s: interest was stirred in Plaatje's journalistic and literary legacy through the work of [[John Comaroff]] (who edited for publication ''The Boer War Diary of Sol T. Plaatje'',{{sfn|Plaatje|Comaroff|1973}} and by [[Tim Couzens]] and [[Stephen Gray (writer)|Stephen Gray]] (who focused attention on Sol Plaatje's novel, ''Mhudi''{{sfn|Couzens|1973}}{{sfn|Gray|1976}}{{sfn|Gray|1977}})
* 1978: ''Mhudi'' was re-published under the editorial guidance of Stephen Gray<ref>Plaatje, Sol T. 1978 (1930). ''Mhudi''. Ed. Stephen Gray. Oxford: Heinemann Educational Books.</ref>
* 1982: Plaatje's ''Native Life in South Africa: Before and Since the European War and the Boer Rebellion'' (1916) was re-published by Ravan Press.<ref>Plaatje, Sol T. ''Native Life in South Africa: Before and Since the European War and the Boer Rebellion''. Johannesburg: Ravan.</ref>
* 1982: the [[African Writers Association]] instituted a Sol Plaatje Prose Award (alongside the H. I. E. and R. R. R. Dhlomo Drama Award and the [[Samuel Edward Krune Mqhayi|S. E. K. Mqhayi]] Poetry Award).<ref>[http://www.theliteraturepolice.com/chronology/ The literature police: chronology]</ref>
* 1984: Brian Willan published his biography, ''Sol Plaatje: South African Nationalist, 1876–1932''.{{sfn|Willan|1984}}
* 1991: The [[Sol Plaatje Museum|Sol Plaatje Educational Trust and Museum]], housed in Plaatje's Kimberley home at 32 Angel Street, was opened, actively furthering his written legacy.<ref name="education.gov.za">[http://www.education.gov.za/TheDBE/SolPlaatjeHouse/tabid/442/Default.aspx Department of Basic Education: Sol Plaatje House: explanation written by Dr Karen Haire for the Sol Plaatje Educational Trust, 32 Angel Street, Kimberley, 8301], retrieved 26 July 2013.</ref>
* 1992: the house at 32 Angel Street in Kimberley, where Plaatje spent his last years, was declared a national monument (now a provincial heritage site).<ref>''Government Gazette of South Africa'', No. 14048, Pretoria: 19 June 1992.</ref> It continues as the [[Sol Plaatje Museum|Sol Plaatje Museum and Library]], run by the Sol Plaatje Educational Trust, with donor funding. In the 2000s the Sol Plaatje Educational Trust has published Plaatje biographies by Maureen Rall{{sfn|Rall|2003}} and [[Sabata-Mpho Mokae]].{{sfn|Mokae|2010}}
* circa 1995: the [[Sol Plaatje Local Municipality|Sol Plaatje Municipality]] ([[Kimberley, Northern Cape|Kimberley]]) in South Africa's [[Northern Cape Province]] was named in Plaatje's honour.
* 1996: ''Sol Plaatje: Selected writings'', ed. Brian Willan, is published by the [[University of Witwatersrand]] Press.
* 1998: an honorary doctorate was posthumously conferred on Plaatje by the [[University of the North-West]], with several of his descendants present.<ref name="web._Post">{{Cite web
| title = Posthumous doctorate for Plaatje
| last = Reeves | first = Jacqui
| work = [[The Star (South Africa)|The Star]]|location=South Africa
| date = 24 April 1998
| access-date = 20 August 2015
| archive-date =16 November 2007
|url = http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/people/plaatje/star980424.html
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071116190918/http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/people/plaatje/star980424.html
| via= [[African National Congress]]
}}</ref>
* 1998: Plaatje's grave in West End Cemetery, Kimberley, was declared a national monument (now a provincial heritage site).<ref>Government Gazette of South Africa, No. 18694, Pretoria: 27 February 1998.</ref> It was only the second grave in South African history to be awarded national monument status.<ref>''Diamond Fields Advertiser'', Wednesday, 17 October 2001, "Tsala ea Batho", Kimberley, p. 10.</ref>
* 2000: The Diamond Fields Advertiser launches the Sol T Plaatje Memorial Award to honour the top Setswana and top English matriculant each year in the Northern Cape. The first recipients are Claire Reddie (English) and Neo Molefi (Setswana).<ref>''Diamond Fields Advertiser''. Wednesday 17 October 2001, "Tsala ea Batho", Kimberley, p. 12.</ref>
* 2000: the Department of Education building in Pretoria was renamed Sol Plaatje House, on 15 June 2000, "in honour of this political giant and consummate educator."<ref name="education.gov.za"/>
* 2000: the South African Post Office issued a series of stamps featuring writers of the [[Boer War]], with Plaatje appearing on the 1.30 [[South African rand|Rand]] stamp. The series also includes Sir [[Arthur Conan Doyle]], [[Winston Churchill]], [[Johanna Brandt]] and the Anglo-Boer War Medal.<ref>[http://www.trussel.com/detfic/safrica.htm Anglo-Boer War Writers – stamps], Trussel.com.</ref>
* 2000: the African National Congress initiated the Sol Plaatje Award, one of a number of annual achievement awards. The Sol Plaatje Award recognises the best performing ANC branch.<ref>[http://www.anc.org.za/show.php?id=2746 ANC Annual Achievement Awards.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130803053832/http://www.anc.org.za/show.php?id=2746 |date=3 August 2013 }}</ref>
* 2002: the Sol Plaatje Media Leadership Institute was established within Rhodes University's Department of Journalism and Media Studies.<ref>[http://www.ru.ac.za/jms/projects/solplaatjeinstitute/ Sol Plaatje Institute] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131115115301/http://www.ru.ac.za/jms/projects/solplaatjeinstitute/ |date=15 November 2013 }} retrieved 10 August 2013.</ref>
* 2004: [[Order of Luthuli]] in gold
* 2005: the Saulspoort Dam was renamed Sol Plaatje Dam, although not in honour of Sol Plaatje the man but in remembrance of 41 Sol Plaatje Municipal workers drowned in a bus disaster there on 1 May 2003.<ref>[https://archive.today/20140302085603/http://www.info.gov.za/view/DownloadFileAction?id=60794 ''Government Gazette, REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA'', Vol. 478, Pretoria, 1 April 2005, No. 27408]; retrieved 16 August 2013.</ref><ref>[http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Drama-at-bus-tragedy-service-20030505 Drama at bus tragedy service] News24.com, 5 May 2003; retrieved 16 August 2013.</ref>
* 2007: the [[Sol Plaatje Prize for Translation]] was instituted by the English Academy of South Africa, awarded bi-annually for translation of prose or poetry into English from any of the other South African official languages.
* 2009: the Sol Plaatje Power Station at the [[Sol Plaatje Dam]] near [[Bethlehem, Free State]] was commissioned – the first commercial small hydro power station constructed in South Africa in 22 years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.infrastructurene.ws/2012/05/02/151/ |title=Infrastructure news Article |publisher=Infrastructure news |access-date=11 October 2012 |archive-date=12 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012191407/http://www.infrastructurene.ws/2012/05/02/151/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bethlehemhydro.co.za/docs/Bethlehem_Hydro_Brochure_10.pdf |title=Bethlehem Hydro Brochure |publisher=Bethlehem Hydro |access-date=10 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120129073602/http://www.bethlehemhydro.co.za/docs/Bethlehem_Hydro_Brochure_10.pdf |archive-date=29 January 2012 }}</ref>
* 2009: Sol Plaatje was honoured in the Posthumous Literary Award given by the [[South African Literary Awards (SALA)|South African Literary Awards]].
* 2010: the first Plaatje Festival, held in [[Mahikeng]], hosted by the North West Province Departments of Sport, Arts and Culture and of Education, on 5 and 6 November 2010. It brought together Plaatje and Molema descendants, poets, journalists, scholars, language practitioners, educators, and learners, who "paid tribute to this brilliant Setswana man of letters."<ref name="education.gov.za"/>
* 2010: a statue of Sol Plaatje, seated and writing at a desk, was unveiled in Kimberley by South African President [[Jacob Zuma]] on 9 January 2010, the 98th anniversary of the founding of the [[African National Congress]]. By sculptor [[Johan Moolman]], it was erected at Kimberley's Civic Centre, formerly the Malay Camp, and situated approximately where Plaatje had his printing press in 1910 – 13.<ref>Plaatje Statue unveiled, ''Diamond Fields Advertiser'', 11 January 2010, p. 6. (Contrary to ''Sunday Argus'' and ''Independent on Line'' reports [10 January 2010, at 12:42PM] suggesting that this took place in Cape Town.)</ref>
* 2011: the European Union Sol Plaatje Poetry Competition was inaugurated, honouring "the spirit of the legendary intellectual giant, Sol Plaatje, the activist, linguist and translator, novelist, journalist and leader." Winners' work has been published in an annual anthology since the competition's inauguration.<ref>[http://www.jacana.co.za/sol-plaatje-european-union-poetry-award-95444/the-sol-plaatje-european-union-poetry-anthology-2011-detail Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Anthology.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504173542/http://www.jacana.co.za/sol-plaatje-european-union-poetry-award-95444/the-sol-plaatje-european-union-poetry-anthology-2011-detail |date=4 May 2015 }}</ref>
* 2012: Seetsele Modiri Molema's ''Lover of his people: a biography of Sol Plaatje'' was published. Translated and edited by D. S. Matjila and Karen Haire, the manuscript, ''Sol T. Plaatje: Morata Wabo'', dating from the 1960s, was the first Plaatje biography written in his mother tongue, [[Setswana]], and the only book-length biography written by someone who actually knew Plaatje.{{sfn|Molema|2012}}
* 2013: the naming of the [[Sol Plaatje University]] in Kimberley, which opened in 2014, was announced by President [[Jacob Zuma]] on 25 July 2013.<ref name="polity.org.za"/><ref>[http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/New-universities-names-revealed-20130725 "New universities' names revealed"], ''News24'', 25 July 2013.</ref>
* 2013: the renaming of UNISA's Florida Campus Library as the Sol Plaatje Library, unveiled on 30 July 2013.<ref>[http://www.unisa.ac.za/news/index.php/2013/08/all-in-the-name-of-science-science-campus-buildings-renamed/ All in the name of science: campus buildings renamed]; retrieved 16 August 2013.</ref>
* Schools in [[Kimberley, Northern Cape|Kimberley]] and [[Mahikeng]] are named after Sol Plaatje.
* 2015: [[Anglo-Boer War Museum]] opens a new addition to the museum named;  The Sol Plaatje Hall, ddedicated to the role of black and coloured people on both the British and Boer sides during the [[Second Boer War]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ben |date=2015-12-02 |title=War museum a symbol of unity |url=https://www.bloemfonteincourant.co.za/war-museum-a-symbol-of-unity/ |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=Bloemfontein Courant |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-22 |title=Sol Plaatje - Anglo-Boer War Museum: An agency of the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture |url=https://wmbr.org.za/sol-plaatje/ |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=wmbr.org.za |language=en-GB}}</ref>
* 2016: ''Sol Plaatje's Native Life in South Africa: Past and Present'' by Brian Willan, Janet Remmington and Bhekizizwe Peterson is published by [[University of the Witwatersrand|Wits University]] Press and goes on to win 'Best Non-Fiction Edited Volume' in the 2018 NIHSS Awards.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-03-20|title=Wits Press book on Sol Plaatje and the land issue wins the Non-fiction Edited Volume category at the 2018 HSS awards|url=https://witspress.co.za/news/wits-press-book-on-sol-plaatje-and-the-land-issue-wins-the-non-fiction-edited-volume-category-at-the-2018-hss-awards/|access-date=2021-07-24|website=Wits University Press|language=en-US}}</ref>
* 2018: ''Sol Plaatje: A life of Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje 1876 – 1932'' by Brian Willan is published by Jacana Media and goes on to win 'Best Non-Fiction Biography' in the 2020 NIHSS Awards.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://jacana.co.za/product/sol-plaatje-a-life-of-solomon-tshekisho-plaatje-1876-1932/ | title=Sol Plaatje: A life of Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje, 1876-1932 }}</ref>
* 2020: ''Sol Plaatje’s Mhudi: History, Criticism, Celebration'', a collection of essays edited by [[Sabata-Mpho Mokae]] and Brian Willan is published by Jacana Media.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://jacana.co.za/product/sol-plaatjes-mhudi-history-criticism-celebration/ | title=Sol Plaatje's Mhudi: History, Criticism, Celebration }}</ref>