Tiyo Soga

Tiyo Soga (1829 – 12 August 1871) was a South African journalist, minister, translator, missionary, and composer of hymns. Soga was the first black South African to be ordained and worked to translate the Bible and John Bunyan’s classic work Pilgrim’s Progress into his native Xhosa language.

When Soga’s mother Nosuthu became a Christian she sought and received release from her marriage to Jotello, a head advisor of Chief Ngqika, on the grounds that she wanted her son to be raised a Christian and receive formal education. Nosuthu'’s request was granted and she took Soga to the Chumie Mission. As a child in Chumie, Soga attended the school of the Revd John A. Chalmers.

In 1844 at the age of 15 Soga received a scholarship to Lovedale Missionary Institution located 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from Chumie. Soga’s education was interrupted by the ‘War of the Axe’ in 1846 and he and his mother were forced to take refuge in nearby Fort Armstrong. The principal of Lovedale, The Revd William Govan decided to return home to Scotland and offered to pay the way for Soga to come with him and seek higher education. Nosuthu agreed to let her son go. Not knowing if she would ever see him again, she said: "my son belongs to God; wherever he goes God is with him…he is as much in God’s care in Scotland as he is here with me"

Soga attended the Normal School in Glasgow, Scotland and was ‘adopted’ by the John Street United Presbyterian Church. During his stay in Scotland Soga made a formal profession of Christian faith and was baptized in May 1848. During his time in Scotland Soga developed a sympathetic perspective for both the white and black races and his unique racial perspective remained with him for the rest of his life.

After two years in Scotland, Soga returned to the Eastern Cape to work as an evangelist and teacher in Chumie. Soga was asked by the Revd Robert Niven to help establish a new mission station in the Amatole Mountains and he faithfully planted the Uniondale Mission in Keiskammahoek. Because of its identification with the colonial authorities Uniondale mission was burnt to the ground by those at war with the colonial powers. Soga was almost killed in the incident and refused to side with the chief leading the war or to accept the position of translator offered him by the colonial government.

...
Wikipedia