This Day in History: July 21, 1967
On 21 July 1967, Chief Albert Luthuli died after he was struck by a train on a railway bridge close to the home that he had been confined to by the Apartheid regime in Groutville, (then) Stanger, KwaZulu-Natal. Chief Luthuli was President-General of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1952 until his death in 1967. In 1960, he received the Nobel Peace Prize and he was the most widely known and respected African leader of his era. Born near Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, in 1898, the Chief's family moved to Kwazulu-Natal in 1908. Luthuli trained as a teacher and lay preacher in the Methodist Church. His political activities and defiance brought him into direct conflict with the apartheid government. He was banned from public gatherings and confined to his home. This, however, did not stop him from playing a political role in the country. Throughout his life Chief Luthuli steadfastly believed that a non-racial society in South Africa could be achieved.