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South African playwright and theatre legend Athol Fugard dies aged 92

South African playwright and theatre legend Athol Fugard dies aged 92
Estelle Ellis
By Estelle Ellis
9 Mar 2025
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Athol Fugard died in Stellenbosch on Sunday. He was 92 years old. Fugard was internationally recognised as one of the icons of English theatre in South Africa.

South African playwright, actor and director Athol Fugard died at home in Stellenbosch on Sunday. He was 92 years old.

Harold Athol Lanigan Fugard was born in June 1932 in Middelburg in the Eastern Cape. He attended school at the Marist Brothers College in Port Elizabeth, now Gqeberha and later studied at the University of Cape Town.

In 1956, Fugard and his then wife Sheila Meiring founded the Circle Players. The couple later moved to Johannesburg, where he was working as a court clerk in Johannesburg in 1958.

His citation for the Order of Ikhamanga stated: “He became increasingly aware of apartheid’s injustice. This was to become the background to most of his work, although he has never been merely a polemicist but is, rather, a keen observer of people and their problems with society. Fugard, who is often compared with Tennessee Williams, once said that in his own case, his ‘real territory as a dramatist is the world of secrets with their powerful effect on human behaviour and the trauma of their revelation’”.

Fugard’s early work included The Blood Knot, which was produced for the stage in 1961 in London and New York. It told the story of two brothers who fell on opposite sides of the racial line. The next play in this series was Hello and Goodbye, and this was followed by Boesman and Lena. These were later published as Three Port Elizabeth Plays. 

Serpent Players


Early in the 1960s, Fugard, Norman Ntshinga, Nomhle Nkonyeni, John Kani, Winston Ntshona, Welcome Duru, Fats Bookholane, Mike Ngxolo and Mabel Magada founded the Serpent Players. They took their name from the venue of their first theatre, in Bird Street, Gqeberha, in the snake pit of the Port Elizabeth Museum.

While their first play was never staged, they kept the name. The group often met at the Fugards’ home in Schoenmakerskop, but when this became too risky they met at schools in New Brighton and in the “non-racial” area of Korsten in Nelson Mandela Bay.

The Serpent Players led to a long-term friendship and partnership between Fugard and members John Kani and Winston Ntshona. Ntshona died in New Brighton in 2018.

His work highlighting the inhumanity of the apartheid state led to harassment and being put under surveillance by the Security Police. 

The Serpent Players performed in townships, often under Security Police surveillance. Fugard and the Serpent Players developed a long-term collaboration that resulted in works such as The Island and Sizwe Banzi is Dead. 

He was eventually forced for many years to publish and produce his plays outside South Africa.

Fugard Theatre


Fugard received the order of Ikhamanga (Silver) in 2004 and in 2010, the Fugard Theatre, named after him, was opened in Cape Town’s District Six.

His best-known works include Boesman and Lena, People Are Living There, Hello and Goodbye, Sizwe Banzi is Dead, A Lesson From Aloes and “Master Harold” … and the Boys.

Tributes poured in on Sunday afternoon.

Kani said on X: “I am deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend Athol Fugard. May his soul rest in eternal peace. Elder.”

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said: “His penetrating, sharp wit has left an indelible mark on our shared cultural heritage, and his acute understanding of our country’s political and cultural make-up is unmatched. He will be sorely missed. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones. May his legacy live on in our theatres and beyond.

“Our condolences go out to his wife Paula, his family and all those who knew him and were moved by his words.” DM

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