Biography of Alan Kirkland Soga

Alan Kirkland Soga was among the founding members of the African National Congress (ANC) in 1912.

Born at Umgwali, British Kaffraria, Cape Colony, modern day South Africa, he was the youngest son of Tiyo Soga, brother of William Anderson Soga, and uncle to Alexander Robert Bogue Soga and Richard Ross Soga.

Like his father and siblings, Soga too enrolled at the University of Glasgow, where he took classes in the faculty of Arts, including Law, over a period of two years from 1878.

He returned to South Africa where he served as a government official, and became actively involved in politics as well as journalism. He was the first editor of Izwi Labantu (Voice of the people), the newspaper of the Progressive Party printed in East London in Xhosa, English and Sesotho, and was a founder and secretary of the Bantu Union, to promote voting rights in 1919.

Summary

Alan Kirkland Soga
Born 1862.
Died 1938.
GU Degree: Arts, 1878-1880;
University Link: Student
Occupation categories: civil servants; journalists
English snippet: Arts and Law student of the University of Glasgow in 1878-81
Record last updated: 20th May 2022

Country Associations

South Africa, Umgwali
Place of Birth

University Connections

University Roles

• Student