Kambule taught in Zambia , Malawi as well as several schools in South Africa before being appointed Principal of Orlando High School in Soweto in 1958 . He campaigned to ensure the children had the best education possible , despite the restrictions of the Bantu Education Act , 1953 . Orlando High School had a library named after Robert Birley , a visiting professor at the University of the Witwatersrand . He led the Rand Bursary Fund , a support program that provided scholarships for pupils in need . The fund allowed more than 1,000 students to complete high school . His former pupils included Desmond Tutu and Jackie Selebi . In 1976 during the Soweto uprising , the schoolchildren revolted against being forced to learn in the Afrikaans language . An undetermined number of children were shot dead by police , and education in townships fell apart . Kambule resigned in 1977 to protest against the Department of Bantu Education , and became the head of Pace College . In 1978 he joined the University of the Witwatersrand , where he became the first black professor . He published a series of maths textbooks for non-specialist teachers . He retired in 1976 and promptly became the Principal of '' O R T Step College of Technology '' . He was awarded an honorary doctorate in 1997 and a doctorate of education in 2006 . In 2002 he was awarded the Order of the Baobab from Thabo Mbeki . He became known as '' the Rock '' for his transparent principles . Kambule died on 7 August 2009 . He was a much loved teacher , and his former students Siphiwe Nyanda , Felicia Mabuza-Suttle and Mokotedi Mpshe attended his memorial service . His student Trevor Mdaka was his doctor at the Unitas Hospital in Centurion . In 2017 the University of the Witwatersrand named their Mathematical Sciences Building after him . Deep Learning Indaba have an annual Thamsanqa Kambule Doctoral Dissertation Award
Soweto uprising
Soweto uprising
Thamsanqa Kambule