Lucas Mangope

Kgosi Lucas Manyane Mangope is the former leader of the Bantustan of Bophuthatswana.

Born in Motswedi on 27 December 1923, Mangope worked as a high school teacher until 8 August 1959, when he succeeded his father Lucas as Chief of the Motsweda Ba hurutshe-Boo-Manyane tribe. On 1 May 1971, Mangope became Chief Minister of the Bophuthatswana Legislative Assembly and retained his post following the first Bophuthatswana elections on 4 October 1972. Initially leader of the Bophuthatswana National Party, Mangope left the party following what was officially referred to as 'internal strife' and formed the Bophuthatswana Democratic Party, which then became the governing party.

He became President in 1977. In 1988 he needed to be reinstated by the South African government following a failed coup. South Africa claimed that it was assisting the legal government of a sovereign nation, but Bophuthatswana was one of many so-called "independent" black homelands which only South Africa recognised, the rest of the world seeing them as puppet states.

Mangope was overthrown in another coup in 1994 when the homelands were reincorporated into South Africa.

He is now leader of the South African United Christian Democratic Party; in addition, he leads the opposition in the North West Provincial Legislature.