| Abstract: | The immensely talented and versatile Sol T. PLAATJE (1876-1932) was one of the leading black South African figures of his generation. This essay is concerned with the period in his life when he worked as a messenger, and later as a letter carrier, in the Kimberley post office between 1894 and 1898. The objective is not only to throw light upon an unknown if formative period in PLAATJE's own life, but also to try to portray through a biographical lens something of the community of which he was a part at this time. Notes. |