Ngcobo, Lauretta (1932–)

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Ngcobo, Lauretta (1932–)

South African novelist. Born 1932 in Ixopo, South Africa; m. Abednego Ngcobo (prominent founder member of Pan African Congress, died 1997); children: daughter Kethiwe Ngcobo (filmmaker), among others.

KwaZulu-Natal writer, fled South Africa with husband and children to escape detention (1963); settled in London, where she taught for 25 years; returned to South Africa (1994) and became a member of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial legislature; novels, which focus on life under apartheid, include Cross of Gold (1981) and And They Didn't Die (1990); also edited collection of essays by Black women writers in Britain, Let it Be Told (1987), and wrote essays on South African literature.