Temba was born in Marabastad, near Pretoria, but wrote most of his work inSophiatown, Johannesburg, South Africa. The town was destroyed under the provisions of the apartheidGroup Areas Act, which reassigned ethnic groups to new areas. He was a student at Fort Hare University College, where he received an English degree and a teacher's diploma. After moving to Sophiatown, he tried his hand at short-story writing. Temba entered the first short story contest of Drum, which he won. He subsequently worked for Drum, where he became one of the "Drum Boys," together with Henry Nxumalo, Bloke Modisane, Todd Matshikiza, Stan Motjuwadi and Casey Motsisi. They were later joined by Lewis Nkosi and Nat Nakasa. This group lived by the dictum: "Live fast, die young and have a good-looking corpse." Part of Drum's ethos was investigative journalism. One of the aims was to show the realities and inequities of apartheid. Themba decided to see how white churches would react to his attending services.
Growing frustrations with the restrictions of apartheid, caused him to move to Swaziland where he worked as a teacher. In 1966, he was declared a "statutory communist", as a result of which his works were banned in South Africa. His literary output was only readily available in the 1980s with the publication of two collections The Will to Die and The World of Can Themba. In his stories, he described the frustrations of the university-educated urban black people; unavailable to realise their true potential because of the racial restrictions of apartheid and trying to balance their modern urban culture with the historical rural tribal one. His most famous story "The Suit" tells the story of Philemon, a middle-class lawyer, and his wife, Matilda, who live in Sophiatown. One day, Philemon hears that his wife is having an affair, so he goes home in the middle of the day and catches her in flagrante. Her lover jumps out of the window but leaves behind his suit. Philemon then dreams up a strange and bizarre punishment. Matilda has to treat the suit as an honoured guest, feed it, entertain it and take it out for walks. This serves as a constant reminder of her adultery. A remorseful Matilda eventually dies of humiliation. Philemon then regrets his actions but it is all too late. Themba's increasing dependency on alcohol led to darker, introspective pieces such as Crepuscle, The Will to Die, and The Bottom of the Bottle.
Death
He died
Awards
South African The Order of Ikhamanga in Silver for "Excellent achievement in literature, contributing to the field of journalism and striving for a just and democratic society in South Africa."
Books
Deep Cuts: graphic adaptations of stories by Can Themba, Alex la Guma & Bessie Head / project co-ordinator: Neil Napper; editor: Peter Esterhuysen, Maskew Miller, Longman, 1993,
The Suit by Can Themba; adapted by Chris van Wyk; illustrated by Renée Koch. Viva Books, 1994.
The Will To Die / Can Themba; selected by Donald Stuart and Roy Holland, Heinemann, 1972.
The World of Can Themba: selected writings of the late Can Themba, edited by Essop Patel, Ravan Press, 1985.
