Age, Biography and Wiki

Don Mattera (Donato Francisco Mattera) was born on 29 December, 1935 in Western Native Township (now Westbury), Johannesburg, Transvaal, Union of South Africa, is a South African poet and author (1935–2022). Discover Don Mattera's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 86 years old?

Popular As Donato Francisco Mattera
Occupation Poet political activist
Age 86 years old
Zodiac Sign Capricorn
Born 29 December 1935
Birthday 29 December
Birthplace Western Native Township (now Westbury), Johannesburg, Transvaal, Union of South Africa
Date of death 18 July, 2022
Died Place Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Nationality South Africa

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 29 December. He is a member of famous poet with the age 86 years old group.

Don Mattera Height, Weight & Measurements

At 86 years old, Don Mattera height not available right now. We will update Don Mattera's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
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Dating & Relationship status

He is currently single. He is not dating anyone. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. According to our Database, He has no children.

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Don Mattera Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Don Mattera worth at the age of 86 years old? Don Mattera’s income source is mostly from being a successful poet. He is from South Africa. We have estimated Don Mattera's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income poet

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Timeline

1935

Donato Francisco Mattera (29 December 1935 – 18 July 2022), better known as Don Mattera, was a South African poet and author.

Born in 1935 in Western Native Township (now Westbury), Johannesburg, Union of South Africa, Mattera grew up in Sophiatown, at that time a vibrant centre of South African culture.

His diverse heritage was derived from his Italian grandfather, Xhosa grandmother and Tswana mother.

In his autobiography, Memory Is the Weapon, he writes: "Sophiatown also had its beauty; picturesque and intimate like most ghettoes.... Mansions and quaint cottages ... stood side by side with rusty wood-and-iron shacks, locked in a fraternal embrace of filth and felony.... The rich and the poor, the exploiters and the exploited, all knitted together in a colourful fabric that ignored race or class structures."

This "multiracial fabric" did not conform to the separatist policies of apartheid and so the suburb was destroyed and the people forcibly removed.

Mattera's grandfather, Paolo Mattera, was an Italian immigrant who married a Xhosa woman from the eastern Cape.

They moved to Johannesburg, where Mattera's father was born.

At the time, he was classified as an Italian.

Under the apartheid system, Mattera was classified as a "Coloured".

This group was the last to be forcibly evicted from Sophiatown; they were taken to the nearby suburbs of Westbury, Newclare and Bosmont.

He was proud of his heritage and considered himself to be Italian.

Mattera was adopted by his grandparents and sent to a Catholic boarding school in Durban.

1960

He returned to Johannesburg when he was 14 and then continued his education in Pageview, another suburb that suffered under apartheid when the residents were again forcibly removed during the 1960s.

He then became politically active.

1970

Mattera, who converted to the Muslim faith in the 1970s, was deeply involved in the community, with a special interest in young people and the rehabilitation of ex-prisoners.

Mattera died at his home at Protea Glen, Soweto, on 18 July 2022.

He was buried that day at Westpark Cemetery in Johannesburg, and an online memorial service was held for him on 22 July.

1973

As a result of these activities, he was banned from 1973 to 1982 and spent three years under house arrest.

He was detained, his house was raided, and he was tortured more than once.

During this time, he became a founding member of the Black Consciousness movement and joined the ANC Youth League.

He helped form the Union of Black Journalists as well as the Congress of South African Writers.

He also joined the National Forum, which was against what it referred to as the "racial exclusivity" of the United Democratic Front.

He then worked as a journalist on The Sunday Times, The Sowetan, and the Weekly Mail (now known as the Mail and Guardian).

He was also a director of the black consciousness publishing imprint Skotaville.

2009

In 2009, he was part of the Beyond Words tour of the UK that also featured South African poets Keorapetse Kgositsile, Lesego Rampolokeng, Phillippa Yaa de Villiers and Lebogang Mashile (presented by Apples and Snakes in association with Sustained Theatre, funded by the British Council South Africa, Arts Council England and the South African government).

2020

In January 2020, the Don Mattera Legacy Foundation was launched in Eldorado Park, in order "to ensure that Mattera's legacy remains relevant to the current as well as future generations to recognise and appreciate the immense sacrifice and contribution he made on behalf of the classified 'coloureds' in the realm of literature arts, journalism and the liberation of SA."