Hungarian Community in South Africa
The Hungarian Community in South Africa although scattered across South Africa, is concentrated in areas such as Cape Town in the Western Cape Province, Durban in Kwa-Zulu Natal Province, Johannesburg and Pretoria in Gauteng Province.
The majority of these Hungarians and their families stay in the Johannesburg area of the Gauteng Province. Many of these people established their careers and earned their living in this Industrial heartland of the country.
Oldest Operating Hungarian ‘Club’ in South Africa ‘Hungarian Alliance of South Africa’
The Hungarian Alliance of South Africa (Dél-Afrikai Magyar Szövetség) was established in 1932 in Johannesburg, by those Hungarians who had settled in the region following the end of the Anglo-Boer War and those who sought their fortune in the ‘new’ gold and diamond rush at the early 20th Century. In addition to these immigrants there were those who fled the territory of Austro-Hungary after the World War I and the dismembered stolen territories of Hungary after the unjust Treaty of Trianon.
An interesting fact is that During World War II, the local authorities stifled the operations of the association, as they presumed that the local Hungarians’ association could possible pose a risk. This was most likely due to the ‘Pro-British Commonwealth of Nations’ government of Jan Smuts during the 1940s. After the war the ‘Club’ gradually begun to resume its activities, and after the arrival of the 1956 Hungarian refugees in South Africa the association was revitalised and reorganised with addition of these ‘newly’ arrived Hungarians. This culminated in the 1970s with the establishment of the Hungarian community centre in Midrand Johannesburg. The Hungarian migrants that arrived after this period in the 1970s , 80s, 90s and early 21st Century, bolstered the membership and network of this ‘club’. This Hungarian Association with is rich heritage and selfless dedicated supporters and organisers, still functions as a cultural ‘home’ and events centre for the local Hungarians and their descendants who emigrated from Hungary over many generations.
A Great Hungarian Patriot, Magyar Community Leader and Somebody who loved South Africa – László Pleskó
László Pleskó came to South Africa in the 1970s and immersed himself in the activities and organisation of the local Hungarian Community association, the – Hungarian Alliance of South Africa, in the then ‘Transvaal’ region, based in Johannesburg. László Pleskó, was a phenomenal ‘Ambassador’ for the Hungarian community in South Africa, always displaying the best qualities of Magyar culture. He earned the respect of his community, as well as other international expat associations and South Africans who came to know him. László Pleskó was eventually honoured by the Hungarian state, for his selfless dedicated work and contribution to the Hungarian community of South Africa. László Pleskó and the Hungarian Alliance of South Africa – ‘We salute you!’