Department: Arts and Culture, South Africa

Mashatile visits Mpumalanga heritage sites

19 September 2011

The 2011 Heritage Day (24 September) celebrations will be held at Mpumalanga Stadium, Ermelo, Msukaligwa Local Municipality, in Mpumalanga Province. The theme for Heritage Month is “Celebrating the Heroes and Heroines of the Liberation Struggle in South Africa”.

Heritage Month will assist promote inter-generational dialogue and encourage society to identify to reconnect with the past in order to shape the direction for the future. Social segments such as youth, women, people living with disabilities, students, learners, civil society, religious and cultural fraternities, non-governmental organisations trade unions, business and recreation and sport have an important role to help sustain discourse on the theme.

The 2011 Heritage Month will be characterised by activities aimed at creating awareness of Liberation Heritage through oral history narrations, exhibitions, poetry, dance, songs and site visits in order to preserve our collective memory and promote national identity.

Minister’s Visit to Mpumalanga Province (Build-up events)

22 September 2011

08h30 – 12h30
1. Cenotaph, Matsulu Township
Cenotaph dedicated to all the fallen heroes and heroines in the Ehlanzeni District Municipality.

2. Remains of the Tebe-Tebe (Shaky) Bridge on the outskirts of Matsulu
Tebe-tebe Bridge was a makeshift bridge used by people from Matsulu Township to cross over the Crocodile River to the nearby white-owned farms. The farms were owned by Derrick van Gaan. On the other side of the farms, across the Makhulumazonke Mountain, it is Malalane, leading to Mozambique and Swaziland. Political activists fleeing the country into exile used this route.

13h30 – 15h30
3. The ‘Hill’ in Kanyamazane
This hill was used by youth activists in Kanyamazane to hold their political meetings. It was on this hill that members of LOMOYO were ambushed and massacred in 1986.

4. The home of Lawrence Moyo
Moyo was a trade unionist, with CEPPWAWU (Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, and Wood & Allied Workers’ Union). In 1986 he together with Joe Nkuna, one of the then leading figures in the UDF in the then Eastern Transvaal Lowveld, mobilized students at Sitfokotile High School. These included Andrew Mahlangu and Patrick Motau. It was in this house that both the local activists from as far as Bushbuckridge used to meet to discuss politics and hide from police.

5. The Lowveld Massacre
Graves and relatives who died during the massacre:
Soul Mkhabela (Kanyamazane)
Mandla Shabangu (Ext 6 Kanyamazane)
Ambrose Mhlongo (Pienaar)

Enquiries : Mack Lewele 082 450 5076/012 441 3083
: Sibongile Nkosi /013 766 5372082 492 4886