A descendant of isiXhosa prophet Makhanda Nxele is behind moves to establish a project to honour those who fought colonialism in South Africa.
A descendant of isiXhosa prophet Makhanda Nxele is behind moves to establish a project to honour those who fought colonialism in South Africa.
This comes as the family is embroiled in a bitter war of words over the legend's final resting place.
Monde Mkunqwana, spoekesman for the family, has currently submitted a proposal to the Department of Arts and Culture to organise a project that will honour other anti-colonialism activists.
This will involve the erection of a tombstone to honour the lives of those executed by the colonial government on 16 December 1820.
This day also holds its significance as the Day of Reconciliation in honour of the Battle of Blood River (16 December 1838) and the establishment of Umkhonto weSizwe (16 December 1961).
“The families of Hans Trumpeter, David Stuurman, John Gawula and Johan Schmidt are still alive and living in different parts of the Eastern Cape such as Humansdorp, King William’s Town and Grahamstown. A proposal has been made to honour them and we are still working towards the crystallisation of this project,” he said.
Since Makhanda's repatriation ceremony and reburial, there have been reports of division among his living descendants.
Makhanda Nxele, after whom Makana Municipality is named, is credited in South African history as being one of the first to actively oppose colonialism and land dispossession.
He famously led an attack against the British in Grahamstown in 1819.
Makhanda was imprisoned on Robben Island and drowned in 1819 when his boat capsized after an attempted escape with 30 other prisoners.
In a traditional isiXhosa ceremony, his spirit was recovered from the waters of the Atlantic almost 200 years after his death.
Makhanda was reburied in Tshabo, a village near King William's town.
This project was funded by the Amathole District Municipality (ADM) and the National Heritage Council (NHC).
Although the descendants of the Chief are grateful to have the warrior’s spirit in its rightful resting place, there is reportedly a division among family members who claim that some benefited financially from the process.
However, Mkunqwana, a spokesperson for the family, refutes those claims.
Mkunqwana clarified with Grocott’s Mail that there is no division at all and that it is only two members of the family who are suspicious of the misuse of funds.
He insists that all of the funding received from the ADM and NHC were used for Makhanda's repatriation and reburial.
Mkunqwana dismissed a family member as a “rebel without a cause”.
There were also reports that certain members of the family were unhappy with the location of Makhanda’s gravesite which is on a
road a few kilometres away from the family home.
Mkunqwana insisted that this location was agreed upon by the family.
“Makhanda does not belong to the family, he belongs to the nation. The place where his spirit was interned will later be developed into a garden of remembrance where people can come to pay their respects,” he said.
Mkunqwana who is also a veteran of the ANC’s military wing, Umkhonto weSizwe, also stated that it was Umkhonto weSizwe that initiated the reburial project of Makhanda.
According to Mkunqwana, it is the role that Makhanda played against land dispossession that inspired the militarised liberation project that is Umkhonto weSizwe.
