The renaming of the small rural town of Ngcobo in the Eastern Cape to Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality has got the town's AmaQwathi nation up in arms with government.
BITTER FEUD
During a glittering ceremony in September 2022, the Ngcobo Local Municipality was renamed as the Dr AB Xuma Local municipality in honour of the late ANC stalwart, Dr AB Xuma. Dr AB Xuma, who was the first black South African to qualify as a medical doctor, was the ANC president from 1940 until 1949.
He hails from the village of Manzana in Ngcobo.
But now a bitter feud that seeks to divide this hometown of freedom fighters such as Xuma, Walter Sisulu and Vuyisile Mini, has ensued over the renaming of the town's municipality.
Xuma's statue and that of Walter Sisulu are erected at the Heroes Park Memorial in the Ngcobo town.
However, the AmaQwathi nation, rulers of Ngcobo, are seething over what they call 'being disrespected in their own land' by government.
INSULTED BY THE DECISION
Speaking to Zimoja from the Nkondlo Royal Palace in Ngcobo, AmaQwathi chiefs, under the leadership of Nkosi Zwelenkosi Dalasile, said they felt ?insulted? by the decision.
They expressed their unhappiness about the disdainful treatment meted out to them by government, which they said, included poor service delivery in rural areas of AmaQwathi and the ?irregular and unlawful? renaming of the municipality.
"The irregular changing of our town's municipality to Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality caught us by surprise. We were never informed and we feel disrespected. We are not happy at all and we've been trying to fight this for a long time," said Nkosi Dalasile.
Dalasile said they have approached Abathembu king Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo to try and intervene on the matter on their behalf.
He said they had turned to Dalindyebo as their king as the last resort as they had exhausted all other avenues, including writing to President Cyril Ramaphosa and Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane.
TAKEN FROM PILLAR TO POST
Dalasile said they have been fighting the decision since 2022 but were being ?taken from pillar to post? and now feel that government doesn't respect them in their own land.
He said they had made several attempts to reach out to senior government officials locally, provincially and nationally but to no avail.
"We have written to Premier Oscar Mabuyane to voice our concerns. He only acknowledged receipt of our letter but never acted. We also asked UDM leader, General Bantu Holomisa, to intervene and he sent a petition to some government ministers but there was never a response. Even President Ramaphosa was made aware of our grievances but he referred us back to the provincial Government," said Dalasile.
Nkosi Vululwandle Mase said they felt that by changing the name without consulting the AmaQwathi nation, government was erasing their history.
"And we cannot allow that. This town was attained some 300 years ago through Chief Fubu who fought hard. It is therefore an injustice that pains us that the municipality saw it fit to change the name without consulting us. That was the biggest mistake that needs to be rectified."
Nkosi Mase said while they acknowledged the role played by Dr AB Xuma in the liberation of the country, they felt that government erred in renaming the municipality after him.
"We are certainly not at war with the Amandila (Dr Xuma's clan name) at all. Dr AB Xuma is a national figure and several streets, townships and buildings have been named after him throughout the country. But for Chief Fubu's land to be taken just like that and be given to him is an insult to us as the AmaQwathi nation," he said.
When Zimoja asked which name the chiefs would have preferred the municipality to be renamed after, Chief Levy Tyelinzima Dalasile chipped in: "Just look at King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality in Mthatha and other municipalities that are named after kindgoms which they fall under. All we want is our town's history not to be erased."
STOCK THEFT A CONCERN
Turning their attention to issues of service delivery, the AmaQwathi chiefs said government had neglected poor people in rural areas.
Inkosi Thandizulu Dalasile said, "We are not happy about service delivery at all. There are no proper clinics in our villages. Unemployment is the order of the day. Right in the palace where we are there is a dry tap and that is the case in most villages around here. Most villages haven't seen water flowing from their taps for years. Stock theft is also a major concern. Nowadays thieves no longer steal, they just grab your livestock at gunpoint. We are appealing to government to ensure that law takes its course because the nation is under threat due to this stock-theft issue."
Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality mayor, Siyabulela Zangqa, said the process of renaming the municipality started around 2011 and only concluded in 2022.
He said a number of traditional leaders were consulted about the renaming and that they would soon be engaging the Amaqwathi chiefs "to iron out things."
