South Africa: Alexandra Remains Spiritual Home to Country's Leaders

South Africa: Alexandra Remains Spiritual Home to Country's Leaders

Business Day (Johannesburg)

2 October 2008
Posted to the web 2 October 2008

Johannesburg

AN ALEXANDRA-raised hip-hop artist once described the township as "the township of townships", where you owe your survival to your ancestors.

Flabba, a member of hip-hop group Skwatta Kamp, was right. This year, newspapers reported that he was chased by a young armed man after a game of dice. Apparently, Flabba's crime was attempting to take his winnings home. Fortunately he survived as his brother came to his rescue. Others do not.

That is what the township is notorious for these days. However, back in the struggle days the township was a political training ground that produced a long list of militant leaders. The list includes the late Alfred Nzo, Joe Modise, Moses Kotane, Thomas Nkobi, Florence Mophosho, Joe Nhlanhla, Thoko Mngoma, former first lady Zanele Mbeki and SA's new president Kgalema Motlanthe.

Even the young Nelson Mandela moved to Alexandra on his arrival in Johannesburg from Eastern Cape in the 1940s.

The land on which Alexandra grew was a portion of a farm owned by a man known as Mr Papenfus. The township was formed in 1912, when black migrants bought stands from the farmer, and later more miners moved on to the land.

The township was where many boycott campaigns to resist apartheid government policies were first discussed and spread like wildfire through the township and the country.

Obed Bapela, an African National Congress (ANC) MP, says the political influence in Alex came with black migrants and political activists who had been moved from Sophiatown and George Goch, and also that the township was formed in the same year as the ANC.

"During that period the country was reshaping itself ... the place becamea magnet for political activists."

Bapela says the late Moses Kotane, who lived in the township, was a very influential member of the ANC during Chief Albert Luthuli's time. Bapela says Luthuli held Kotane's views in high regard .

"If the leadership had not received Kotane's opinion they would have to go back to him before Luthuli agreed on any matter. "

He says Kotane went on to mentor Mandela, who lived next to an Anglican church where his uncle was a priest.

Bapela says from 1959 the apartheid government noticed that the township was breeding militant leaders, and they started to forcefully move residents to Soweto and Tembisa.

Motlanthe's family and Mandela were among those moved to Soweto. Another ANC MP, Isaac Mogase, and late intelligence minister Joe Nhlanhla were also moved to Diepkloof in Soweto.

"Alexandra was able to produce leaders generation after generation because of the influx of migrants who were unionised, and there was a strong presence of political organisations," Bapela says.

He says more young leaders emerged through the years as they followed in the footsteps of their forefathers.

Mogase still remembers the boycott campaigns of the 1950s, such as the 1957 bus boycott and the potato boycott of 1959 .

He says during those days the ANC was not banned and people were allowed to hold gatherings.

"Because Alex was a very small area, it was easy to mobilise people. One was able to run around the township distributing pamphlets."

He says all ANC leaders at the time had been to Alexandra to address the people.

Today products of Alexandra occupy influential positions in South African politics. Motlanthe was recently elected president , and Gauteng ANC chairman Paul Mashatile could be announced as premier of the country's economic hub tomorrow.

Although Mashatile is facing competition from his deputy, Nomvula Mokonyane and ANC Women's League president Angie Motsheka, the Alexandra politician is widely tipped to replace Mbhazima Shilowa.

The township of townships seems set to continue being the incubator of SA's top political leaders.