Mdantsane Ghost Town

Mdantsane Resembles a Ghost Town and Still Lacks Amenities

For many Mdanstane residents, March 4 1990, remains one of the most memorable days in the history of this township, when the homeland of Ciskei under the leadership of Dr Lennox Sebe, fell into the hands of one of his senior soldiers, Brigadier Joshua Oupa Gqozo in a military coup. 

Mayhem erupted after the announcement of the coup, when residents destroyed everything that represented Sebe's regime, and thus leaving the township in ruins.

When you drive around Mdantsane you can not help but notice many dilapidated buildings, which are a strong reminder of this ugly past, when the township went up in smoke as offices and businesses alike were destroyed. 

Nofikle complex in NU 1 used to be a bottle store and a butchery with living quarters above

What was supposed to be a celebration of the end to an era - the apartheid homeland system under which Mdantsane fell, turned into chaos.

These were exciting times for South African politics, as Nelson Mandela had also just been released from prison less than a month to that day.

These eye-saw buildings are almost everywhere, bearing the scars of that fateful day as many of these buildings are still in the same state of that aftermath, derelict and casting a folorn picture of this once vibrant township with great potential. 

The Xoilisani butchery in the far left corner in NU 14 used to be a butchery but is now a Spaza shop run by Somalian Nationals 

  

Having mentioned that, however, there is a glimmer of hope as some of the buildings have since been renovated. The downside is the fact that the township still lacks basic amenities like cinemas, small business centres, old age homes, youth centres, swimming pools etc. 

Mushrooming around the township are instead church denominations, which seems to be invading almost every avaliable building as a result of breakaway fractions, branching out to different premises. 

The building used to be the Embo butchery but is now used by a church

 

Also spaza shops, mostly run by foreigners nationals like the Somalians are found everywhere.

Some however have seen the need to promote a healthy lifestyle in the township by turning some of these buildings into gymnasiums, which is also a positive way to develop the youth and keep them away from the streets.

This is a building in N U 11 which has been turned into a boxing academy and gym

Story and Pictures by Siyanda Nkonyeni