Looking Back, The Transkei Elections 1963

It is estimated that more than 50 % of  the inhabitants of the Mdantsane township today are under the age of 18 years.

The images shown here were taken 48 years ago in 1963 during the Transkei elections. The Transkei was the first of the ' Bantustans States " set aside for Africans by the South African Apartheid Government. The Bantustan were supposedly self-governing but they were in reality controlled by Whites.

Waiting To Vote

Transkei women dressed in the traditional Xhosa costume are waiting outside a polling station during the Transkei Elections in 1963. More than two thirds of the Transkei electorate voted, despite Apartheid Government restrictions at the time on political rallies and meetings.  

Showing The Passbooks

African votes register for the Transkei elections in 1963.

(Pictures are from Time Life Library, South Africa, 1963)

Commando Brandy

The leader of Commando Brandy !

The Commanding Officer.

The General !

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

Ethel - Life As A Female Car Guard

It was last year around Christmas, that I saw Ethel for the first time. She is the only female car guard I know.

May be, in the bigger South African cities there are more women who earn a living like this, but not in East London.

Two days ago I saw her again, sitting on the small wall at the Esplanade in Quigney. I stopped to have a chat with her.

Ethel works in the area around the Wimpy. Although the sky was of the brightest beautiful South African blue and the ocean was calm and looked like in the Mediterranean, this day the Esplanade had a lonely and deserted feel. Municipal workers were setting up the yearly Christmas decorations on the street lights.

She is close to seventy years old, but does not know her real age. Everyday she travels from Mdantsane, NU2, where she lives, to the Esplanade. 

Last year she got hit by a car on the road and severly injured. She spent several weeks in hospital. She has what she calls, a big plate in her right chest, which is very painful often. Since then she walks with her upper body bent to one side.

" The doctors told me that I will have to go to the hospital again to have the plate removed because something is not right, " Ethel says.

My question as to why she still wanted to work as a car guard after having such a serious accident and considering the fact that guarding cars is obviously a male dominated and sometimes also violent field of work, where competiton is not taken lightly, she said :
" It is still easier than at home ". 

" Some of the men are not happy to have me here, but I just stay out of their way .May be they don't chase me because I am short and old. Others think I am crazy ".
Ethel is not more than 1,40 m tall.