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The museum is currently commissioning portraits at the Old Lwandle Hostels to honour them. The project started on Wednesday 24 January and is expected to be completed at the end of February. Some of those honoured are Ephraim Nyongwana, Ndlela Mavungavunga, Thembisile Madyibi, Charmain Plummer, Nofezile Mjikelo, Archie Diniso and Nkosiphendulo Ngundze.
In an effort to celebrate living legends, the Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum in Lwandle has nominated seven residents who made an impact on the development of the area.
The museum is currently commissioning portraits at the Old Lwandle Hostels to honour them. The project started on Wednesday 24 January and is expected to be completed at the end of February. Some of those honoured are Ephraim Nyongwana, Ndlela Mavungavunga, Thembisile Madyibi, Charmain Plummer, Nofezile Mjikelo, Archie Diniso and Nkosiphendulo Ngundze.
Ward Councillor Xolani Diniso described the project as part of celebrating their heritage. He said drawings are going to uplift the image of the hostels and they felt there was a need to celebrate these legends while they are still alive instead of after their death.
“We don’t want to honour leaders coming from other areas or political leaders. We want to celebrate our people. People that we can relate to or know. This is part of our history,” he said.
Diniso emphasised that all the people that are selected played pivotal roles in the development of the community. He said some of them were influential during the struggle.
“People like Nofezile Mjikelo were very influential during the apartheid era. She was among the women who fought against the apartheid regime to fight for women and children to come to hostels. Remember, hostels were built for men working in construction around Lwandle. At that time women and children were not allowed. If a child wants to see or visit his father they have to make an appointment seven days before and they will see his or her father for only two hours,” explained Diniso.
One of the legends, Ngundze said he was excited about the honour. However, he stated that it was not about him as an individual but as a collective leadership that he was working with. “Our objective was simple to fight for a change. We were fighting for the betterment of our living conditions. We wanted hostels to be transformed into family homes. We were not fighting for our self-enrichment,” said Ngundze.
He expressed concern about the state of current leadership.
Explaining how the artists were selected,, Diniso said the museum had opened for applications for local artists and only two were selected. One of the local artists Wellington Myona described his involvement in the project as a dream come true. He said he didn’t take his participation lightly.
“This is a history in the making. I’m happy to be part of history because these paintings are going to stay here for years. It is going to be a good example for our future generation,” said Myona.
