The Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum in taking on a special project to celebrate the living legends of the community. The museum has nominated seven individuals who have made a significant impact on the development of the area.
The project, which began on Wednesday, January 24th, involves commissioning portraits at the Old Lwandle Hostels to honour these individuals. The portraits are expected to be completed by the end of February. Among those being honuored are Ephraim Nyongwana, Ndlela Mavungavunga, Thembisile Madyibi, Charmain Plummer, Nofezile Mjikelo, Archie Diniso, and Nkosiphendulo Ngundze.
Ward Councillor Xolani Diniso describes this project as a way of celebrating the heritage of the community. He believes that these drawings will uplift the image of the hostels and that it is important to honour these legends while they are still alive, rather than waiting until after their passing.
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Xolani emphasizes that all the selected individuals have played pivotal roles in the development of the community, with some even being influential during the struggle against apartheid. For instance, Nofezile Mjikelo was one of the women who fought against the apartheid regime to advocate for women and children to be allowed in the hostels.
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During the apartheid era, the hostels were exclusively for men working in construction around Lwandle. Women and children were not permitted to enter. If a child wanted to visit their father, they had to make an appointment seven days in advance and were only allowed to see him for two hours.
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One of the living legends, Nkosiphendulo Ngundze, expressed his excitement about being honoured. However, he emphasized that this recognition is not about him as an individual, but about the collective leadership he worked with. Their objective was simple: to fight for a change and improve their living conditions. Ngundze also expressed concern about the current state of leadership.
The selection of artists for this project was done through an application process. Two local artists, Wellington Myona being one of them, were chosen to create the portraits. Myona described his involvement in the project as a dream come true and expressed the significance of these paintings for future generations.
