Commemoration of Mamelodi Massacre Day should be changed, residents cry

The name of the so-called Mamelodi massacre day should be changed to foster unity in Mamelodi.

This was the call of Mamelodi residents who came together with families of fallen heroes and heroines during a visit to the graves of their loved ones who died fighting for freedom.

They gathered at Mamelodi cemetery to clean the graves and trace the footsteps of the protesters against high municipal rates on November 21, 1985 and those who fought against the apartheid regime before and after the Mamelodi massacre day, commemorated on November 21.

Donald Mothwa, co-ordinator of Mamelodi massacre day said on that day, 13 people, including a four-month-old Trocia Ndlovu, were mercilessly killed when the combined SA Defence Force and SA police opened fire on the mainly women protesters.

The women were protesting peacefully against high rent and service charges, the banning of funerals in the township and the deployment of the defence force in the township.

Many residents now want November 21 to be a unifying day for all in Mamelodi and not protest things past.

“We must first make sure families of heroes and heroines all fall under one shelter, and we don’t separate any family from the other,” said Mothwa.

“We want to celebrate the day by comforting families of the victims, clean graves and have a session of interaction and reflection with the organisers and families.

“We want to create a platform where we can talk about the days we lost loved ones and listen to the families telling their stories.”

Families who lost loved ones on that day include the Makgatho, KwaNdebele, Black Friday, Makhatho, Maseko and Solomon Mahlangu families.

“We believe if all these families are able to unite, many outstanding things including the Truth Reconciliation Commission, family members who went missing up to date can help those families find closure,” said Mothwa.

“We can achieve all that only if we are united and become the pressure point in Mamelodi in finding the truth, know what really happened to the fallen heroes and heroines using government resources.”

He further encouraged the families of fallen heroes and heroines to start sharing their stories with other families who are also victims of the apartheid regime.

Adolph Maboko and Louis Khumalo (72), organisers of the march of 1985, said it was a peaceful march composed of only elderly people.

They said on that fateful morning, the defence force and police opened fire on protesters marching to the then Mamelodi Town Council office to present a memorandum.

“The protesters gathered at Putco in Mamelodi East in the early hours and peacefully marched to address social issues, crime and high rent until the police started shooting.

The apartheid system should have allowed them to hand over the memorandum but it decided to go on a rampage and many people lost their lives,” said Maboko.

Linah Ndlovu (55), the mother of Trocia, who died after inhaling teargas, said she remembered the day as if it were yesterday.

“I am sure that if my daughter had not lost her life, she could have been somebody today,” said Ndlovu.

Annah Maseko, the wife of the late Ezekiel Maseko, who died in the Church Street bombing on May 20, 1983, said after his death they were terrorised by the police demanding answers from them almost daily.

“After the funeral of my husband the police came and arrested me leaving my children behind for no apparent reason and I spent three months at the central prison,” Maseko said.

She encouraged the others to share their stores because “a lot of people know nothing about the history of Mamelodi”.

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