Fallen soldiers of World War I honoured in Klipriviersoog
Descendants of SS Mendi soldiers share their stories and legacy, keeping the memory of their ancestors alive.
The office of the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) speaker and the South African Legion (SAL) Soweto branch held the annual memorial service at Avalon Cemetery, Klipriviersoog, to commemorate the soldiers who died on February 21, 1917, during World War I.
At least 615 members of the South African Native Labour Contingent perished when the SS Mendi ship, carrying over 800 soldiers, was rammed by the merchant ship SS Darro and sank 25 minutes later.
This tragic event is commemorated annually on February 21 as Mendi Day, a day of remembrance for the lives lost.
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Members of the SAL from various branches in Soweto, families of the soldiers, including widows, children and grandchildren, and the Joburg speaker, Nobuhle Mthembu, attended the service.
Sarah Makhanda, daughter of Ben Khumalo, a soldier, shared her family’s legacy.
“We are staying in the same houses given to the families of the soldiers. We are the product of those soldiers and what they fought for.”
Makhanda feels blessed to have had her father return from the war, allowing her to continue his legacy.
Mpho Mohapi, a grandchild of a former soldier from the Dube branch, shared her knowledge of the Legion’s history.
“Our grandfathers went to fight in World War II. Later, the Legion provided them with houses built on five streets, made of asbestos.”
Mohapi’s grandfather told her stories about the massacres that happened during the war, and she also accessed information from books and the internet.
When asked how they will preserve history and ensure the next generation becomes knowledgeable about the events, Phumla Hata said, “Slowly but surely, we will get there.
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“We will gain a deeper understanding of our grandparents and the SS Mendi and be able to document it for the next generation.”
Mthembu said sometimes her generation does not get access to historical information that in 1917 the country lost South Africans at sea.
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She said on days like this, the nation should reflect that and remember that fellow South Africans lost their lives.
“They were on their way to France to assist in the war. The country never commemorated people who died at sea.
They never even received any medals. Some soldiers received medals from their countries, like men from Lesotho and from Swaziland,” she continued.
She also reflected on the country’s recent loss of 14 soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
