Some 40 years after his death, the "Father of Soweto" finally owns his house - James Mpanza has been posthumously given the freehold title deeds.
JAMES "Sofasonke" Mpanza, the "Father of Soweto" as he is affectionately remembered, finally owns the Orlando East house he moved into in 1932.
Mpanza was posthumously given the freehold title deed to number 957 Phiyela Street by Executive Mayor Amos Masondo. The deeds were collected by his great grandson, Gideon Mpanza, on 14 May. Mpanza lived at the house until his death in 1970.
Great grandson Gideon Mpanza holds a picture of the late Mpanza
The two board members of the James Mpanza Legacy Foundation, Tshenolo Mokgele and Wesley Bocibo; his two grandchildren, Fikile and Nhlanhla Mpanza; and Gideon Mpanza gathered at the humble dwelling to speak of the man and his legacy.
Revered by many, Mpanza fought for decent housing and human rights; his Sofasonke Party was the first civic movement in the country.
Mokgele said: "In 2004, he was posthumously honoured by Executive Mayor Amos Masondo, along with Richard Maponya, Dr Nthato Motlana and Lillian Ngoyi in Soweto's centenary celebrations." In December 2009, he was awarded the Order of Luthuli in Gold, named after the former ANC president, Albert Luthuli.
"In January 2010, the family, along with the community, initiated his legacy project, the James Mpanza Legacy Foundation, to promote, preserve and educate the community on this prolific figure," said Bocibo.
Museum
The foundation's immediate objective is to turn the house, which has been declared a heritage site by the City of Johannesburg, into a museum. "The house has been nominated for provincial heritage status and features prominently on the Orlando tourism route," added Bocibo.
There are also other plans. Mokgele explained: "During the Heritage Month of September, the foundation will be hosting Mpanza's inaugural lecture, launching the Mpanza Arts Festival and celebrating the Order of Luthuli."
The foundation is appealing to the public for any material, whether print, electronic or artefacts belonging to Mpanza and the family to be donated back to the foundation. "I was young when my grandfather died but I will always remember him as a strict person who fought for the community," said Fikile.
Mpanza was born in 1889 in Georgedale, in KwaZulu-Natal, and was schooled in Amanzimtoti. He was the uncle of Roger and Reggie Ncgobo, the latter a famous attorney in the 1960s. In his 20s, Mpanza murdered an Indian merchant, who some alleged had been abusing black women.
Mpanza burnt the merchant inside his shop and was subsequently arrested and condemned to death at Pretoria Central Prison. While in jail, Mpanza converted to Christianity and preached to his fellow prisoners. He authored a book called The Christian Pathways. In 1927, after serving nine years, Mpanza was pardoned by the visiting Duke of Kent after he had written a letter to the English royal seeking clemency.
Orlando
After his release, he taught in Pretoria before settling in Bertrams, eastern Johannesburg in 1930. Housing became a problem because of the many migrant labourers and the Urban Areas Act that did not allow blacks to own houses or land in the city. They were later moved to Orlando, at the time a farm in the southwest of Joburg named after Orlando Leak, the first township administrator.
Board members of the James Mpanza Legacy Foundation plans to turn the house into a museum
Mpanza later served on the Orlando Advisory Board; he wrote numerous letters to the then minister of native affairs urging him to provide housing to subtenants, but to no avail.
In 1944, he led a group of homeless people to invade land and erected a squatter camp next to Orlando Stadium. The camp was called Masakeng, after the material used to erect the structures. Mpanza separated the site into four blocks and administered them without assistance from the authorities.
Today's minister of human settlements, Tokyo Sexwale, was born in Block Four. As a result of the squatting, in November 1944 legislation was passed that allowed the government to remove the squatters.
Two people died during a confrontation with police as they tried to evict the settlers. Mpanza, along with his wife, Julia, was arrested. While in prison, their baby, Dumisani, died. As a result, Mpanza suffered a heart attack in jail.
In 1945, the government provided a new site in Jabavu to accommodate the squatters, after Robert Oppenheimer visited Masakeng and loaned the city R6-million to build additional homes. Mpanza was sentenced to be deported back to KwaZulu-Natal, but in 1946 won his case on appeal.
His Sofasonke Party was the first civic movement in the country. It grew in stature and the people of Soweto revered his leadership, nicknaming the soccer team Orlando Pirates, "ezimnyama nge nkane, eza ka Magebula". "Ezimnyama nge nkane" refers to the colour of the Pirates' kit, which is black, and "eza ka Magebula" refers to Mpanza for taking over council land by force. Mpanza died in 1970.
For more information regarding the house and the foundation, contact Tshenolo Mokgele on 084 715 3896 or
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