‘Day should have been marked in KwaLanga’

Langa Massacre Foundation chair Nicholas Malgas lambasted the provincial government for commemorating Human Rights Day in Ugie instead of KwaLanga.

Malgas said they were hurt by the move to shift the main event because it was agreed in 2018 that premier Phumulo Masualle would be in KwaLanga this year.

“[This] has extremely hurt [us] and reopened the wounds of the beneficiaries and survivors,” he said.

This comes as political parties in Nelson Mandela Bay commemorated Human Rights Day by highlighting the plight of ordinary citizens, with the DA marching in the northern areas.

On March 21 1985, on the 25th anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre, police opened fire on a crowd of people gathered on Maduna Road between Uitenhage and KwaLanga township, killing more than 20 people and wounding many others.

“I want to express to the government that the massacre took place in KwaLanga, thus history will never change.

“I must also raise it very sharply that those who think and believe that they will kill this history of Uitenhage for no apparent reason are in for a high ride,” Malgas said.

“We will forever commemorate those fallen heroes and heroines of Uitenhage.”

Malgas said most of the survivors and their families lived in appalling conditions. “We want education and work for our children and housing.”

An event to honour the victims of the massacre started with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Langa Massacre Memorial in Maduna Road.

A prayer session was then held at the Langa grave in KwaNobuhle before heading to the Jabavu Stadium.

Provincial spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said he was not aware of an agreement that the provincial commemoration would be held in Langa instead of Ugie.

● The DA marched to the Bethelsdorp police station where the party handed over a memorandum calling for a second station to be built in the area.

Addressing the crowd, DA MPL Bobby Stevenson said no community should live in fear and with power going off, crime was likely to rise.

“More calls are made to 10111 from the Bethelsdorp community area than any other in the Eastern Cape.”

DA Eastern Cape leader Nqaba Bhanga questioned why children in the northern areas should continue living in fear.

“I was born in Kwazakhele, I thought I knew what violence is, I thought I knew what crime was but it is nothing compared to what the people of the northern areas are experiencing every day,” Bhanga said.