In the steps of the Cradock Four
Apart of South Africa’s history that mustn’t be lost is how researcher Brian Wilmot describes a landscape that many historians consider to be the epicentre of anti-apartheid resistance. Many hold the July 1985 assassination of the Cradock Four – Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkhonto and Sicelo Mhlauli – as the turning point that set South Africa inevitably on course for our first democratic election on 27 April 1994.
Making sure that the history doesn’t get lost is a book published by the National English Literary Museum (NELM) and launched there earlier this year – In the Footsteps of James Calata and Matthew Goniwe: a tour of Lingelihle township, Cradock.
“I started my research and information gathering about four years back,’ said compiler Brian Wilmot. He is the Curator of Schreiner House in Cradock.
“Three things stimulated me. The first was reading Michael Tetelman’s book ( We Can! Black Politics in Cradock, South Africa, 1948-1985), the second was listening to Judge Chris Nicholson (author of Permanent Removal – who killed the Cradock Four) when he spoke at a Schreiner: Karoo Writers Festival some years back, and the third was when a tour of Lingelihle was included in the Schreiner: Karoo Writers Festival programme.
“There was so much general interest and so much firstperson anecdotal information in circulation about Lingelihle - particularly the part that was erased by Apartheid – it seemed natural to put together a publication.
“My years in the museum world taught me that publishing is vital for the preservation of knowledge and that it must be presented in forms accessible to both the present and future generations
“Like many communities, Cradock is under-resourced with individuals who can be on call for visitors seeking in- formation. Nothing can replace a well-informed guide, but at least the booklet means people can find their own way round if necessary. The booklet is also designed to assist locals to share the relevant information with interested visitors.”
He added that, although this modest publication could not compare with Michael Tetelman’s major study, it would hopefully make the history more accessible to more people.
Ultimately, he hoped that the publication will arouse interest and stimulate more people to track down the lost heritage of the old Cradock location, preserving it for future generations.
“This publication must be seen as merely the start of a longer and more important process of preserving knowledge,” Wilmot said.
The wheels had already been set in motion – many residents offering a great deal of assistance with gathering and sharing information.
The publisher
The National English Literary Museum publishes works (usually by its own staff members) which fulfil the organisation’s strategic objective to promote the discovery, understanding and enjoyment of South African literary and cultural heritage. This new book fits the bill on all scores.
“We are proud of Schreiner House – our satellite museum,” said Nelm director Beverley Thomas, “and we support Curator Brian Wilmot’s initiatives in the service of the Cradock community.
“Nelm published his A Literary Walking Tour of Old Cradock and welcomes his most recent work, In the Footsteps of James Calata and Matthew Goniwe, a tour of Lingelihle Township, Cradock. It will assist local tourism, it has recovered knowledge that was virtually lost, it contributes to shared understanding across groups, and it has given the Lingelihle community a fresh insight into the value of the past.
“More than a straightforward tour guide, it also contains key passages from seminal works on the subjects dealt with. Examples include Michael Tetelman’s We Can! Black Politics in Cradock, South Africa, 1948-1985 and Chris Nicholson’s Permanent Removal – who killed the Cradock Four.
“Because the new book is brief and presented in an easyto-read format, with lots of pictures, we believe it will introduce more readers to texts they might otherwise not attempt to read.
“Possibly the most important aspect of the work is the inclusion of first-person recollections of life in ‘Black’ Cradock – hitherto unheard, unpublished, unread. This has already encouraged the contributors to revisit their memories, re-value them and appreciate the importance of sharing them.”
Photographs
There are more than 50 photographs in the booklet.
The Goniwe and Calata families kindly gave permission for the reproduction of superb portraits of James Calata and Matthew Goniwe. Neither is in general circulation.
Iconic copyright protected photographs from Cradock’s recent past are included in the booklet.
Chris Marais’ powerful portrait of the Cradock Four widows in front of the four concrete slabs of the monument is one of them.
There are two timeless images of the Cradock Four funeral – one in colour showing Beyers Naude and Alan Boesak lifted shoulder high by the crowds; the other a monochrome shot of the banners and the enormous crowd with coffins at the graveside.
These crucial historical records are counterbalanced by precious snapshots from the private collections of people who once lived in Magqubeni. Dog-eared, foxed, faded, they speak louder than words of real people living ordinary lives.
“We are very proud to be able to identify many of the people in these pictures,” said Wilmot. “This kind of personal detail is what the booklet is about.”
The panoramic cover photograph (by Stephen Mullineux) sets the scene. It was taken from where white citizens of Cradock stood to watch the Cradock Four funeral which was attended by an estimated 60 000 people. Mullineux ‘stitched’ together several photographs to achieve the final image.
He also took most of the contemporary shots of buildings and sites that accompany the tour route commentary.
Maps
There are two maps in the booklet. The route map for the tour is reproduced twice – once facing the first page of the tour commentary, and a second time on the back page.
“We did this for ease of reference,” explained Catherine Knox. “Driving the route, you need to be able to get to the map quickly without flipping back through the book.”
The second map – a reconstruction of old Magqubeni – is a triumph of knowledge recovery. A map is a poignant reminder of a community that once lived.
But were there any contemporary maps of Magqubeni? When it was erased off the face of Cradock as part of the apartheid project, many documents pertaining to the settlement were also destroyed or “lost”.
Brian Wilmot set about retracing the places so many people called home by talking to people who lived there.
“There were three main landmarks to go by,” he explained. “The concrete block that was part of the tap stand, the palm tree where Rooi Willem’s front yard once was, and the pine tree and foundations that mark the position of the municipal offices where rents had to be paid.”
Stephen Mullineux oblig- ingly allowed himself to be hoisted up in the municipal cherry-picker to take aerial photographs of the earth-scar that once was Magqubeni. The device sways ominously when it is fully extended but Stephen managed to hold his camera steady. (One of these shots appears in the booklet with the map.)
Michael Allens (who grew up in Magqubeni) then spent a good deal of time with Wilmot, walking the site and studying Mullineux’s photographs. The two checked and revised a series of sketch maps constructed on the photographs, the main landmarks and other traces of structural evidence.
Professional cartographer Amy Coetzer then pulled it all together into a map that has been checked and affirmed by people like Allens.
Design
The aim was to produce a publication appropriate to the subject matter and the years of work that had gone into it, said Catherine Knox. Hence the large format.
At the same time the booklet should appear friendly and be very easy to use.
It falls naturally into two parts – the first being the commentary on the tour itself. A lot of pictures have been included as identification guide and large type has been used to make it easy to read en route.
The second part consists of background information, shared by various voices. These recollections are followed by the bibliography and list of further readings which could open the door to further discoveries for people whose interest has hopefully been piqued.
“We dropped the type size down a bit for this second section to make space for all the precious old pictures we were determined to include because they speak louder than words,” said Knox.
The booklet ensures sustainability of this tour which is a financially and psychologically enriching cultural/historical tourism resource for the Cradock community. With the booklet, accurate information about the route is permanently on-call for visitors and non-expert tour guides.
In addition, the booklet has shown the local community the value of private memories and memorabilia – inspiring those who lived through the apartheid era to revisit their experiences and share them. This reinforces a pride in identity. It could also serve as the first step to creating a site museum for Magqubeni, the township that was erased in the 1960s.
In the Footsteps of James Calata and Matthew Goniwe, a tour of Lingelihle Township, Cradock is available for R120 (incl) VAT from Schreiner House bookshop in Cradock (048 881 5251, nelm.org.za) MORE ABOUT THE CRADOCK
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