Forty Villages May Change Name
NELSPRUIT- A geographical names committee has been set up in the densely populated Bushbuckridge area and is expected to consider changing the names of about 40 villages.
Bushbuckridge, which was recently transferred from Limpopo to Mpumalanga, has a population of about a million, most of whom live in deep rural villages.
"We are expecting many people to come forward and raise their concerns as we have realised that many villages' names have to be changed because they have no meaning or relation to their historical backgrounds," said Zondi Mkhabele of Bushbuckridge local municipality.
He said the name of Bushbuckridge itself could change.
At a recent public meeting, an elderly resident called Mabel Nkuna, 79, suggested that Bushbuckridge's name be changed to Khwahlamba and that a statue be erected in honour of King Ma'nyeleti.
She said Bushbuckridge was the name of the first police station that was built by white people on Masana hill in the early 19th century because the nearest police station at the time was 25 km away in Graskop.
She said King Ma'nyeleti was a great leader who led four peoples - the Mahlangana, Swazi, Mapulane and Tsonga- and that he had referred to the area as Khwahlamba. She said the king's ancestors also had used this name.
"Ma'nyeleti was one of the kings in the Mnisi royal kingdom who fought with whites in the Lebombo and Drakensberg mountains and who also summoned thundering rain when there was drought," said Nkuna.
She said the drought had stretched from Mashishing to Pilgrim's Rest, Bushbuckridge and even Badplaas.
Nkuna explained that the king was friends with King Sekhukhune of the Pedi people during the Anglo-Boer war and helped hide some of his people.
She said Ma'nyeleti was killed when a bull elephant trampled him.
She said Ma'nyeleti literally meant "the shooting star" because a star fell from the sky the night he was born in a kraal, less than a kilometre from where the Kruger National Park and Manyeleti Game Reserves are today.
Nkuna said the name of the game reserve should be corrected to Ma'nyeleti instead of Manyeleti.
Bushbuckridge, which was recently transferred from Limpopo to Mpumalanga, has a population of about a million, most of whom live in deep rural villages.
"We are expecting many people to come forward and raise their concerns as we have realised that many villages' names have to be changed because they have no meaning or relation to their historical backgrounds," said Zondi Mkhabele of Bushbuckridge local municipality.
He said the name of Bushbuckridge itself could change.
Name of police station
At a recent public meeting, an elderly resident called Mabel Nkuna, 79, suggested that Bushbuckridge's name be changed to Khwahlamba and that a statue be erected in honour of King Ma'nyeleti.
She said Bushbuckridge was the name of the first police station that was built by white people on Masana hill in the early 19th century because the nearest police station at the time was 25 km away in Graskop.
She said King Ma'nyeleti was a great leader who led four peoples - the Mahlangana, Swazi, Mapulane and Tsonga- and that he had referred to the area as Khwahlamba. She said the king's ancestors also had used this name.
"Ma'nyeleti was one of the kings in the Mnisi royal kingdom who fought with whites in the Lebombo and Drakensberg mountains and who also summoned thundering rain when there was drought," said Nkuna.
She said the drought had stretched from Mashishing to Pilgrim's Rest, Bushbuckridge and even Badplaas.
Nkuna explained that the king was friends with King Sekhukhune of the Pedi people during the Anglo-Boer war and helped hide some of his people.
'Shooting star'
She said Ma'nyeleti was killed when a bull elephant trampled him.
She said Ma'nyeleti literally meant "the shooting star" because a star fell from the sky the night he was born in a kraal, less than a kilometre from where the Kruger National Park and Manyeleti Game Reserves are today.
Nkuna said the name of the game reserve should be corrected to Ma'nyeleti instead of Manyeleti.
Labels: bushbuckridge, hoedspruit, manyeleti, restitution
posted by Kruger2Canyons.com at
Friday, October 06, 2006
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