Resident Nyathikazi Mnyimba explained that Mfuleni was among the last areas created under apartheid’s Group Areas Act, with people forcibly relocated from places such as Gordon’s Bay, Simon’s Town, and Firgrove. Pride and pain mingled on Saturday as Mfuleni residents gathered at Manzomthombo Primary School sports field to mark 50 years since the township’s establishment. While the historic milestone brought celebration, it also laid bare a harsh reality that 31 years into democracy,Mfuleni still lacks basic services such as reliable electricity, water, sanitation, proper housing, and most critically, safety.
Mfuleni still lacks basic services such as reliable electricity, water, sanitation, proper housing, and most critically, safety. During the celebrations, several residents admitted that they have yet to experience the promised “fruits of freedom”, with many saying they have only heard about a better life for all, but have not lived it. The government was criticised for failing to ensure that the people of Mfuleni fully enjoy the democracy secured by the sacrifices of past heroes and heroines.
Seventy-six-year-old veteran resident Nyathikazi Mnyimba shared a reflective account of Mfuleni’s history, describing it as a story of both joy and sorrow. She explained that Mfuleni was among the last areas created under apartheid’s Group Areas Act, with people forcibly relocated from places such as Gordon’s Bay, Simon’s Town, and Firgrove. “We were a mixture of coloureds and black Africans,” she said.
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Mnyimba recalled that the population was once small, with about 130 houses serving roughly 160 people. “There was no development, but there was order,” she said.
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