Former President Thabo Mbeki visits Alex with bags of goodies for the gogos
Alexandra's favourite son-in-law Thabo Mbeki marks his 81st birthday with a visit to his in-laws with bags of goodies for the gogos in typical African traditions.
Former President Thabo Mbeki, a son-in-law of the township of Alexandra, marked his 81st birthday with a visit to his special kasi that provided him with a special wife by the name of Zanele.
In typical African custom as uMkhwenyana [a son-in-law], Mbeki, who celebrated his birthday at the Joburg Theatre on June 20, did not come empty-handed to his in-laws. He brought with him bags of goodies and cakes for the elderly of Phuthaditjaba-Qoqizizwe Centre on 17th Avenue.
The centre- which cares for the elderly men and women of the former glorious township that was well-known for its rhythmic vibe of song and dance and for being the doyen of theatrical arts and its sporting prowess- is run by the father of the township and one of its foremost philanthropists, Linda Twala.
Phuthaditjaba, as it is famously known in Sesotho which means ‘take care of the various linguistic nations’, is home to speakers of the various African languages in South Africa and provides the elderly with meals on a daily basis.
Twala is not just a philanthropist but is an avid human rights activist from his youth days right up to the present day and had his home destroyed in 1986 by a bomb blast which was the work of the apartheid police who often accused him of harbouring the freedom fighters of the ANC.
His house and the Phuthaditjaba Centre are both galleries and museums filled with a collection of memorabilia from a number of world leaders and statesmen that have visited, including Bill Clinton, and Nelson Mandela. Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma, and many other local dignitaries including the late Ingonyama YamaZulu King Zwelithini KaBhekuZulu.
MaMbeki, as Zanele is fondly known, lived with her family on 7th Avenue and her father ran a church on 9th Avenue. “I am delighted that ‘uMkhwenyana wethu’ [our son-in-law] in Alexandra and the Thabo Mbeki Foundation remembered us on his birthday and this means a lot not just to Phuthaditjaba but the entire community of the township.
“I would like to urge him to help us agitate for the Frankenwold land so we can build our own township university for our children and also decongest the overcrowded township by settling other residents on that piece of land,” was Twala’s appeal.
Related Article:
Two men arrested for allegedly selling space cookies to Alex learners
Alex remembers the fallen heroes of the 1976 student massacre
