Alexandra is the most fortunate township in the whole of South Africa to have housed and given birth to many leaders of the liberation struggle, and ultimately government icons in the new democratic dispensation.
Alex was not just lucky to be the home of numerous political leaders, but was home to all presidents of the post-apartheid state, with the exception of the incumbent, Jacob Zuma.
Thabo Mbeki is also an Alexandrian by virtue of his marriage to Zanele Dlamini, whose family home is in Alexandra and one of those first properties to have had its title deeds restored.
Nelson Mandela was the first to be accommodated by the Xhoma family in 7th Avenue, corner Richard Baloyi Street, before going on to buy a property that he later sold due to apartheid shenanigans which ultimately led to the regime usurping property rights from blacks.
Revered South African Communist leader JB (John Beaver) Marks was among many other ANC leaders who also owned a home in the township, which he also relinquished before going into exile. This included Oliver Tambo, whose property was expropriated in absentia while he was in exile in Lusaka, Zambia.
Joe Nhlanhla; Richard Baloyi; Pan-Africanist Congress stalwart, Josias Madzunya; former ANC secretary general and cabinet minister, Alfred Nzo; Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Obed Bapela; former President Kgalema Motlanthe; former Arts and Culture Minister and Gauteng ANC leader, Paul Mashatile; and many more too numerous to mention, all once lived in Alexandra.
Alexandra’s luck did not just end there. Former and first President of Mozambique and that country’s liberation struggle soldier icon, Samora Machel also lived in Alexandra when he fled the Portuguese regime in what used to be Portuguese East Africa.
What is interesting here is that despite the horde of all these leaders having come from Alexandra, none of them ever lifted a finger to improve their former home when they got into power. The Alexandra Land and Property Owners Association had to needlessly go to court to sue for the restoration of property rights, yet it was well known and overwhelmingly documented that there were once omastende [stand owners] in the township, which many leaders were now denying.
What is the use of having a constituency of leaders who come from your area, yet that community which bore the leaders does not benefit from their sacrifices of having reared their sons and daughters for top office.
It’s often said the reason they do not want to see Alexandra move away from the filth, the grime, the dilapidation, the crime, the poverty and unemployment to prosperity is simply because they benefit from the status quo. It is alleged that they go all over the world and use Alexandra to canvass for funds which they bring back in full bags and suitcases – that are pocketed and never get to improve Alexandra. Instead, when seeking justification for the funds, they then sponsor a student here and a student there with lousy bursary funds that really do nothing improve the lot of Alexandra.
Alexandra is still infested with rats but when they want to siphon off money, they then initiate unworkable programmes that never see the light of day, let alone success.
One example is the City of Johannesburg which closed the Alexandra Stadium for more than half a year on the pretext that it was being renewed or redeveloped, but all they did in that entire half a year was a lousy splash of paint on old and dilapidated offices and ablution blocks for the players’ dressing rooms.
What happened to the resurfacing of the ground, laying new grass, erecting a higher fence to save team balls from passing in the streets, erection of new office blocks and additional stands and the general beautification of the stadium? No wonder they were steadfast in refusing to disclose how much they were going to spend on the project. Rumour has it that certain ‘people’ even helped themselves to some of the paint and other supplies that were being stored there.
