In the running for the second year, local NPO Amagugu held an event in Wattville for residents to know more about the township.
“This year we partnered with the Ekurhuleni Metro and we hope that the youth will take the baton to continue the legacy of keeping the establishment of Wattville alive,” said Mabel Thape of the NPO.
“The NPO aims to preserve the treasures of Wattville and we hope that when tourists leave the airport or even during their stay in Johannesburg, that they will make a trip to Wattville to look at our valuables.”
The event was held at the Mabuya Park and paid homage to the fallen heroes, Harry Mabuya and Herminah Mmule Mpakanyane whose tombstones are placed at the entrance of the township.
The City Times wrote an article about Mabuya in 2016 and his involvement in Wattville:
Harry Mabuya was born in Bergville, Natal in 1906. As a youngster of 12, he came to Benoni with his parents. He later began his career as a businessman by opening a hairdresser and shop, followed by an undertaker’s business, a restaurant and his own bus service.
In 1945 he achieved prominence by forming his “African Housing and Rates Board”, the reputed object of which was to find housing for families living under shocking conditions.
Mabuya persuaded people to leave the slums and encouraged them to set up tents and shacks on a piece of vacant ground on council property west of the location (present-day Wattville).
History provided to the youth stated that Wattville started as a small township with 400 houses and grew to about 2000 in the 1950s.
Situated alongside the ‘Old Location’ now known as Etwatwa, the township became a place for any overflow population residents who chose to move ‘overline’ to the newly built formal housing units.
Not only did Wattville and Etwatwa become a lively hub, but it also house Oliver Reginald Tambo hence the establishment of Tambo Memorial Site located South East side of the township, Caiphus Semenya and ANC veteran Hermina Mmule Mpakanyane.
Mpakanyane was found dead at her home in Dube Street, Wattville, on October 13, 2016. Benoni Saps spokesperson Capt Nomsa Sekele said a tenant saw that the burglar bars of the window into Mpakanyane’s bedroom were tampered with; the tenant then went inside to see what was going on and the veteran was found with a piece of cloth in her mouth and a scarf tied around her head, covering the cloth.
The post-mortem revealed she was suffocated to death and raped. Nothing was stolen from the 86 year old’s house when police attended the scene. The challenge passed on to the youth is that they too acknowledge those who enhanced the township and teach others about the history of Wattville.
“I am 62 years old. I involved the youth in helping me to set up today (September 24), but the goal is to have the youth host this event next heritage day,” Thape said.
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