Imagine what Amanzimtoti looked like more than 100 years ago? One man who can give us a little insight into that, is Felekisi resident, Dr Bheki Jonathan ‘Nkonka weFuse’ Gasa, whose family has a link to the area that stretches over 150 years.
Legend has it his great grandfather was one of King Shaka’s commander-in-chiefs, who was with him when he penetrated Pondoland. It is possible he was given land for his war efforts when they passed through Toti on their way south. His farm or ‘kraal’ was where Toti High is built now. “It stretched to Elgro Centre and the Little Amanzimtoti River. His cattle kraal was where Seadoone Mall is now,” said Dr Gasa.
“My great grandfather was a big shot. He had 10 wives, many of whom were daughters of local chiefs in the area like Mkhize.”
His grandfather, who was part of the Dlokwe Regiment initiated by Dingaan, inherited the farm. His father, Mpumeleli John Gasa, was born in January1885 in the Toti area and attended school at ‘Jubilee’ (Adams Mission station). He taught at the old Anglican Church school at St Bride’s Mission in Umkomaas, where Craigieburn is situated now. He served with the armed forces in both World Wars and achieved the rank of Lance-Corporal.
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The family lost their land and farm with the forced removal of non-whites in 1913 and to this day the family has not received any compensation. “In those days the boundary line was the railway – the whites lived on the seaside and the all the land west was where the blacks lived. With the forced removal, the blacks were moved to Felekisi and many were dumped further inland in the veld.”
Dr Gasa was born in Umzinto and attended St Anne’s school. He lived for most of his adult life in Umlazi, however many of his relatives continued to live in Bhekuwandle, where his grandfather is buried.
He worked as a male nurse in the mining town hospitals upcountry, before returning to Durban to take up a post in health for the City of Durban. He also taught first aid, with many of his trainees ending up in permanent employ in healthcare. He was then offered a position at Mangosuthu Technikon and founded the community development unit.
He organised a programme for the AmaKosi and indunas to introduce what development looks like at the technikon.
He travelled a lot and was involved with the adult learning centres in Calgary, Canada. He was awarded a doctorate in recognition of his work at the tecknikon.
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He was also extensively involved in Scouts – both land and sea. Together with the late Ambrose Mazibuko of KwaMashu, Dr Gasa started the Scout movement in Umlazi, the 1st Umlazi Mission Scout Group under the Anglican Church. “What we achieved with the Scouts we did it from our hearts, as we had regular jobs. Our group went on to win many national awards. The first Springbok Scout was from our group as well the first first-class Scout to attend a Wolrd Jamboree in Oslo, Norway.”
Dr Gasa also rose through the church ranks, becoming a senior church warden and bishop’s representative under three different bishops – Thomas Inman, Phillip Russel and Michael Nuttall.
He is also a former board member of the Seed of Hope organisation. He eventually moved back home to Toti and his homestead is a stone throw away from his family’s ancestral land. “I only moved back to Felekisi to inhale the atmosphere of where my grandfather is buried.”
Extract from the bishop’s newsletter on the death of John Gasa – Bishop Suffragan’s letter:
I knew John Gasa when I was priest-in-charge of Springvale Mission and he was living in the St Faith’s area. Whenever I visited the Gumatana outstation he accompanied me on foot for the last three miles over which a truck could not traverse. His grandfather had been a general in Shaka’s army which had penetrated into Pondoland.
As we walked he would point out to me where the army had crossed the Umzimkulu River whilst it was in flood, and told me how Shaka had sent one regiment to cross much further up so as to attack from the rear. The hill on which the battle took place is called the ‘Hill of Bones’ to this day, for there was heavy defeat for their opponents and human bones are still to be found on the hill.
I knew him as a very faithful and devout lay minister who, together with his wife, exercised a role of leadership in the congregation at Gumatana. He leaves a wife Alvinah (nee Duli), a married son Jonathan, who himself is a lay minister, church warden and Sunday School superintendent and is attached to the children’s education division of the diocese.
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