Bohirima Bophirima

ATEMELANG

The story of an old man's lifelong struggle for a place in the sun, where he can work and live, while building a future for his children, is also the sad story of Atamelang and other townships, created by the Apartheid government.

Directions

Take the Vryburg road from Mafikeng. At Setlogole turn left and continue for 25km.

A major reason for the relocation of black people during the 1960s and 1970s was to remove black spots. Townships were deproclaimed and residents were relocated to new townships and Bantustan's.

Atamelang was established in 1970 to house people forcefully removed from Delareyville, Schweizer Renecke, Ottosdal, Jan Kempdorp, Stella and Migdol.

The story of Mmolawa Josiah Kgonare, however, began 50 years earlier. When he was a mere four years old, his parents and four other families decided they were no longer prepared to work for white farmers. They packed their ox wagons and started a journey to the west. In 1922 they arrived at a spot appropriate for grazing their 500 head of cattle and 2,500 head of sheep. They called it Manonyane "because chasing away the hundreds of birds feeding on the maize crops kept the children busy all day."

The five family leaders set off for Lichtenburg to purchase the land. After having sold some of their cattle and paid for the land, they went home with a purchase note for a farm with a radius of 50km.

White farmers also started migrating to the west, crowding the black farmers in. The blacks realised that pressure would be put on them and in 1931 their worst fears came true. They were told that a certain lawyer, known as Captain Frank, had misappropriated funds and that their purchase of the land was invalid.

The government divided the property into 150 morgen areas and allowed each family to lease one portion. The Kgonare family was led to understand that they had to pay a 12-pound levy per annum for 12 years after which the property would be theirs.

Another 40 families were given land under the same agreement. Because of a lack of grazing fields, the once well-off farmers were forced to sell most of their animals.

However, that was not the end of the saga. In 1961, government officials of the new Republic of South Africa told the farmers that the new government was not party to the lease agreement and therefore considered it worthless.

The fact that the 12-year levy period was long gone, was completely ignored. The area was once again sub-divided, this time into small portions of only 9 morgen. The 45 families had to demolish their houses and move into one area now called Middleton C. People from other areas in the then Western Transvaal were relocated to adjacent Middleton A and B.

The real struggle for survival then began. There was not enough land to plant any crops, let alone land for grazing. Those who could not get jobs in towns or cities were doomed to live below the breadline.

In 1970 the town of Atamaleng was proclaimed on the land withheld in 1931. Forty-five families have already handed in claims to the Land Restitution Commission for the 150 morgen they lost.

The 85-year-old Kgonare believes he is too old to carry on the fight for the whole farm purchased in 1922.

Historical Sites

The footprints of man

At a village called Sion, about 30km from Atamaleng on the road to Mareetsane is the Mount of Zion (Thaba Sione), a rocky hill, strewn with 144 Bushmen rock engravings. Villagers believe it is the spot where man took his first steps on earth. A human footprint has been removed and apparently kept in a museum. Once a year the villagers gather on this hill to pray for rain.