Oral history: Representing the hidden, the untold and the veiled

202 Pages·2013·1.13 MB·English

ORAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION
OF SOUTH AFRICA

Oral history:
Representing the hidden,
the untold and the veiled

Proceedings of the Fifth and Sixth Annual National
Oral History Conference

East London, Eastern Cape (2008)
&
Cape Town, Western Cape (2009)

Editor
Christina Landman
© 2013 Research Institute for Theology and Religion
University of South Africa, P O Box 392, Pretoria, 0003 South Africa
First edition, first impression

ISBN 978-1-86888-736-1

Typesetting, typographical editing and final lay-out:
Nonnie Fouché, Research Institute for Theology and Religion,
University of South Africa

Cover design:
David Kahts
Department of Production
University of South Africa

Printed by:
Bontshi Business Services
PO Box 51248
Wierda Park
Centurion 0149

Acknowledgement:
A financial contribution by the Department of Arts and Culture made this
publication possible.

© 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in
any form or by any means – mechanical or electronic, including recordings or
tape-recording and photocopying – without the prior permission of the
publisher, excluding fair quotations for purposes of research or review.
The views expressed in this book are those of the authors of the papers
and not necessarily those of the Research Institute for Theology and Religion
or the University of South Africa.
Table of contents

Foreword vii-viii

Fifth Oral History Conference 2008
(East London, Eastern Cape)

Hidden voices, untold stories and veiled memories:
Oral history, representation and knowledge

Oral testimonies by former members of the Azanian National
Youth Unity (AZANYU): The sayable and unsayable in an oral
history interview 1-17
Tshepo Moloi
(“Local Histories and Present Realities” Programme, University of
the Witwatersrand)

The descendants of Mthimkhulu I 19-34
CM Lamla
(Department of Anthropology and Indigenous Knowledge Systems,
Walter Sisulu University)

Orality, literacy and succession disputes in contemporary
Ndzundza and Manala Ndebele Chieftaincies 35-48
Sekibakiba Peter Lekgoathi
(University of the Witwatersrand)

The role of letsema in community struggles: past and present 49-57
Refilwe Morongwa Ramagoshi
(Department of African Languages, University of Pretoria)

Oral history: The challenges of education 59-63
Mcebisi Blayi
(Sikhulule High School, Mdantsane, East London)

Memories of Fietas from the late 50s to the 70s. What was the
suburb of Vrededorp like during this period and how did the
people relate to one another? 65-83
Oluwadamilola Okunlola
(Department of Historical Studies, University of Johannesburg)
Sixth Oral History Conference 2009
(Cape Town, Western Cape)

The politics of collecting and curating voices

The problem of language in the explication and interpretation
of oral history 87-94
V Ngema
(Centre for Arts and Culture, University of Zululand)

“Too vulgar and socially embarrassing, yet exceptionally and
temporally acceptable”: Songs performed in the rituals of
passage to womanhood in rural KwaZulu-Natal 95-99
Themba Qwabe
(uMngeni Municipality Museums and Heritage Board)

On being a patient listener: Oral evidence and the historical
experience of hospital patients 101-108
Howard Phillips
(University of Cape Town)

Artefacts of memory: from the classroom through the archive
to public spaces 109-119
Patricia Watson
(University of the Witwatersrand, research fellow)

Words cast in stone:
building on a community museum methodology 121-125
Michael Ondaatje

Oral history and community development:
Exploring a community history approach 127-135
Derek du Bruyn
(National Museum, Bloemfontein)

Insider, outsider: negotiating the researcher’s position 137-151
Mxolisi Mchunu
(Msunduzi Museum, Pietermaritzburg)

Practising and teaching oral history in school 153-162
Rebotile Machaisa
(St Augustine College of South Africa, Johannesburg)

Memories of the Zimbabwean liberation struggle among
people from Bulilimamangwe District in the southwestern
parts of Zimbabwe 163-171
Thembani Dube
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg)

The role of women in the liberation struggle in the greater
Midlands area 173-184
C Bhekumusa Ngcobo
(Principal Archivist for Oral History, KwaZulu-Natal
Provincial Archives)

Teaching Oral History 185-192
Christina Landman
(University of South Africa)

Foreword

For the past 10 years the Oral History Association of South Africa (OHASA)
has hosted an annual conference on oral history research, funded by the
Department of Arts and Culture. This department also funds the publication
of the conference proceedings in three volumes, of which this is the second in
the series. The first volume was published in April 2013 and contained
papers of the 2006 OHASA Conference, held in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-
Natal. The theme of the conference was Culture, Memory and Trauma, and
the volume carries the same title.
This, then, is the second volume in this series, and it is entitled Oral
History: Representing the Hidden, the Untold and the Veiled. It contains
papers delivered at the 2008 and 2009 OHASA conferences. For technical
reasons, the 2007 conference papers are not available for publication.
The OHASA conferences rotate through the provinces, and in 2008 it
was the turn of the Eastern Cape, which meant that the conference was co-
hosted by the Eastern Cape Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Cul-
ture. The theme of the conference was Hidden Voices, Untold Stories and
Veiled Memories. The conference was a resounding success and enjoyed
great media attention. Many oral historians were in attendance and prominent
role-players in the political and academic fields of arts, culture and oral
history also participated. Prof Philippe Denis, then chairperson of OHASA,
opened the conference, which was held from 7 to 10 October 2008 in the
Regent Hotel in East London. The attendees were welcomed by Ms
N Abrahams Ntantiso, the MEC of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture of
the Eastern Cape. The keynote address was skilfully delivered by the then
Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture, Ms NGW Botha. The guest speaker on
the first day was Prof J Peires from the Walter Sisulu University, who spoke
on the subject of “Using Oral Traditions in the Writing of History: a Review
of the Methodology Evolved out of International Best Practice”. On the
second day, the guest speaker was Ms Pumla Madiba from the Commission
for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Culture, Religious and
Linguistic Communities, and her paper dealt with the difficult issue of
“Orality and the Conservation of Memory”. On the final day of the confe-
rence, the guest speaker, Prof Lungisile Ntsebeza from the University of
Cape Town, delivered a paper on “Land Rights of Rural Women in South
Africa: Do They Have a Voice?”. Ms Mandy Gilder, acting archivist of the
National Archives of South Africa, presented an informative paper on “The
UNESCO Heritage”, and three students from the Chief Ampie Mayisa High
School, namely D Madida, E Mabuza and M Ntshlintshali, gave a presen-
tation on “Community History Writing: Lessons, Issues and Concerns of
Chief Ampie Mayisa High School History Students”. The latter testifies to
the concern for and dedication towards training learners in the skills of oral
history. In this and the following conferences, space was made available for
learners who were trained in preparation for the conference and who presen-
ted their papers on oral history projects.
During this conference – which was the 5th OHASA Conference – no
less than 44 papers were read, of which 6 are published here, based on the
availability of the manuscripts.
In 2009, the 6th OHASA Conference was held in the Cape Province
from 13 to 16 October at the River Club in Observatory, Cape Town. The
theme was The Politics of Collecting and Curating Voices. An array of key-
note players in arts and culture were involved in the welcoming ceremony,
with the Minister of Arts and Culture, Lulu Xingwana, taking the lead. Also
participating was Paul Mashatile, the Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture,
Sakkie Jenner, the MEC for Cultural Affairs and Sport in the Western Cape,
and Dan Plato, the Executive Mayor of Cape Town. A final word of welcome
to the attendees came from Prof Sekhothe Mokgaotsana from the University
of Limpopo, who was the then chairperson of OHASA. The guest speaker
was Prof Phil Bonner from the History Workshop of the University of the
Witwatersrand, a veteran in oral history research in South Africa. Closing
reflections were made on the last day by Prof Sean Field from the Centre for
Popular Memory at the University of Cape Town.
At this conference, 36 papers were delivered, 11 of which are
published here – once again subject to the availability of the manuscripts.
In recent years the number of speakers and attendees at the OHASA
conferences has doubled and tripled. The papers published here testify to the
fact that oral history in South Africa has come of age and that relevant oral
history projects have been established all over the country. It is a milestone in
the history of OHASA that these papers can be published. A final word of
thanks must go to the Department of Arts and Culture for making this possi-
ble financially.

Prof Christina Landman
Editor
Research Institute for Theology and Religion
University of South Africa
Oral testimonies by former members of the
Azanian National Youth Unity (AZANYU):
The sayable and unsayable in an oral history interview1

Tshepo Moloi
“Local Histories and Present Realities” Programme,
University of the Witwatersrand

Introduction

In this paper I shall reflect on the oral testimonies by former members of
AZANYU in Thembisa Township, in the East Rand, South Africa. They
provide a rare view to the “hidden histories and untold stories” about the role
played by former members of AZANYU in the struggle for liberation in the
1980s and early 1990s. In this paper I will contend that the primary reason
for the under-documentation2 (ie hidden history or untold story) of the role of
AZANYU in the struggle against apartheid lies in the reluctance, if not out-
right refusal, by the former members of AZANYU to be interviewed about
their activities and about their organisation’s history. Furthermore, I will
demonstrate that the former members of AZANYU who had agreed to be
interviewed were themselves not willing to speak about some of the activities
they were directly or indirectly involved in. This was especially the case
when interviewing those members who, at a later stage, had joined the

1 This paper is drawn from my MA Research Report ‘Youth Politics: The Political Role of
AZANYU in the Struggle for Liberation: The Case of AZANYU Thembisa Branch, 1980s
to 1996. University of the Witwatersrand, 2005.
2 A survey of available literature reveals that AZANYU has been largely ignored. What
consideration has been given by Tom Lodge ‘The Pan Africanist Congress, 1959-1990’ in
Ian Liebenberg et al. (eds.), The Long March: The story of the struggle for liberation in
South Africa, (HAUM, Pretoria,1994), p.121; Lodge and Bill Nasson (eds.) All, Here, and
Now: Black Politics in South Africa in the 1980s (South Africa Update Series: Ford
Foundation – David Philip, Cape Town, 1991), pp.194-96; Shaun Johnson ‘Soldiers of
Luthuli’ in S. Johnson (ed.) No Turning Back (Bloomington: Indiana Press, 1989); Jeremy
Seekings, Heroes or Villains? Youth Politics in the 1980s, (Johannesburg, Ravan Press,
1993); Mark Swilling and Rantete, J. ‘Organization and Strategies of major resistance
movements in the negotiation era’ in Robin Lee and Lawrence Schlemmer (eds.), Transition
to democracy: Policy perspective, (Oxford University Press, 1991); Ali Hlongwane ‘To
Independence Now! Tomorrow the United States of Africa: The Story of Zephania Lekoame
Mothopeng, 1913-1990’, MA Dissertation, (University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of
Humanities and Social Sciences and Education, 2002); Letlapa Mphahlele Child of this Soil:
My Life as a Freedom Fighter (Kwela Books, Cape Town, 2002, is only as an allusion.

1
Azanian People’s Liberation Army (APLA) – the Pan Africanist Congress’
(PAC) military wing. This is in contrast to the willingness and readiness by
former members of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK or Spear of the Nation) to
discuss any matter relating to their involvement in MK and their military
activities, as will be shown in the paper. MK was the African National
Congress’ (ANC) military wing.

Research process

This paper is drawn from my MA research report. It is therefore appropriate
to begin by briefly discussing the research process I undertook to gain access
to former members of AZANYU. The primary objective of my study was to
explore the political role of AZANYU’s Thembisa Branch in the struggle
against apartheid. Because of the little attention paid to this organisation, I
decided that the only avenue open to me to gain sufficient understanding of
this organisation was to employ the oral history methodology. Cynthia Kros
and Nicole Ulrich write, “Oral history means history that is passed down by
word of mouth” (more about this below).3 I hoped this methodology would
enable me to examine the factors that caused some of the young people in
Thembisa to join this organisation and, in addition, to explore the role played
by AZANYU in the struggle.
I interviewed 12 interviewees, ranging from local AZANYU activists
(ie former members of the Thembisa Branch), to former members of the
AZANYU National Executive Committee (NEC), a former member of the
Pan Africanist Student Organisation (PASO) in Thembisa, former members
of the PAC’s underground structures in the 1960s and 1970s, and former
APLA cadres from Thembisa. The duration of the interviews varied –
depending on the interviewee’s availability. With some interviewees an
interview averaged about six hours (over a period of days); others between an
hour and two hours, and one of my interviewee’s granted me only a 45-
minute interview. All but one of the interviews were tape-recorded. None
among my interviewees objected to me using a tape recorder.
I found tape recording the interview very helpful (compared with
taking notes by hand) because I could conduct the interview without
obstructing its flow by requesting the interviewee to repeat what he (only
male interviewees were interviewed) had said because I had missed it. Where

3 Kros, C. and Ulrich, N. ‘The Truth of Tales: Oral Testimony and Teaching History in
Schools’, in Philippe Denis and Radikobo Ntsimane (eds.) Oral History in a Wounded
Country: Interactive Interviewing in South Africa (Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal
University Press, 2008), p.91.
2