Presbyterian mission school is now a bustling
TVET college campus. In 1905, it donated land
for the formation of Fort Hare University, the
first university open to students of all colours,
transforming the site of the old British military
fort, built in 1846, into an institution of higher
learning that was to produce generations of
African leaders Prof ZK Matthews, Oliver
Tambo, Nelson Mandela, Robert Sobukwe,
Mangosuthu Buthelezi and, more recently,
Chris Hani and Barney Pityana.
“These institutions were the cradle of learning,
where students imbibed the democratic values
that our country’s modern constitution is based
on,” said Trevor, before sending me off to visit the
campus and walk in the footsteps of our leaders.
At the De Beers Centenary Gallery, an
excellent display on the history of Fort Hare
University and its famous alumni absorbed me.
I was impressed that it admitted women right
from the start, whereas Oxford University in
the UK only started admitting women in 1920.
During the apartheid years, getting expelled
from Fort Hare became a rite of passage for
political activists, and many of the 156 treason
trialists in 1956 were Fort Hare graduates.
In King William:s Town, I visited another
significant site on the Maqoma Route. The
Missionary Museum, in a beautiful, old, stone
church, is a tribute to the various missionary
societies who preached love in the middle of
war, and houses the press that the first complete
isiXhosa Bible was printed on in 1859. Curator
Stephanie Victor says it:s still in working order.
In King William:s Town I met Zanda
Madikiza of Joyride Adventures and Tours,
to visit Ntaba kaNdoda, off the R352 to
Keiskammahoek. A mountain sacred to the
Xhosa, it was one of their strongholds during
the frontier wars.
As we approached the top, a towering
edifice loomed. “It’s a monument built by Chief
Lennox Sebe in 1981, when the Ciskei was still
an apartheid homeland. He used to hold big
indabas here,L explained Zanda. The neglected
monument is now missing its domed roof and is
carpeted with dung left by local cattle.
But in January this year, it was once again
the scene of festivities when a statue of Chief
Maqoma was unveiled here, the first step in
a heritage programme to recognise chiefs who
fell in the struggle against colonisation. “The
Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture, Maggie
Sotyu, unveiled the statue and said they intended
declaring Ntaba kaNdoda a national heritage
site. It will become a tourist hub,L said Zanda.
Chief Maqoma:s grave is in a secluded spot
nearby but may only be visited by men. After
the Eighth Frontier War, he was imprisoned
twice on Robben Island, died there in 1873 and
was buried in an unmarked grave. RA seer from
Ugie, Nomantombi Charity Sonandi, helped
identify his remains on the island, and Chief
Maqoma was reburied here with full militaryhonours by Sebe:s government in 1978,L said
Zanda. RWhen you talk about land, there:s no
way you cannot talk about Maqoma. This is
the area he defended against the British, right
through to Fort Beaufort.”
Leading me along a path to the edge of the
cliff, Zanda showed me the site where Chief
Maqoma had his camp. The outlines of huts
were still visible, but my eyes were drawn to
the magnificent view of the green Keiskamma
River valley framed by purple mountains on
the horizon. It:s a view that makes you fall in
love with this land all over again, a view that
inspired Chief Maqoma to keep fighting for
all he held dear. Literally, a view to die for. ■
Map reference F6 see inside back coverLEFT: Ntsikie Dyakopu of the Amathole Museum shows off the Albion printing press on which the first complete
isiXhosa Bible was printed in 1859 at the Mount Coke mission station. BELOW: Lunga Poni contemplates the rich
heritage of Fort Hare University on exhibit in the De Beers Centenary Gallery at the Alice campus.HERITAGE ◗ MAQOMA ROUTE