Mahikeng residents yearn for revival of the Lucas Mangope era
Eyewitness News was in the North West, ahead of the elections, where residents of Mahikeng say the once bustling city is now a shell of its former self.
A lack of service delivery has resulted in illegal dumping in Mahikeng, North West. Picture: Xanderleigh Dookey Makhaza/Eyewitness News
MAHIKENG - The urban decay of North West’s capital city of Mahikeng has seemingly left some residents feeling nostalgic, yearning for the apartheid-era Bophuthatswana government.
Across racial, class and social divisions, residents of Mahikeng say the once bustling city is now a shell of its former self.
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The Bop government, as it was known, was officially recognised by the apartheid government in 1977 as a Bantustan area, which stretched across four provinces, today known as the North West, Free State, Gauteng, and the Northern Cape.
It was under the rule of the charismatic Lucas Mangope.
Following the fall of apartheid, Mangope tried and failed to create an independent Bophuthatswana state.
However, government's failings now have residents wishing for the past.
A published 1991 journal titled the Misery in Bophuthatswana, says Mangope’s regime was characterised by torture, arbitrary dismissals, harassment, and the deportation of political dissidents.
Steven van Rooyen, from the predominantly coloured community of Danville, admitted that the Bophuthatswana government was tough, but effective.
“We lived much better, our kids had work, our roads were maintained. This current government, which I was a part of in the past, they failed us miserably, in the past 30 years... we are still in the same situation when the Bop government fell,” he said.
A lack of service delivery has resulted in illegal dumping in Mahikeng, North West. Picture: Xanderleigh Dookey Makhaza/Eyewitness News
Another resident, Arista Annandale, praised the Bantustan government for infrastructure from that era, which she said remained strong.
“Even the roads are still better, the roads that were built in that time they are still in a good condition. If they are not, it’s the current government that has not maintained it, but the quality of the work I would say was better that time,” she said.
In the rural areas of Mahikeng, the Bop government remains a symbol of pride for the Batswana people.
Shebelakwano resident Kookie Tsokunyane said Mangope had love for his people, which extended to his government.
“During the times of Mangope, we used to share the little money that was available for the government, unlike this time only one person benefits, and when you look at his salary, it’s a lot of money, which can be shared by more than ten people,” she said.
One of the issues plaguing Mahikeng in the North West is the lack of basic services, such as grass cutting. Cemeteries here are covered in long grass. Picture: Xanderleigh Dookey Makhaza/Eyewitness News
Residents in the rural parts of Mahikeng, such as Shebelakwano, say they have been waiting for water since 1994. They usually have to buy water for anything between R200 and R400. Picture: Xanderleigh Dookey Makhaza/Eyewitness News
Peter Mokgosi, an elder from Shebelakwano, spent his adult life both under Mangope and the democratic government’s rule.
He said there was no comparison when his life was better.
“Lucas Mangope’s leadership was the best. We’d share the wealth among a thousand of us. We all had bread. Today, we have none of this. While some are eating, many others are crying of hunger. We’re not benefiting at all,” he said.
Mangope’s son, Kgosi Kwena Mangope, is running in the upcoming elections as ActionSA’s North West premier candidate.
His campaign promise has been to restore the province to its former glory.