My pen has been dry for too long and it is surreal that it took the untimely death of Eastern Cape House of Traditional and Khoi San Leaders chair Nkosi Mpumalanga Gwadiso for me to remove the clog.
There is a sense in which I have been influenced by Gwadiso, whose salutation is Gwebingqele, for he inspired me in so many ways.
His belief in my writing and research skills gave me self-confidence, and I will forever be grateful to this departed gentle giant.
We both joined the House of Traditional Leaders in 2012, and I have a treasure trove of memories.
Gwadiso was a man of great stature and gravitas.
His leadership capabilities are traced far back to the selfless contribution of his forefather, Chief Nogemane, in September 1877, when he shielded King Sarhili of amaXhosa in his Cheka and Ngamzana forest in Ngqeleni.
That was during what became known as the ninth war of resistance, much to the annoyance of the marauding British forces.
King Sarhili hid under Gwadiso ka Nogemane’s protection and their bravery cost them dearly for many years as a royal family.
Nkosi Mpumalanga Gwadiso learnt from an early age to honour and respect the position of being a traditional leader.
Our failure to document our history correctly creates an impression that amaMpondo did not contribute in fighting the annexation of our land by the colonists.
A scholar and my mentor, Prof Xolela Mangcu, recently hosted a seminar exploring how biographies can serve as a powerful tool for understanding history, society, and the individuals who shaped them.
May I also applaud Malibongwe Ngcai for the extensive work in the book Mpondoland: The Navigation of History.
The chapter on AmaKhonjwayo gives us a glimpse of the rich history and heritage that produced the late chair of the Eastern Cape House of Traditional and Khoi San Leaders.
Gwadiso was born on May 31 1961, the day on which the Hendrik Verwoerd government declared SA a republic.
Verwoed cynically framed his republicanism within the African independence movement of the era and state propaganda made much of the need for blacks to cast off the blight of partial westernisation and to take pride instead in their tribal identities.
Gwadiso grew up during the era of institutionalised separate development.
The Gwadiso royal family sent him to school. As a young royal he found himself sweating over numerous examinations that were to be a passport for him.
He obtained qualifications that empowered him to lead his people and contribute meaningfully to saving the soul of our nation with humility.
The education he acquired over many years and what he learnt growing up in a royal family made him wear his traditional leopard skin with pride.
He was the epitome of what late PAC leader Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe described: “True leadership demands complete subjugation of self, absolute honesty, integrity and uprightness of character, courage and above all, consuming love for one’s people.”
Nkosi Gwadiso knew how to handle power, something that most current leaders in SA would be better advised to learn.
In all his leadership roles, he worked with equally capable traditional leaders.
Each member had a distinctive quality to contribute to the leadership collective but one outstanding issue was that they all cohered around him. Such was his magnanimity.
He was chair of the house at a time when traditional leadership was looked at with jaundiced eyes.
However, he was able to restore the dignity of traditional leadership, and for that we are grateful.
History will remember him among those who led the Eastern Cape House of Traditional and Khoi San Leaders with dignity.
His death cuts deep, but I am grateful for his life.
His death reminded me of a pioneer of isiXhosa hymn writing, as well as a journalist, Rev John Knox Bokwe.
He published a well-known isiXhosa book and cantata titled The Story of Nehemiah: A Man Among Men.
I wish to salute once again Nkosi Mpumalanga Gwadiso — ‘a man among men’ — for his contribution to rebuilding the dignity of traditional leadership, for championing cultural renewal and advancing rural development.
His intellectual prowess and resilient leadership serve as an allegory to inspire traditional leaders he has left behind to promote and preserve traditional leadership communities and our society at large.
I wish to invoke a solemn hymn of hope by Bokwe, Vuka Deborah (Wake up or arise, Deborah).
Wake up traditional leaders from the slumber, reclaim your agency, and take control.
The honouring of my mentor and leader must inspire spiritual revival, while also acting as a proto-nationalist call for self-reliance and intellectual awakening against a democracy that is not inclusive enough.
Mandisi Aplom Mandisi Aplom, head research unit and speech writer for Nkosi Mpumalanga Gwadiso in the Eastern Cape House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders. He writes in his personal capacity.
Daily Dispatch
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