Heritage Month honours ancient Kruger Park inhabitants

Heritage sites are exceptional educational resources for people of all ages to learn about history.

They can also serve as a good way of bringing communities together through a shared understanding of unique cultural identities.

While every historical site has its own story to tell, to remain relevant and ensure the maintenance of cultural identity over time, celebration and documentation of cultures is essential.

The sacred Mount Tshikumbu is one of the cultural heritage sites officially launched at the South African National Parks (SANParks) to commemorate chief Thongengara and his descendants in celebration of Heritage Month at Phalaborwa, in Limpopo.

Kruger National Park spokesperson Ike Phaahla said that Mount Tshikumbu is one of heritage sites that has the rich cultural history that black people lived through many years ago, before the Kruger National Park was established.

He said chief Thongogara lived peacefully at Mount Tshikumbu and the surrounding area.

"He is considered to have ruled as a wise man, leading his people to successful mining activities and a trade network with other groups such as the Lobedu and Karanga people of Zimbabwe from further inland,” he said, paying tribute to the fact that his legacy is revelled to this day by his decedents and clan members.

Samson Mokgalaka, 59, family representative and descendant of the Mokgalaka clan, told Sowetan that chief Thongogara and his offs-prings were skilled iron smelters, forgers and rainmakers.

“Mavege Mokgalaka was one of the well-known rainmakers who used different expedients to perform rituals to evoke rain,” he said, emphasizing that the mountain still maintains its sacredness as rituals are still being practiced annually by descendants at the shelter of the cave on the mountain.

At the official launch, Mokgalaka led the ceremonial rituals alongside his sister Flora Mokgalaka, 62, from Gaselwane in Phalaborwa.

During the ceremonial prayer,  snuff and a mixture of corn powder and water were  used as a substitute for umqombothi (traditional beer) as a means of communicating  with the ancestors. Corn seeds were also planted in the ground as a symbol of request to the ancestors for showers of rain.

“Phalaborwa experiences lots of dry seasons, and we believe that by connecting to our ancestors, showers of rain shall be upon us as more crops and wealth will come our way this season,”  Mokgalaka said, adding that the ceremonial rituals are performed once a year during the heritage month.

"If we don’t know where we come from, we definitely don’t know where we are going,” said Ramalepa Seloane, 73, another descendant who anticipated great fortune and lots of wealth after he stumbled and fell while making his way up the mountain.

"I'm the chosen one, that's why I never sustained any injuries from the fall. I've been fasting and praying for two weeks in order for this day to be a success," he said, explaining that his fall is a good omen.

Seloane, who feels robbed of the land, told Sowetan that it would be ideal for government to compensate them whenever tourists visit the national parks.

“Our parents used to benefit a lot from this place, we would get lots of weeds that we used on top of our houses as roofing for shelter, animal skin to make clothes for our children and we would never starve as we would plant crops and hunt for meat on this same field,” he said.

“We were never compensated, we lost our livestock including cows, sheep, goats and lots of chickens, and we were left with nothing till this day,” said Seloane with a deep sigh of sorrow, "I'm glad that this place is identified as a heritage site, this means there is light at the end of the tunnel," he said.

When making our way back from the guided walk from the mountain, the general manager at SANParks Socio Economic Transformation, Helen Mmethi, 60, who has been working at Skukuza camp for 22 years, discovered the remains of a clay pot.

"Clay pots is proof of life, during the olden days they were used to identify ethnic groups. The size, shape, weight and edge of the pot as well as decorations of the tip of the pot [were identifiers],” she said, adding that with the Swati group the pots would be thick, while the Venda and Tsonga group would be represented by thinner clay pots.

Derick Mashale, regional ranger at Nxanatseni North, said more security measures and developments will be implemented in future.

“I’ve seen people stumbling and falling while making their way up the mountain, it is now a priority that we work on safety measures,” said Mashale.