By Lungani Zungu
The Glebelands hostel in Umlazi in KwaZulu-Natal is known as a place of pain and agony following the spate of killings in the past years.
In spite of this, a breeze of peace prevailed in the notorious hostel in Umlazi, south of Durban, during a traditional ingoma event on Sunday.
Reed-dance maidens and Amabutho (regiments) took turns showcasing traditional dancing skills – leaving the crowd in awe.
Award-winning Maskandi musician Khuzani Mpungose, affectionately known by his fans as Indlamlenze, left the crowd asking for more.
The event was organised by Ubunye BamaHostela, an organisation fighting to curb the killings in hostels.
Ubunye BamaHostela chairperson, Vusi Zweni, sang praises for those in attendance.
Zweni says it is encouraging to see many people gathering in peace. He says the organisation wants to end the bloodshed in hostels and it plans to host more events that will unite the hostel dwellers.
“We can’t continue killing each other like flies. We are all human beings. We must live in harmony,” says Zweni.
Ndumiso Ndelu, a dweller who has been living in the hostel for the past 30 years, says he hoped that peace would prevail in hostels.
“We hope that this event would mark the beginning of a new chapter as hostel dwellers. I have seen many people die in Glebelands. I hope this is the start of the new chapter for us,” says Ndelu.
Political party affiliations and ethnicity were thrown out the window on Sunday as people from KwaMashu and Umlazi T hostel, who are predominately supporters of the IFP, and people from Glebelands, who are mostly ANC supporters, united in celebration.
It is estimated that the number of residents in Glebelands is over 28,000.
Vanessa Burger, a violence monitor who has been following the killings in Glebelands for well over a decade, says more than 120 people were murdered between 2014 and 2019.
The killings, many in execution-style, prompted an investigation that was launched in 2016 by former public protector advocate Thuli Madonsela. In her report, Madonsela called for more police visibility in the hostel.
Pictured above: Traditional dance group performing at the event
Image source: Supplied by Ubunye BamaHostela
