‘Azikhwelwa’ at Workers Museum
The museum in downtown Johannesburg's Newtown district will be hosting Azikhwelwa (we won't ride), an exhibition to honour the many men and women of Alexandra who protested against oppressive pricing of bus fares by an oppressive state.
The museum in downtown Johannesburg’s Newtown district will be hosting Azikhwelwa (we won’t ride), an exhibition to honour the many men and women of Alexandra who protested against oppressive pricing of bus fares by an oppressive state.
This was at the beginning of 1957 when the Putco Bus Company, suddenly and without warning, increased bus fares by 25 per cent on the Alexandra route, with similar increases on the Sophiatown-Western Native Township route, the Pretoria route and other service areas.
As a result of the new pricing, many could not afford basic household items such as food, clothing and electricity. In protest, the people of Alexandra decided not to board the buses, electing to rather walk to work and other destinations.
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The average worker from Alexandra walked about 32km daily, five to six times a week. Other workers in other places also decided to boycott the bus service in support of their Alex counterparts.
The boycott lasted for seven months and continued despite government’s instructions to employers to cut wages if workers arrived late or fire them if they showed any signs of fatigue.
However, despite fighting the state, the burden of fatigue from long, hard days of work and longer walks and arriving at home late – day after day, workers continued undeterred with their boycott. This became the most successful boycott to be recorded in the history of Alexandra.
“As we wrap up Transport Month, it is important that we take time to reflect as a nation about how far we have come, and about how those who came before us sacrificed and suffered so that we can have access to spaces that were previously only reserved for the white minority.
“We often enjoy, without thinking, the conveniences – to move around so easily and freely, anywhere we like. But, a price was paid, and through this exhibition, we pay tribute to those who protested,” said Councillor Nonhlanhla Sifumba, MMC for Community Development, when she opened the exhibition.
The exhibition, which runs from 3 November to 27 January next year, also depicts the history of Alexandra, a township that was established in 1912 by then farm owner Herbert Papenfus who named it after his wife, a year before the Union of South Africa passed the Native Land Act of 1913.
The township became one of the urban areas where blacks could own land under a freehold title. There was no basic service delivery such as sanitation or decent housing, as the Johannesburg City Council refused to include the township under its municipal boundary. Alexandra became the home of African migrants from different parts of South Africa and outside its borders seeking job opportunities in Johannesburg. The population grew as the demand for cheap labour increased significantly.
Azikhwelwa had an adverse political and economic impact on the apartheid government and the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce. “The exhibition allows us to revisit our past so that we can collectively work towards meaningful redress in our city,” said Sifumba.
Details: Rambau Fhatuwani, chief curator 011 435 9489; FhatuwaniR@joburg.org.za
