Residents from Lwandle celebrated both Worker’s Day and the 23rd anniversary of the Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum on Monday 1 May
The event saw locals clad in old fashion styles of the 60’s and playing old music in a bid to reminisce on the good old days.
The event organiser, Kamohelo Kolisang, says the occasion was a special event. She says they are trying to demonstrate to the young people how people in the 60’s were socialising, while infusing it with current life.
The programme was targeted at anyone who had a positive impact in the society, regardless of which sector or industry someone is from. However, she emphasised that the aim is to inspire and encourage the youth not to lose hope in whatever they are doing or intending to do.
“Some young people are coming from dysfunctional families where they are led by single parents, particularly women. They end up becoming involved in wrong things. So, as much as we are celebrating the 23rd year of the museum’s existence. We also appeal to them to utilise the facility wisely.The museum is open to everyone who wants to do school work or research,” says Kolisang.
She described the museum as an asset to the community.
Kolisang says the museum has a rich history pertaining to how people, especially workers, were treated during the apartheid regime.
The co-founder of the museum, Charmian Plummer described the museum as the epitome of the working class.
Plummer says they felt there was a need to document such history for the community of Lwandle.
Explaining the background of that area, she said it was dominated mainly by the migrants who were working in the fruit and canning industry.
“Our aim was to preserve the history of this area. So, the upcoming generation can see and study about it. It wasn’t easy to establish the museum. We fought for the museum to be here and we managed to win,” says Plummer.
She says the building where the museum is housed was a community hall and it had occupied it after the City had constructed another community hall a few years after democracy.
Explaining why they are celebrating the 23rd year of the museum, Plummer says it was officially opened on the same day in 2000.
Resident Pumla Skunana described the event as one of its own. She urged young people to protect the museum.
“The museum is useful to the community, especially to the learners. But, ironically, they are the ones who vandalised the facility. The museum has a rich history about the whole area. There are many programmes that the museum is doing to empower our children. We need young people to take the responsibility to protect it,” says Skunana.