Departed traditional leader remembered

Son and chief unveils stature of the late Hosi Mahonisi
The Village Voice

The late Hosi George Sonto Risenga Mahonisi, of the Mahonisi Community in the Collins Chabane Local Municipality who played a role during the struggle for liberation did not toil in vain.
The late Hosi Mahonisi who also played a role in the founding of the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South African was last Saturday remembered by his community last Saturday.

The late chief’s stature was unveiled at a ceremony attended by people from as far as Mozambique.
The new chief Rhangani Risenga Mahonisi said after unveiling his father’s statue:”My father loved this community. He was pro-development. He was also a fountain of knowledge and many came to him to seek information about history and our culture ” says Hosi Mahonisi V as Hosi Risenga Rhangani Mahonisi is called.
To continue his late father’s legacy, the new Hosi Mahonisi urged his people to have agricultural plots in the area.

He called on the Tshivenda speaking people who settled at Mahonisi but were driven out by the apartheid government to come back, settle and plough.
“My father allowed many Tshivenda speaking people in our area. They were all driven away by the apartheid government save for the Ngobeli family who resisted and are still part of us. I am calling on them to come back and they will be given land to farm as they used to ” he said.
The late Hosi Mahonisi ruled for 40 years.

He died in 2017 at the age of 68.
He was one of the traditional leaders who were deposed by the apartheid government.
He fought for through commissions and the status of senior traditional leadership was return by Judgment by Judge Muller at the Thohoyandou High Court in 2021.
Several appeals were made against the judgment and failed.
Now the community in unison with the royal family are celebrating his life.
He was persecuted by the apartheid government but he never surrendered.

Before 1994, Hosi Mahonisi was one of the traditional leaders who took a stand to oppose apartheid.
He together with some of his comrades who included the late Hosi MG Tshikalange, the late Hosi Cyril Hlomela and Mr Dodi Maswaeganyi, amongst others organised traditional leaders to form Contralesa and organised them and traditionally healers to support the ANC.
“My father loved the ANC. He hoped that when the ANC attains poor, problems of deposid traditional leaders will be something of the past. But we had to fight through courts to reclaim our status and the land,” said Hosi Rhangani Mahonisi.

He called for investors to come to party and develop the area.
The guest list included a representative of the Frelimo Party in Mozambique as well as the ANC and Contralesa.
Umkhoto weSizwe Party national organiser Floyd Shibambu also addressed the gathering as a resident of Mahonisi.
Well known poet and public speaker Case Ngobeni was a programme director and also cited a poem about the Valambya clan.

Dr Freddy Rikhotso, himself a researcher and former Munghana Lonene newt ready hailed the event.
“It is significant that six years after his passing, the community still remember what the late chief did and celebrate his life.
“It was a big event with a good attendance and I think many other traditional leaders by what the community did to their late leader,” he said.