Newlands Heritage Day walk remembers apartheid evictions

Hundreds of former Newlands and Claremont residents who were forcibly removed during apartheid joined a 'Walk of Remembrance' through Newlands on Heritage Day, September 24, to honour and celebrate their past.

The walk was organised by the Newlands/Claremont Heritage, Environmental Justice and Restitution Society (NCHERS), an organisation dedicated to preserving the stories of those displaced from Claremont and Newlands under apartheid (“Memories of a community broken by Apartheid,” Southern Suburbs Tatler, September 28, 2023).

Now in its fifth year, the remembrance walk has been held in different areas each time. Last year, it took place in Harfield Village, while earlier walks were in various parts of Claremont. This year’s route began at Westerford High School in Newlands, continued along Dean Street and Sans Souci Road, passed the Liesbeek River Trail, and ended at Arbor Road.

 NCHERS representative Russell Dudley said the event was more than just a walk - it was also a time to reflect on the pain of the past.

“The remembrance is about honouring the resistance our forefathers showed during colonial times, when they were conquered and dispossessed of their lands,” he explained.

Mr Dudley said that many of those forced to relocate to areas such as Hanover Park, Mitchells Plain, and Manenberg see their participation as a statement.

“That statement is about resisting erasure from the history of this country,” he said. He noted that NCHERS will continue documenting the stories of former residents through interviews and by building a photo gallery of families who once lived in the area.

Former Claremont resident Jean Campbell, 77, shared her memories of growing up in Toffee Lane, Claremont, and attending Livingstone High School. She recalled being a teenager when her family was forced to move to Lansdowne, where she later worked in a clothing factory.

Ms Campbell said the move was particularly hard on her late mother, Martha Bergsma, who had been born in Claremont and valued the convenience of nearby shops.

“My fondest memories are of visiting Arderne Gardens and the circus that used to set up near the Newlands pools,” she said.

Another former Claremont resident, Salegga Mustapha, 77, stayed in York Street, Claremont. Her late grandfather, Imam Armien Mustapha, was the youngest Imam of the Harvey Road mosque in Claremont, known as the Sunnie Mohamedan Mosque.

“We were forcefully removed in 1972; it was heartbreaking for my family and many people in the community,” she said.

Ms Mustapha, who stays in Wetton, said she missed all the joy they had in their youth, like bringing their picnic baskets to Second Avenue, Harfield Village, to walk the Cape Minstrels group down the street.

Ms Mustapha said when she lived in Claremont, it was close to her school, which was Livingstone High School, and near the Main Road. “When we moved out, we had to use public transport as many of us did not have cars in those days,” she said.

NCHERS set up a historical display in the hall of Westerford High School, where pupils eager to learn more about the area’s past engaged with former residents.

Principal Mark Smith said all pupils listened to their stories and were introduced to the work of NCHERS. “It was important to make both pupils and their parents aware that this area once had residents who were forcibly removed, and that it carries a painful history,” he said.

Visit www.nchers.org/ to learn more about them.