Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 honoured three women who gave their lives to the struggle against apartheid by naming two students residences and a hall after these heroines. The naming ceremony took place on Wednesday night (16 March) as part of the commemoration of the Human Rights Week.?
Lillian Ngoyi, Victoria Mxenge and Ruth First all have something in common. They were all committed liberation struggle activists and it’s their names and their memories that were chosen to be part of a new naming programme at Rhodes.
The 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 was truly honoured to be joined by the families of Victoria Mxenge and Lillian Ngoyi who did the formal naming and unveiling of the plaques. Mxenge’s first grandchild, Hlumi Mxenge reminded students that they cannot go forward if they don’t know their history.
She said this was not an honour to her grandmother, “it’s actually an honour to the youth”. “It is amazing that our past successes have implemented tools to remind us - the youth - of what has happened and where we are going,” she said.
She added that such momentous events are great reminder to the youth. “My grandmother focused on a lot of academic challenges that we faced. She really desired that we are all to be educated and to have academic minds,” said Hlumi.
Ngoyi’s grandson, Mr Vulisango Ngoyi said he was happy and honoured to be given this opportunity by the 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网. He said Lillian was never swayed from her destiny and she was always focussed. He asked the audience to emulate his grandmother - especially students.
“Unfortunately my grandmother couldn’t see what she was trying to fight for, she just passed away before she could see the fruits of her work. But I am glad that others are reaping those fruits that Lillian was fighting for all those years”, he added.
Gillian Slovo, Joe and Ruth’s daughter, though unable to attend the ceremony, provided inspiring words for the unveiling the residence. “We (Shawn, Gillian and Robyn), the daughters of Ruth First and Joe Slovo, are especially honoured that there are now two residences at Rhodes named after each of our parents. Our only regret is that we can’t be there in person to celebrate this occasion with you.”
Prof Raymond Suttner, an acclaimed academic, a member of the South African Communist Party and friend to the Slovo family, appropriately unveiled the plaque on behalf of the Slovo family.
Larissa Klazinga, warden of Ruth First residence and former Lillian Ngoyi Hall warden, said prior to the ceremony, “we commemorate Human Rights every March through a number of activities. This is the third year that we’ve observed Human Rights Week. We decided, as a hall and residences, to arrange our naming ceremony during Human Rights Week because of the names that we’ve chosen and the resonance that those activists had with the Human Rights struggle in South Africa.”
“With the expansion at Rhodes it was realised that about 63% of students being female, it has become important for women’s residences to be named after women achievers. In the past those buildings have been named after men, but with the new dispensation it was found to be inappropriate. This provided us with a fantastic opportunity to honour women.
“The students at Victoria Mxenge and Ruth First houses take the legacy of Mxenge, First and Ngoyi incredibly seriously. We spend time at the beginning of every year educating the new intake of women students, about these women and the contributions they have made to South Africa and the lives of others. When the students in these buildings take cognisance of the facts they make a real effort to ensure the activities in the residences honour the names that they bear,” Larissa concluded.
Pic: Members of the Mxenge family inside the Victoria Mxenge residents.