The apartheid regime killed some of those who played a role in the liberation struggle, especially those who believed that the truth shall set them free.
There were victims who silently suffered and endured pain together with their families.
Robben Island prison cells were once a home of many struggle veterans.
Wives together with their children were left wondering whether their loved ones would come back alive from an island which was once set aside for leprosy patients.
Freedom of speech and mind was a main reason and a subject matter.
What has freedom brought to us, if we cannot manage and attach value to what was achieved?
We act and look like people who forgot their past experiences.
Our journey was not easy, but tough, and we collectively managed to fight for justice and equality without any war.
A man who sacrificed his life for freedom is today among the forgotten unsung heroes of Nelson Mandela Bay.
Market Square, Feather Market Hall, the Main Library and Main Street were once the attractions of our city centre.
Who can believe that today?
Market Square is named after the late Vuyisile Mini who was a talented artist and a trade unionist.
He was executed by the South African Defence Force, together with other local struggle heroes.
Mini’s and the late Govan Mbeki’s stories are not found near the memorial sites where their names are mentioned.
What is the meaning of a name change?
The Emlotheni memorial site in New Brighton is not safe and protected, yet it is closer to the Mendi Arts Centre.
Visitors are attacked and it is where an empty tomb of the late Mini is situated.
Community participation and a partnership between local government departments can make a difference in promoting community-led tourism initiatives.
Partnerships will bring back stability, social memories and pride.
Who is responsible for cleaning and protecting the memorial and heritage sites of Nelson Mandela Bay?
Who must protect the safety of our visitors?
Mini’s family decided to exhume and relocate his dry bones to his home town Tsomo.
What a great move in the former Transkei, we have a municipality named after him, the Vuyisile Mini Municipality.
What happened to the dream of a statue of our former president, the late Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela?
A statue that was going to add value to our university, which is also named after Mandela.
The environmental department has failed our communities — all the gravesites are in a shambles and heroes’ acres are affected.
President Cyril Ramaphosa believes that everything goes well in Nelson Mandela Bay?
Is that true or false?
Our city was once called the Friendly City and today it is called dirty and one of the most dangerous cities in SA.
We must stand together and change that narrative.
We have collaborated to honour Mini’s family with a tourist route in New Brighton.
A walk of sacrifice will be introduced to the New Brighton community on June 16 at 8am, starting at the Mendi Arts Centre and ending at the same venue.
We have created a safe and peaceful environment for June 16.
The Vuyisile Mini Legacy Route is an initiative driven by New Brighton community members together with Nelson Mandela University tourism students.
The aim is to honour the great man and at the same time rewrite our history by telling stories of what happened during the 1976 schools uprisings in New Brighton and elsewhere in SA.
New Brighton township was a hotspot.
We seem to have forgotten about our past and our history.
Let’s walk the talk on June 16.
Mike Pantsi