Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has announced the City’s plans to commemorate Langa’s 100th Anniversary this year.
Speaking at the Guga S’Thebe Cultural Centre in Langa on Human Rights Day, the Mayor said the City’s #Langa100 plans include restorations to historical and tourist attractions, precinct improvements, public participation in new heroes memorials, and a series of community events including a major three-day open-air festival.
This year we celebrate one hundred years of Langa, of people’s stories, history, culture and heritage. Langa has been a crucial part of Cape Town’s fabric for a full century, and I have no doubt that the next hundred years will deliver an even more impressive list of achievements and contributions from this community.
Hill-Lewis says the City wants to ensure Langa, which is centrally located, is primed to make the most of its business and tourism opportunities to enable more jobs and opportunities for more people. He says local historical and cultural attractions can play a big role in bringing tourist revenue to Langa.
The City has already undertaken repairs and maintenance work on the old historic Pass Office building. At the Langa Memorial Site, restoration work is due to be completed within three months.
The City is also completing a study on the potential conversion of the old Single Men’s Quarters into a multi-purpose space. This is a major project with forthcoming community consultations on the best uses for this site.
During his address, Mayor Hill-Lewis reflected on famous Langa residents who have left such a big mark in politics, music and culture and on sports fields over the past hundred years.
These include the much-loved Ma Brrrr – Brenda Fassie; the talented Tsolekile cousins: Thami the Proteas cricket player and Lungile the SA hockey player; football star Thabo Mngomeni; and playwright and theatre director, Fatts Dike, who was the first black woman in South Africa to have a play published.
One of Langa’s proudest sons, Temba Bavuma, the current national cricket captain, is also celebrating Langa’s centenary with an incredible recent run of back-to-back test centuries.
The Mayor says a public participation process will soon get underway for a new Langa Heroes Memorial along King Langalibalele Road, where the names of Langa heroes can be displayed.
The City is also planning a series of community events to mark Langa’s centenary, including a sports festival and a major three-day open-air festival in September.
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