Tankiso Letseli's History

My mother, Mavis Buzelwa Letseli (nee Ngxolwana) was born on the 30 December 1935 at a rural place called eMdizene, near Muddelsdrift, in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Mavis, my mother, recently celebrated her 70th Birthday in December 2005. She will be turning 76 on the 30 December 2011. She is the only surviving member of a family of 10 children.

My grand mother, Hope Ngxolwana, was born in 1900 and died in 1947 at 47 years old with 10 children.  My mother was then 12 years old when my grandmother died.

My grand father, Eustace Ngxolwana, was born in 1890 and died in 1954 at 64 years old. My mother  was 19 years old when my grandfather died. He died after a nasty encounter with the police during a raid in the surburbs of East London.

It appears that my grand father died after he was traumatised by the police raid during his visit to one of his sons who was then employed and lived in East London.

Those who know the notorious history of South African Group Areas Act will remember that people were classified according to their race and origin.

My grand father died after going through that experience. He did not die immediately, but my mother tells me that his health deteriorated drastically after experiencing the might of the racially motivated laws. My grand father would die months later after a short illness.

My mother, Mavis, became an orphan at 19 years old, and she would be brought up by her elder sister, Darling Mafongozi, after they moved to 48 Madala Street, New Brighton, in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Mavis would attend Cowan High School and completed her Junior Certificate (Grade 10), and then proceeded to study nursing at Baragwanath Hospital, in Soweto, Johannesburg.

Mavis would meet Reynold Pasha Letseli, my dad, in 1960, and in July 1962 they would get married, and they had their first child (the writer of this work) on the 18 November 1962, and their second child (Tselane Eunice Letseli born on 7 May 1965), their last born (Ntshadi Eultage Letseli born on 25 November 1966).