Eastern Cape Reflects on Ingquza Hill Massacre 66 Years Later

Acting Eastern Cape Premier Hon. Mlungisi Mvoko on Saturday urged government and communities to honour the 66th anniversary of the Ingquza Hill Massacre by turning the spirit of resistance into tangible service delivery and youth opportunity.

Speaking at the Ingquza Hill Memorial Site during commemorations marking 6 June 1960, when apartheid security forces killed 11 protesters, Mvoko said the Mpondo Revolt was “not simply a dispute over agricultural policy. It was a struggle for dignity, justice and for participation”.

“Sixty-six years ago today, the people of Mpondoland assembled here… They gathered during a period of profound political upheaval and growing repression,” Mvoko told dignitaries including Acting King of AmaMpondo Kingdom King Amagema Freeman Dumelani Sigcau, EXCO members, OR Tambo DM Executive Mayor Cllr Mesuli Ngqondwana, and Ingquza Hill LM Mayor Cllr Prudence Nonkosi Pepping.

Mvoko said the iKongo movement that led the revolt helped assert “the principle that legitimate leadership derives its strength from the people it serves”. That principle, he added, “remains at the heart of our Constitutional Democracy today”.

Under this year’s theme _“Youth and Memory: Honouring the Spirit of Ingquza Hill to Build a Cohesive and Non-Violent Society”_, the Premier acknowledged ongoing community frustrations.

“We have heard the concerns of communities whose boreholes have become dysfunctional, whose access roads remain difficult to navigate… and whose young people continue to seek meaningful economic opportunities. As government, we do not dismiss these concerns. We recognise and accept our responsibility to address them,” he said.

He outlined current interventions in Ingquza Hill: completed road rehabilitations on Magquza, Mathunzini, Sphezini-Mthathango and Norhatshaza-Mbayi routes; 230+ EPWP work opportunities; R218 million in housing projects; and bulk water schemes including KwaNyathi, Msikaba, Lusikisiki and Flagstaff refurbishments. The Department of Health, he said, serves over 326,000 residents through hospitals, clinics and mobile services.

Mvoko positioned heritage sites like Ingquza Hill as economic assets. “The preservation of sites such as Ingquza Hill is not only a heritage responsibility, but also an economic opportunity,” he said, linking liberation history to tourism growth along the Wild Coast, Mkhambathi, Port St. Johns, Coffee Bay and Hole in the Wall.

He called on the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency, municipalities and local operators to market the province through domestic campaigns like ‘Sho’t-Left’ and international outreach, citing Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane’s current working visit to Italy and Greece.

Marking 50 years since the 1976 student uprising, Mvoko urged today’s youth to “reject violence, reject criminality, and stand firmly against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide”.

He said investing in education, entrepreneurship and innovation was “one of the most powerful ways of honouring the sacrifices of those who came before us”.

The programme included handover of sporting awards and school shoes to learners.

Concluding in isiXhosa, Mvoko said: “Lala ngoxolo maqhawe aseNgquza Hill. Anisayikulityalwa (Rest in peace heroes of Ingquza Hill. You will never be forgotten)”.

The Ingquza Hill Massacre on 6 June 1960 saw 11 people killed and many more injured, arrested or exiled when security forces opened fire on a peaceful gathering protesting apartheid-era Betterment schemes, forced removals and Bantu Authorities.