The Jakes Gerwel Foundation’s research project on the renaming of Somerset East in the Eastern Cape to KwaNojoli in 2023 was introduced in a prestigious event on Thursday evening, May 22, at the foundation’s historic writers’ house, Paulet House.
This project, undertaken in collaboration with the Somerset East Museum and made possible through the generous financial support of the National Heritage Council (NHC), aimed to explore the significance of Queen Nojoli—her role in the town’s history and the broader necessity of town name changes.
At the helm of the project was Mphuthumi Ntabeni, award-winning author of historical novels The Broken River Tent and The Wanderers. As with the KwaNojoli project, his work documents the underrepresented history of the AmaXhosa of the Eastern Cape.
In partnership with Siya Taho, manager of the Somerset East Museum, Ntabeni began his research by recording the memories of older residents in the town and surrounding areas. As often happens with oral history, the meaning of Nojoli’s name has evolved over generations. While she was originally the wife of King Nkosi Rharhabe, who had a kraal at the foot of the fertile Boschberg mountains, her name later became associated with the mountain itself and eventually with a train that frequently passed through the town.
Ntabeni compiled these interviews, interwoven with available research, into a booklet titled Our Voices are Left with our Bodies. The Early Black History of KwaNojoli. This insightful publication was presented to nearly 120 guests during the gathering in a stylish gift bag featuring a KwaNojoli emblem.
The evening also featured the premiere of the documentary film KwaNojoli. The Origin Story. This 37-minute-long production is the result of collaboration between videographer and musician Buntu Duku and internationally acclaimed documentary filmmaker Isa Jacobson, known for her powerful The Apartheid’s Killer, commissioned by the BBC.
KwaNojoli. The Origin Story tells not only the story of Nojoli but also highlights figures such as John Kebe, who lived in a cave in the mountain, stole cattle from farmers, and gave them to impoverished black communities. The film further explores the trauma of forced land removals, as well as the impact of unemployment and poverty on a community that was once considered the breadbasket of the Eastern Cape.
It is deeply significant that Nojoli and her people find their home here. Paulet House was built more than two centuries ago by Lord Charles Somerset for his second wife, Poulette. Now, we all gather here to celebrate Nojoli—in the very house named after the man after whom the town was once called.
Theo Kemp, Executive Director of the Jakes Gerwel Foundation.
The evening’s speakers included the Mayor of the Blue Crane Municipality, Bonisile Manxoweni, as well as Brenda Ngcukayitobi and Mphuthumi Ntabeni, who answered audience questions following the film screening.
Serving as the evening’s master of ceremonies was Sphamandla Dlakwe, a past participant in a lyric-writing residency at Paulet House. He also performed alongside the multicultural music group, the Iva Collective.
Both the booklet and the film are available on the Jakes Gerwel Foundation’s website: www.jgf.org.za. The documentary is also available to watch on the Jakes Gerwel YouTube channel.
