page 200 - Long Walk Original Manuscript [LWOM_200.jpg]

like "Sekhukhuneland" which used to appear in the old maps have now disappeared from the new ones. True there are a few insignificant places bearing the names of black historical figures like Shakaskraal, tucked up in an obscure spot on the Natal north coast. But such taken gestures are more of an insult than an honour to our people. It is not difficult to imagine what is certain to happen when freedom comes to this country. The radical changes in the naming of independent countries and public places in Africa, Asia and Latin America indi ate the sort of demands that will be made here.

I reached Mzimkhulu late that day and stayed with Dr. Wilson Conco who ran a large medical practice in the area. We were students together on the Rand and worked closely in the ANC and especially in the Youth League. I was happy to see him again and his wife Sheila again. Although active in Natal politics, he was actually living in the Transkei and acquainted with current developments there. After consultations with him, I had a cleareer picture of the situation in the area than when I left the Rand. In the evening of the third I reached Mthatha, my home town. Home is home even for those who aspire to serve wider interests and who have established their homws of choice in distant regions. The happy lift that seized me as I drove into York Road, the main street, is beyond measure. I had been away for the long strech of 13 years and although there were no fatted claves and festooned trees to welcome me I felt such like the Returned Wanderer of Biblical fame and looked forward to seeing my mother and humble home, the numerous friends with whom I grew up, that enchanting veld and all the paraphanalia that make up unforgettable days of childhood.