One man’s contribution to the development of Gelukspan
The Man Who Shook Mountains is the title of the latest published hard copy biography authored by the renowned journalist Lesley Mofokeng. "Ma Les", as his peers affectionately know him in the media fraternity, is no stranger to publications. He is a seasoned journalist who graduated from the NWU and became a household name with national newspapers such as The Sunday Times, Sowetan and City Press.
He is currently the SAMA's spokesperson and a media specialist. His recently published book, The Man Who Shook Mountains, refers to his grandfather, Mongangane Wilfred Mofokeng, a Dutch Reformed Church evangelist who landed in what is now known as Gelukspan in 1952.
“My grandfather trained as an evangelist at the Stofberg Seminary near Vereeniging in the then Orange Free State, and going to Gelukspan was his only posting as a missionary until he retired in 1984,” stated Mofokeng.
In the book, Mofokeng outlines how his grandparents found the place to be on their arrival—having seen that the area was just a cattle post. According to Mofokeng, people's placement in these villages was part of the "grand apartheid project”. They only found a few people in these villages with no amenities and churches, some were Christians but lacked pastoral care," Mofokeng continued.
In the book, he says that Mongangane contributed to the spiritual, mental and physical well-being of people abandoned by the apartheid regime. “It was daunting, but he was equal to the task,” he added.
He also mentioned that as a person of Sotho origin, he went to Thaba Bosiu. That is where Morena Moshoeshoe, the first, founded the Basotho nation in 1824 and where missionaries first arrived among Basotho in 1833. It serves the dual purpose of being the root of Basotho formation and Christianity.
"It culminated in a profound and spiritual quest for my identity. In many ways, I went to Lesotho to shake mountains for answers. The book got its name from a comment by an elder who said Mongangane used to “shake” mountains when he preached in Gelukspan,” added Mofokeng.
When asked what the people of the North West can learn from reading this book, he (Mofokeng) answered thus: "NW people will learn about how one family contributed to the construction of a community in Ditsobotla. They will learn about the history of Gelukspan Hospital, the churches, and the schools built with his grandfather at the helm.
"Above all, we are writing about our ancestor's contribution to Black history, which is currently missing. It’s our responsibility to preserve family history for future generations. I hope the book inspires people of the North West to be interested in history and share their family histories. Let's write these experiences and histories down," concluded Mofokeng.
The book is available at all bookstores, including Exclusive Books, Bargain Books and Book Circle Capital, Take a Lot and other e-commerce platforms.
