Walton Zacharias Fenyang (W.Z. Fenyang) was a South African politician. He was a central figure of the political establishment of

Thaba Nchu Thaba 'Nchu, also known as Blesberg (''bald mountain'' in Afrikaans), is a town in Free State, South Africa, 63 km east of Bloemfontein and 17 km east of Botshabelo. The population is largely made up of Tswana and Sotho people. The to ...

as an independent reserve in South Africa. He was one of the

Barolong The Rolong (pronounced ) are a Tswana ethnic group native to Botswana and South Africa. Etymology The Rolong people's name originated from the clan's first ''kgosi'' (king, chief) Morolong, who lived around 1270–1280. The ancient word '' ...

members of the Thaba Nchu board.

Early life

Walton Zacharias Fenyang was the grandchild of the leader of the Barolong, Chief Tshipinare. Fenyang was educated in

Healdtown Healdtown is a hamlet located 10 km north-east of Fort Beaufort in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated in Raymond Mhlaba Municipality in Amathole District in an area that was formerly part of the Ciskei. Nelson Mandela ...

. He later became chief of the

subgroup of the

Tswana people The Batswana (, singular ''Motswana'') are a Bantu peoples, Bantu Ethnic groups in South Africa, ethnic group native to Southern Africa that are descendants of King Looe (Lowe) who established the Hurutshi tribe in Southern Africa (linguistic ...

. Fenyang owned a farm at Rietfontein in the

Thaba 'Nchu Thaba 'Nchu, also known as Blesberg (''bald mountain'' in Afrikaans), is a town in Free State, South Africa, 63 km east of Bloemfontein and 17 km east of Botshabelo. The population is largely made up of Tswana and Sotho people. The tow ...

reserve. Fenyang had a close association with

Sol Plaatje Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje (9 October 1876 – 19 June 1932) was a South African intellectual, journalist, linguist, politician, translator and writer. Plaatje was a founding member and first General Secretary of the South African Native Natio ...

and was one of Ellen Kuzwayo's grandfathers’ friends who lived close to the farm from which Kuzwayo and her family were forcibly removed.

Career

In 1913, Fenyang formed part of the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...

delegation which met with the Minister of Native Affairs to reject the proposed Land Act. He was an early treasurer of the ANC and he served as provincial ANC president in

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( ; ) was an independent Boer-ruled sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeated and surrendered to the British Em ...

. Fenyang established a weekly newspaper from

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein ( ; ), also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State (province), Free State province in South Africa. It is often, and has been traditionally, referred to as the country's "judicial capital", alongsi ...

called the ''Messenger Morumioa'' in the 1920s which circulated for two years in Orange Free State and northern

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name ''Transvaal''. * South African Republic (1856–1902; ...

. Fenyang, J. Nyoong and Reverend J. Goronyane funded '' Tsala ea Becoana'' which was a political, non-partisan newspaper covering current affairs and opinion pieces. It was edited by Sol Plaatje.

Legacy

The land on which the old Moroka Hospital building was built was donated by W.Z Fenyang and

James Moroka James Sebe Moroka, OLG (16 March 1891 – 10 November 1985) was a medical doctor and a politician, who was the president of the African National Congress 1949–1952.

. The hospital is a government hospital and serves the Thaba 'Nchu region.Dr. JS Moroka / Mantsopa Hospital Complex
Accessed 29 January 2018

References

{{Reflist, 2 South African newspaper people South African political people

Early life

Career

Legacy

See also

References