By Jonk wa Mashamba
news@alexreporter.co.za

Shadrack Mkhonto ,PR councillor for ActionSA together with the other members have donated ActionSA branded jackets to the family of the late Jappie Vilankulu during Mandela Day event held at 7th avenues, Alexandra.

“Weeks before I spoke to our President Herman Mashaba to remind him about the promise that he made to Michael Happie Vilankulu’s younger brother that he will get him an ActinSA jacket.

“Herman asked me to organises some jackets for Vilankulu family and I did that. He sent money to me in order to pay for the Actionsa winter Jackets which each cost R600 and I ordered 4 Jackets,” Mkhonto said.

“At the same time, we were also doing membership drive for those people who wanted to support and vote for ActionSA. We managed to recruit and signed 95 new members,” he said.

Mkhonto said they also managed to feed children.”We had a wonderful day and we also distributed some old or second hand clothing donated by our members.

“The spirit of giving is alive in ActionSA and the hand that gives is blessed more than the hand that receives,” he said.

The chairman of the Jappie Vilankulu Educational Trust, Jimmy Masingi has criticized the other political parties for not recognizing Jappie. Jappie was the first black youth in Alex killed by the apartheid police on June 17, 1976.

” As the trust chairperson, I went and spoke to ActionSA so that they could partner with us. Because other political parties, all these years, have failed us and the family,” said Masingi.

He said they could only pose for publicity and forget about the family. “We have been giving these political parties a chance for over 10 years but did nothing,” he said.

Masingi said they needed a Jappie statue erected where they shot him. ” Today we visited Mr Linda Twala’s yard at 2nd avenue, where Jappie was shot. That’s where we need the statue to be erected.

“Mr Twala approved it and Mr Herman Mashaba promised that he would look into that. We also want to see the name of Jappie being recognized,” he said.

Jappie’s sister, Maiden Mogotsi, said that her brother, who was working at the time, was 23 in 1976.

The next day, Jappie allegedly refused to go to work and took the initiative to lead the school march. He went to each school, rang the bell and asked each learner to join him in marching to the police station.

Between 1st and 2nd Avenue, he was shot seven times by the Apartheid forces.

While the police were shooting at him, he attempted to protect himself with a bin cover. And he was carrying a stone as his weapon.

Unfortunately, he was shot in the head and died. More than 34 people died during the Massacre when Apartheid police opened fire on students who marched against poor quality of education.

The Vilankulu family hasn’t healed since Jappie’s promising future was cut short 47 years ago. He would have been 70 years old by now.

“We trust and hope that the leader of ActionSA, ntante Herman Mashaba, will assist us in ensuring that the story of Jappie Vilankulu is known and celebrated in Alexandra and the whole of South Africa… and possibly, to be known all over the world.

“We thank Mr Mashaba for contributing to Jappie Vilankulu’s Educational Trust Fund in 2017/18. When the fund was created, Mr Mashaba contributed half a million rands out of his family business to the fund.

” We thank him for that and we wish him well and pray to God that he can have strength and mercy to assist those in need like he has done to the Jappie Vilankulu’s Educational Trust Fund before,” said the family.

Masingi, a former journalist, appealed to Alex residents to stop going to Soweto to commemorate June 16 and forget their own.