Gazankulu khanga c. 1980s
Image by Tomathon
A South African khanga probably circa 1980s. It commemorates the Apartheid era bantustan of Gazankulu (sometimes GaZankulu). A small fractured statelet, one of 10 created by the South African state to foist the actual governance of black South Africans off on dependent and untenable rural reservations. It existed from 1971 to 1994, and is now part of Limpopo Province, near the Mozambique border. Divided into two jagged islands of unproductive land, Gazankulu primarily exported migrant labor to South African mines. In the 80s it was not only one of the poorest areas of South Africa, but one of the poorest and most underserved areas in the world. From 1981 to 1983, Ganzankulu’s “first minister” Hudson Ntsanwisi launched an ethnic Tsonga social movement and political party, the Ximoko Xa Rixaka, (Whip of the Nation).
The colors of this Khanga don’t match those of the 1971-94 Gazankulu flag (Blue and white) but the coat of arms (created in 1962) are shown, along with the “national” motto MINTIRHO YA VULAVULA (Deeds Count). My guess is that the Khanga either dates from before 1971 (unlikely due to the printed nylon construction) or more likely the 1980s during the time of the Ximoko Xa Rixaka, the anti-Apartheid struggle, and pushback from anti-ANC black supporters of the regime like Zulu Inkatha Freedom Party’s Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who was an ally of and model for Hudson Ntsanwisi’s Gazankulu.
The Khanga also features the Zulu-style cowhide shield (ilkwa), two spears (either the throwing spear or isijula or the shorter iklwa stabbing spear), and a fighting axe or club with a tassel. This speaks to the close ethnic connection between the Tsonga and Zulu. The arms might also be seen in the context of a calculated push to by Gazankulu’s leaders to create a sense of “Tsonga-ness” that tied them to 19th century warrior states, and distinguished them from the neighboring (and also related) Venda.
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