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 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 town was settled in December 1833 and officially established ...

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

Barolong Barolong is a tribe of Tswana people from Botswana and South Africa. Their King, Tau was the descendant of King Morolong who is the founder of Barolong tribe. He reigned around 1240 and adopted ''Tholo'' (the Kudu) as the Barolong totem. King Tau w ...

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. He later became chief of the

subgroup of the

Tswana people The Tswana ( tn, Batswana, singular ''Motswana'') are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group native to Southern Africa. The Tswana language is a principal member of the Sotho-Tswana language group. Ethnic Tswana made up approximately 85% of the popu ...

. Fenyang owned a farm at

Rietfontein Rietfontein is a town in ZF Mgcawu District Municipality located in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It functions as the Rietfontein Borderpost with Namibia during the day hours of 08:00-16:30, that gives access to and from south-east N ...

in the

Thaba 'Nchu Thaba 'Nchu 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 town was settled in December 1833 and officially established ...

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 Nation ...

and was one of

Ellen Kuzwayo Nnoseng Ellen Kate Kuzwayo (29 June 1914 – 19 April 2006) was a women's rights activist and politician in South Africa, and was a teacher from 1938 to 1952. She was president of the African National Congress Youth League in the 1960s. In 19 ...

'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 Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...

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 ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...

. Fenyang established a weekly newspaper from

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State (province), Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legisla ...

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; af, ...

. 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