As today marks a year since the death of Mthokozisi Ntumba, dozens of students are expected to display works celebrating him as they push for the municipality to rename De Beer Street in Braamfontein after him.
Ntumba, 35, was shot and killed allegedly by police during a student protest in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, in March last year. He was shot shortly after visiting his doctor for a consultation at MyClinic Health Care on De Beer Street.
Students from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) will be commemorating his death by hosting an arts festival event on the same street where he drew his last breath.
The event, organised by the Wits student representative council (SRC), will see students and members of the public design and display artwork in the form of paintings to honour Ntumba. There will also be students reciting poetry, and musical items. Ntumba was shot when Wits students were protesting over historical debt and non-registration.
Wits SRC president Cebolenkosi Khumalo said they want to use the event as a way of pressurising the City of Johannesburg to rename the street after Ntumba, a father of four.
“We are going to be commemorating Mthokozisi Ntumba because of the violence in Braamfontein and the loss of life of someone who achieved so much. He was a student also at Unisa. The reason we are having the event is to pursue the case and push the City of Joburg to agree to our proposal of having the street renamed after Mthokozisi Ntumba,” said Khumalo.
Since Ntumba’s killing last year, several student activists have called for De Beer Street to be renamed after the former employee of the City of Tshwane employee who hailed from Bergville, KZN, but lived in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni.
Last year, the students staged a mock renaming of the street by defacing “De Beer” on the street sign replacing it with Ntumba’s name.
Khumalo said they will use the event to highlight the scourge of police brutality in the country.
“Ntumba’s killing reminds of the past. It reminds us of how the system still continues to perpetually abuse those that are disadvantaged. It is the same system that we saw during the apartheid days where police would kill black bodies and nothing would happen to them and it is the same thing happening right now. Those that are responsible have not been brought into the hands of justice. The law has not really taken its course,” said Khumalo.
Khumalo said they will start a petition today in a bid to submit a formal application to the city to rename the street.
“For us we are remembering an honest citizen who was not part of the protest but because of the colour of his skin he was targeted and was killed by police.”
According to the city’s rules, the process of renaming streets is quite intricate.
The proposal to change a street should be submitted to council. Then there is a public consultation where everyone is given an opportunity to give their input on the matter. The matter will be brought back to council to finalise. For the proposal to pass, 51% of council members would need to vote for it.”
The trial of the four police officers accused of shooting and killing Ntumba began on January 17 and continues in the high court in Johannesburg.
Officers Tshepiso Kekana, 27, Cidraas Motsothata, 43, Madimetja Legodi, 37, and Victor Mohammed, 51, are facing charges of murder and three counts of attempted murder.
Ntumba's cousin Lindiwe Hlatshwayo, 44, said she is hopeful that the court will rule in the favour of the state.
“I was in court yesterday [Wednesday] and the video footage of the shooting was presented. From what I saw I am confident that my cousin will get justice,” said Hlatshwayo.
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