A Mpumalanga family that chose to withdraw a land claim to make way for the construction of the province’s first university has finally been honoured for their sacrifice.
The University of Mpumalanga (UMP) has named its Law Building after the late Chief Nkhomo Shongwe, whose family’s act of generosity helped transform ancestral land into a hub of education, opportunity and justice.
In 2023, UMP signed a memorandum of understanding with the Emsamo Communal Property Association, committing to immortalise Chief Shongwe’s name on one of its flagship buildings – a promise now fulfilled.
During a moving ceremony at the university’s Mbombela campus over the weekend, the late chief’s family hailed the move as one that should inspire students for generations to come.
“May every student who enters these doors remember that the rule of law must also be the rule of conscience,” said family representative Dan Shongwe, who is also the chairperson of the association, which allowed the land to be used.
According to Shongwe, when the UMP was established on Vredenheim Farm, part of the land was once claimed by his family. They made an extraordinary choice between pursuing restitution or withdrawing their claim in the interest of education and provincial development.
“True leadership, like that of Chief Nkhomo, is about stewardship – the courage to protect the vulnerable and uphold what is right, even when it is not easy,” he said.
Born in 1885, Chief Shongwe and his wife Mariya (LaNgomane) settled at Emsamo, an area that today stretches from White River to KaMagugu township near Mbombela, including the land where the university now stands.
Known for his generosity and moral clarity, the chief gave land to families which sought refuge under his rule. He was later laid to rest in a mountain cave behind Bundu Lodge, overlooking the very grounds where young scholars now walk.
UMP vice-chancellor Professor Thoko Mayekiso was proud of the moment. She said the decision to name the building after Chief Shongwe was a symbolic return of dignity to the family whose gift gave birth to the institution itself.
“Without land, people are stripped of both dignity and livelihood,” she said. “The foresight of the Shongwe clan, originally gallant soldiers and valiant warriors, enabled the establishment of this campus. Through their vision, generations yet to come will study here and contribute to the advancement of humanity.”
UMP council chairperson Sabelo Mahlalela said naming the building after the chief was a symbolic merging of justice and gratitude.
“The Shongwe family’s decision not only strengthened our university’s roots but also deepened our commitment to social justice and transformation,” Mahlalela said.
In a province once divided by dispossession, a family’s act of giving has turned land into a legacy. And now, on that very soil, the law stands tall, engraved with the name of the man who gave it life.