{"id":1248,"date":"2026-09-18T11:07:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T11:07:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/?p=1248"},"modified":"2026-09-18T11:34:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T11:34:28","slug":"amacwerha-defy-rain-and-cold-to-celebrate-their-heritage-at-nowalala-village","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/2026\/09\/18\/amacwerha-defy-rain-and-cold-to-celebrate-their-heritage-at-nowalala-village\/","title":{"rendered":"Amacwerha Defy Rain and Cold to Celebrate Their Heritage at Nowalala Village"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Nowalala &#8211; Ntabankulu<\/p>\n<p>Despite the rain and chilly weather, the spirit of heritage burned bright at Nowalala Village in Ntabankulu as locals braved adverse conditions to attend the Annual Heritage Gathering of Amacwerha. The mood was joyous and electric as ululation, song and rhythmic dancing filled the air.<\/p>\n<p>Wrapped in traditional regalia, young and old celebrated together, turning the chilly, rain-soaked day into a warm and vibrant showcase of Amacwerha pride and unity. The vibrant celebration was graced by Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Lubabalo Mabuyane, Alfred Nzo District Municipality Executive Mayor &#8211; Cllr Tsileng Sobuthongo, Ntabankulu Local Municipality Mayor Cllr Vuyokazi Matwasa, Umzimvubu Local Municipality Mayor Cllr Zukiswa Ndevu, esteemed Amacwerha Chiefs from various traditional authorities in the province, visiting Chiefs from KwaNdebele, members of the Amacwerha Royal Council and community members who came in numbers to honour and preserve the proud legacy of Amacwerha.<\/p>\n<p>In a heart-warming welcome address, Chief Jonginyaniso Sigwiji of the Nowalala Traditional Authority appreciated the support from guests and acknowledged the successful interventions by the provincial government in Nowalala. He also highlighted current projects being implemented in the area, saying these interventions will contribute to better livelihoods for local residents.<\/p>\n<p>Explaining the purpose of the day, Simvumile Mambafula, Chairperson of the Amacwerha Royal Council, said that as the country continues to celebrate Heritage Month, Amacwerha are no exception as they celebrate their cultural identity and history.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The event also encourages solidarity of the Amacwerha clan and goes a long way in strengthening family relations. The event is also used to encourage Amacwerha youth to embrace their culture,&#8221; said Mambafula.<\/p>\n<p>Premier Mabuyane, who was in his usual element, praised the Amacwerha clan for their continued efforts to preserve their heritage. He said people must appreciate each other so that all nations can live in harmony with huge respect for cultures and traditions.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Healthy families can lead to a united country. We need to raise our kids with respect for their families and this will surely create a healthy society. I appreciate the youth for coming in their numbers to learn about their heritage,&#8221; said Mabuyane.&#8221;Knowing one&#8217;s lineage is knowing one&#8217;s identity, and for Amacwerha, it is the anchor that connects past generations to the future. Through the preservation of traditions, language and customs, the clan continues to instil pride and a deep sense of belonging in its people,&#8221; he concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nowalala &#8211; Ntabankulu Despite the rain and chilly weather, the spirit of heritage burned bright<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1249,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1248"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1248\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1255,"href":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1248\/revisions\/1255"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}