Thomas Mapikela House

Thomas Mtobi Mapikela (1869-1945) was one of the founding fathers of the South African Native National Congress (SANNC) which was formed in 1912. In 1923 it became the ANC. Mapikela’s contribution to political change in South Africa has always been a pride-instilling historical fact for the Bloemfontein community. Many important ANC meetings were held in Mapikela House.

He was born on 12 November 1869 in Hleuhoeng in Lesotho. His family moved to the Cape Colony and he received his primary education in Queenstown. He completed his tertiary education at the Grahamstown Natives' College where he qualified as a cabinet maker. In 1892, Mapikela moved to Bloemfontein and settled in the Waaihoek township. He worked as a carpenter and builder. He was a carpenter by profession, but soon played a significant role in politics at the height of his career.

Mapikela owned two houses which were demolished during the forced removal of black people from the area. Black people from Waaihoek were then moved to Batho Location. When the apartheid government wouldn’t let Mapikela own two houses (one as a home, the other a business), he built himself a double-storey house.

He was the only person in the whole of Batho Township who was permitted to own a double-storey house. In 1903, Mapikela set up his own independent building contracting enterprise. He was engaged in making furniture of many descriptions for schools around Bloemfontein. He also created some of the wooden furniture for the Wesleyan Church, which can be viewed at the national heritage site.

After the annexation of the Free State Republic by Britain in 1900, black political parties emerged. Mapikela was one of the members of the delegation which went to Britain to protest the Act of the Union of South Africa. In May 1903, he became a member of the Bloemfontein Native Vigilance Committee (BNCV) which superseded the Native Committee of the Bloemfontein district. In 1904, he was instrumental in the forming of the Orange River Colony Vigilance Association and in 1906 became its office bearer.

The establishment and the formation of the Native Vigilance Association and the Orange River Colony Native Association (later named the Orange River Native Congress – ORNC), paved the way for Mapikela's political prominence. These political parties mainly fought for the enfranchisement of black people, including granting full political rights to blacks and safeguarding the political, social and religious welfare of African people. In June 1906, Mapikela was elected the secretary general of the ORNC.

In 1909, the anti-union delegation, led by William Schreiner, included Mapikela, John Tengo Jabavu, Abdullah Abdurrahman, Walter Rubusana, and Matt Fredericks. These men travelled to London to protest the British government with their racist provisions of the draft of the South African Act. Their voyage was however unsuccessful as clauses of the SA Act were included in the Union of South Africa. 

As the president of the Free State Native Congress, Mapikela played a prominent role in the establishment of SANNC, which was later in 1923, named the ANC. He was its official speaker for 28 years from its formation until 1940. Due to his multilingualism, this put him in a better position to continue as speaker of the organization.

In 1913, he was part of the delegation which travelled to Britain, protesting against the 1913 Land Act which afforded black people only 8% of the land in South Africa.

In 1919, Mapikela was involved in the drafting of the SANNC's constitution which was a policy statement of the organisation for many years after. In the 1930s, Mapikela served on the executive committees of both the ANC and the All African Convention – held in 1935 to oppose the second Hertzog (J. B. M. Hertzog) Bills and the removal of Africans in the Cape from the Common Voters roll. At the establishment of the Native Representative Council in 1937, Mapikela stood for Council and was subsequently elected as an executive member. In Council debates, he was famous for his staunch determination and stubborn character when he believed in a concept.

As the head blockman, Mapikela would hold meetings at his house to discuss community problems such as water supply, installation of electricity and the possible promotion of black education. As a carpenter, Mapikela did a lot of work for the Bloemfontein community at large. Due to the lack of mortuaries in Mangaung, Mapikela manufactured coffins in his house to assist mainly poor communities.

Mapikela also housed prominent visitors from outside Bloemfontein in his house and therefore it became a lodging house. This house accommodated travellers from all over the country who visited Bloemfontein for personal, political and non-political reasons and who used trains as a mode of transport. Some of these travellers slept in this house due to the fact that during that time the hotels had restrictions in terms of accommodating black people. Travellers who did not want to sleep in dilapidated, unsafe waiting rooms at the stations, opted for the Mapikela House. Unfortunately, no restaurants in the city would serve black people and therefore Mapikela opened his house to black people for catering and dining services.

Thomas Mapikela was buried in the Heroes Acre at Phahameng Cemetery. In 2016, his grave was been declared a National Heritage Site.