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MOSSEL BAY NEWS AND VIDEO - Well into his eighties, Ben Mayixhale still makes a striking impression. He is a tall, slim man and walks with fortitude.
Ben actively competed in the Golden Games before Covid-19. With the lifting of the national state of disaster, the games are in the cards again, but Ben says there is no one left to compete against. He is a runner.
His name gives away a part of his proud heritage. He is the son of Charlie Mayixhale. Mayixhale Street was named after Charlie, originally hailing from Maclear in the Eastern Cape.
The family lived in Oudtshoorn before relocating to Mossel Bay. But, Ben explains with a wry smile, the smuggling trade was a means of putting food on the table. The smuggling stopped when the family relocated.
VIDEO - The Mayixhale name lives on (Jannie du Plessis, Mossel Bay Advertiser).
"Those were different days," says Ben. He often gets emotional when speaking about bygone days.
According to Ben, his father was a wise and peace-loving man. Being born of a tribal standing or royalty as Ben says, his father was considered a prominent leader within this community.
"When there was trouble, people would come to my father for advice. He would then help them solve their issues. Only when there was blood spilt, the police would become involved."
And this, Ben explains, was seldom necessary back in the day because the conflict was resolved by his father before escalating to violence. He adds that despite it being apartheid, his father was an acknowledged leader in the community who often engaged with the municipality on certain matters.
"My father was fetched regularly to speak on behalf of the community and negotiate."
One of these instances, explains Ben, involved the actual establishment of KwaNonqaba. He elaborates in detail on how underdeveloped Mossel Bay was in those days.
Ben left Mossel Bay for many years, working in the security industry in Gauteng. He laments that on his return, he could not live in his father's house. The house was lost to the family after his father's death, he explains, due to what he refers to as "administrative errors".
Ben confesses that he was a hard-drinking man in his younger years. But, he gives God all the glory for redeeming him from alcohol and adding health and years to his life.
He has been a resident of Benevolent Park seniors complex for several years now, where he remains very active and tends to the gardens voluntarily.
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