Every now and again we stopped and had another long look - the last time being perhaps three years ago. All that we could ever learn about the place, it being totally abandoned , was that it had been put together when Lucas Mangope was at the height of his pomp, that the architect and inspiration of the entire project was Credo Mutwa and that the place, which had once been the venue for shows by Brenda Fassie and others, was burnt to the ground during the 1994 riots which, in the end, de-pomped Mangope.
What we never discovered was whether Mutwa had approached Mangope with a proposal to create this most remarkable cultural village or whether it was Mangope who had enticed Mutwa into doing so; perhaps with offers of a handsome pay out but certainly with a guarantee that the necessary chunk of land would be made available, the materials provided and all other relevant costs covered. The final cost of the project must have been quite enormous not least because it could only have been put together over a fairly long period of time. The plan had to be devised and somehow the considerable labour force managed with purpose and without upset.
