18. Ongahelipi to ka ulika kutya owa lenga oshali yoye yokuninga omatokolo? sions and conflicts between hosts and subtenants. This gradually led to animosity between Orlando’s legitimate and legal tenants and their subtenants. James “Sofasonke” Mpanza helped to break the housing backlog by allowing squatters to build shacks It was into this potentially explosive environment that the self styled messiah, James Sofasonke Mpanza made his impact. Originally from Natal, and with a history of murder, Mpanza converted while in prison. When released he became a lay preacher and leader of thousands of disgruntled subtenants in Orlando. Mpanza established the Sofasonke Party which took part in elections to the Native Advisory Board. Mpanza added his voice to the appeal for more houses to be built. When the JMC ignored these appeals, Mpanza decided to take drastic steps. In March 1944 Mpanza had become disillusioned with peaceful appeals for more houses and called for a more daring approach to force the JMC to heed the subtenants’ demand for houses. Perched on a horse Mpanza led hundreds of subtenant families across the railway line to vacant land in what is today Orlando West. Mpanza and his followers, members of the Sofasonke Party forcibly occupied the piece of land and erected fragile structures made of sacking material. Because of the sack material used to erect the structures, the camp became known as “Masakeng”. The group, appearing belligerent and menacing, adopted the slogan “si ya o ghoba si ya o ghebula umhlaba ka mas-