Cape Town - The sinking of the troopship SS Mendi, one of the worst marine disasters in the history of South Africa, was commemorated on Sunday at UCT.
The annual commemoration paid homage to the 617 South African soldiers and 30 British crew members who died aboard the military steamship on February 21, 1917, when the vessel sank in the English Channel.
It was struck by a much larger cargo ship, the SS Daro. The South African men were members of the 5th Battalion of the South African Native Labour Contingent en route to France to support the war effort.
Among those at the service was Deputy Mayor Ian Neilson, who said the collision created a 6m-wide hole in the starboard side of the Mendi, ripping all the way through to the holds, where the men were sleeping.
“The ship sank rapidly, within half an hour, and 646 men drowned or succumbed to hypothermia. Only 267 survived,” Neilson said.
He said many had signed up in the hope that this would pave the way toward greater political rights back home.
“Sadly, this proved not to be the case,” the deputy mayor said.
The men had spent their last night on South African soil at a camp site on what is now the university’s lower campus.
The site, near Graça Machel Hall residence and the UCT Fitness Centre, is today the SS Mendi Memorial.
The sinking of the troopship SS Mendi, one of the worst marine disasters in the history of South Africa, was commemorated on Sunday at UCT. Video: Sisonke Mlamla/Cape Argus
UCT student representative council chairperson Akha Tutu said the Mendi lessons included paying tribute to all those who served and suffered, recognising individual experiences and taking the opportunity to right past wrongs.
One leading seaman, Adrian Peterson, said that by taking ownership of what happened in the past - good or bad - “we make it part of our present day commitment to transformation based on compassion and the recognition that we need to heal the wounds that have been left in all of us by this tragedy”.
The South African Army band was in attendance, with the Cape Town Highlanders lining up as the guard of honour. There was also participation from the South African Navy, SANDF, the SA Air Force and the South African Military Health Service.
The sinking of the troopship SS Mendi, one of the worst marine disasters in the history of South Africa, was commemorated on Sunday at UCT. Picture: Sisonke Mlamla/Cape Argus
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