A modern granite memorial honouring the Xhosa writer and poet SEK Mqhayi is located in the southwest corner of a large open park on the west side of the town of Berlin.
The memorial comprises four tall square granite columns set on a square granite plinth and is capped by a square granite slab. The columned structure encloses a vertically proportioned granite clad memorial base which in turn supports a bust of Mqhayi looking east towards Berlin and Ntabozuko. All four sides of the granite memorial base are further elaborated with engraved inscriptions. The memorial is also surrounded by an apron clad with granite tiles.
The memorial was constructed by Crankshaw Marble and Granite for the Department of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture.
The plaque on the eastern side records the following inscription:
S. E. K MQHAYI MEMORIAL
SAMUEL EDWARD KRUNE MQHAYI
(1/12/1875 - 29/07/1945) WAS BORN
NEAR GQUMAHASHE, ALICE, EASTERN CAPE,
INTO A FAMILY OF LONG STANDING CHRISTIAN
CONVERTS.
HE SPENT SEVERAL OF HIS EARLY YEARS IN RURAL
TRANSKEI CLOSE TO THE HOMESTEAD OF HIS GREAT
UNCLE, CHIEF NZANZANA. DURING THIS PERIOD MQHAYI
ACQUIRED A REMARKABLE KNOWLEDGE OF XHOSA HISTORY, CUSTOMS AND LANGUAGE. HE ALSO ACQUIRED A GOOD
UNDERSTANDING OF XHOSA JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS, AS
PRACTICED IN THE COURT OF CHIEF NZANZANA. THE
INFLUENCE OF THIS PERIOD SPENT CLOSE TO CHIEF
NZANZANA IS REFLECTED IN HIS EVIDENT LOVE OF XHOSA
HISTORY AND HIS MASTERY OF THE PRAISE POEM.
HE TRAINED AS A TEACHER AT LOVEDALE INSTITUTION
AND THEREAFTER TAUGHT SCHOOL IN THE GOMPO
DISTRICT OF EAST LONDON. IN 1905 HE WAS APPOINTED
TO THE XHOSA BIBLE REVISION BOARD AND HE LATER
HELPED CODIFY XHOSA GRAMMAR AND STANDARDIZE
XHOSA ORTHOGRAPHY.
The plaque on the northern side records the following inscription:
S.E.K. MQHAYI FAMILY TREE
UMGCA KA SHESHEGU UKUSUSELA
EBA THENJINI KU THEMBU WENJENJE
"UTHEMBU UZELE UNDILO, OZELE UNTONGAKAZI,
OZELE UCEDUME, OZELE UBHOMOYI, OZELE UMGUNTI,
OZELE UNXEKWA, OZELE UNTOYI, OZELE UZIMA,
OZELE UTIMANA, OZELE UZIKHONKWANE, OZELE
UNYANKWEZI, OZELE UMGANA, OZELE ULANGA
OZELE UDLWEDLWE, OZELE SHESHEGU, OZELE
UMQHAYI, OZELE UKRUNE, OZELE UZIWANI
The plaque on the western side records the following inscription:
IN 1907 MQHAYI WROTE WHAT IS CONSIDERED TO
BE HIS FIRST NOVEL IN THE XHOSA LANGUAGE,
U SAMSON, WHICH WAS A VERSION OF THE BIBLICAL
STORY OF SAMSON. IN 1914 HIS ITYALA LAMAWELE
APPEARED INSPIRED BY ANOTHER BIBLICAL STORY.
ITYALA LAMAWELE IS A DEFENSE OF XHOSA LAW
BEFORE EUROPEAN ADMINISTRATION. MQHAYI'S
MEMORIES OF NZANZANA'S COURT ENABLED HIM
TO PROVIDE A MOST ILLUMINATING PICTURE OF
XHOSA JUDICIAL PROCEDURE. IN THE 1920 MQHAYI
WROTE SEVERAL BIOGRAPHIES AND IMIHOBE
NEMIBONGO (1927, "SONGS OF JOY AND LULLABIES"
THE FIRST PUBLISHED COLLECTION: OF XHOSA POEMS,
MANY OF WHICH CELEBRATE CURRENT EVENTS OR
IMPORTANT FIGURES. A WORK-OF FICTION, U-DON JADU
(1929), DESCRIBES A UTOPIAN MULTIRACIAL STATE THAT
COMBINES ELEMENTS OF WESTERN SOCIETY AND XHOSA
CULTURE. MQHAYI'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY, U-MQHAYI WASE
NTAB'OZUKO (1939 "MQHAYI OF THE MOUNTAIN OF BEAUTY")
GIVES A VIVID PICTURE OF THE LATE 19TH CENTURY XHOSA LIFE.
MQHAYI'S COLLECTED POEMS, INZUZO ("REWARD") WERE
PUBLISHED IN 1942. MQHAYI WAS THE RECIPIENT OF
THE MAY ESTER BEDFORD PRIZE, FOR BANTU LITERATURE
IN 1935. AN HONORARY DOCTORATE WAS POSTHUMOUSLY
CONFERRED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF FORT HARE IN MAY 2011
The plaque on the southern side records the following details of the unveiling:
THE MEMORIAL STONE
WAS UNVEILED ON
29 SEPTEMBER 2011
HONOURABLE MEC
MRS XOLISWA TOM
DEPARTMENT OF SPORT
RECREATION ARTS AND
CULTURE
The memorial is unfortunately tightly hemmed in by a galvanised iron palisade fence.
SEK Mqhayi's grave is located in close proximity on the slopes of Ntabozuko.
William Martinson, September 2024. | 
