Special Report Transcript Episode 23, Section 3, Time 12:32

In 1985 the tiny township of Kwesi in Hanover erupted into a war between the black local authority and the comrades. The councillors were branded traitors and the comrades wanted them out of the township. Towards the end of the year tension in the township had reached boiling point and the councillors fled the township with their families. They lived in army tents on this piece of ground between the town and the township. The collection of tents became known as ‘Ezitenteni’ and was under constant police guard. For the inhabitants the township had become a no-go zone. But then on Christmas eve 1985 Tomazile Nkumbi decided to fetch some belongings from his wife’s house in the township. His brother William was with him. When the comrades spotted them in the township the police escort had already left. // And then we started to run, come to this direction and then mister Booysen come to our direction and he throw him and Tomazile was running on the left hand side and throwing me on his ankle. And then he collapsed here and I try to pick him up but he was a fat man like me, but shorter than me. I could not do anything. And then the comrades were starting running to this place. They stabbed him. The policeman found some stones were full of blood in this place. Was exhibited to the court, but the main thing … he was stabbed in his lungs.

Notes: Report by Anneliese Burgess; site where tents stood; Kwesi township; Area of incident; William Nkumbi interviewed