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| 10:16 | The late eighties and early nineties were bloody years in KwaZulu-Natal. South Africans became almost immune to daily bulletins of massacres and running battles in especially the KwaZulu-Natal midlands. Our next report looks at the people affected by this turmoil and how they face the future. | Full Transcript |
| 10:35 | The South African public was lead to believe that political violence in KwaZulu-Natal was historical faction fighting along tribal lines, part of the spirit and nature of the Zulu, Shaka’s children. // …and we’ll do everything to preserve the Zulu’s role which was followed by King Shaka … // The recent Truth and Reconciliation hearings on the seven-day war in KwaZulu-Natal midlands spoke of a far more sinister root to the beautiful region’s troubled past | Full Transcript and References |
| 12:14 | I would like to invite you to come to the upper part of the valley to see what the place looks like. You should go past Eden and to the upper valley KwaMnyandu, KwaShange. Even today you can see the aftermath of the violence that took place in 1990. | Full Transcript and References |
| 12:40 | Now what happened here is that in 1987 around about the times of the floods which were in September a lot of youngsters from down below, form Edendale began to come up the valley and to encourage youngsters from around here to join the UDF, particularly on the right hand side of the road in that valley called Ntshongozima. And a large number of youth there joined the UDF and became Amaqabane, comrades. In fact, even a lot of the adults joined the UDF. About September, I think it was about October, the 9th of October Dave Ntombela who is very much against the UDF took a group of men and they went over towards that hill there, an area called Zondisto, and they murdered in one of the houses there that night a woman and a child and a young man belonging to a house which was seen to be UDF. Shortly after that Ntombela was arrested and he was released on bail but then he fled from the area. At that stage, those months of September, October, November, December, practically the whole area ...more | Full Transcript and References |
| 15:38 | Despite these allegations and a number of witnesses see him shoot his own brother on Christmas day 1994. Ntombela is at present a member of the provincial parliament. // … Instruct us that they that although they are prepared to assist in giving their version of the events they do not see their way clear to do so before this Commission as constituted at present … // Thank you mister Coetzee // May I be excused? Thank you for the opportunity. | Full Transcript |
| 16:14 | The crowd was clearly not satisfied with Ntombela’s refusal to testify under the present TRC Committee. // ‘He’s killing my father and my brother too in the seven days war on 28 March. Ntombela … I’m sick and tired.’ // The people of the Midlands are calling for justice not revenge. All sides have buried their dead and are praying for a peaceful start to the new South Africa. | Full Transcript |
| 18:59 | Phemba Kahle is a cultural and art initiative and it emerged out of the province’s violent past. Jabulani here is an award winning musician. // With violence on the decrease I see that all this should come to an end, all that is depressing us here in South Africa and in KwaZulu-Natal. All that we should concentrate on is playing music, have festivals, forget about these things concerning violence. Let’s just play music. | Full Transcript |
| 20:15 | Happy valley sprung up as UDF victims fled form Inkatha strongholds. With NGO support the refugees are making a new start. // What shocked me was that the ZP policeman Mshembu would during the day get together with Inkatha members and would chase us around. Sometimes they would run around burning houses and generally terrorise the neighbourhood. | Full Transcript |
| 21:00 | The green valley of Willowfontein situated on the other side of Pietermaritzburg is also home to many internal refugees. // After the seven days war, after the death of my mother, my child and my fiancé in March 1990, when Ntombela attacked, burning houses in the Mnayandu, Shange and Ashdown areas I realized I had lost everything worthwhile in my life. // The people of the midlands did not only have to contend with violence. Floods also took their toll. // We suffered great losses after the floods and our six roomed house fell apart and we had to start afresh with building and one is currently fixing the rest. Nothing remained except the clothes I had on. | Full Transcript |
| 22:24 | Jabulani plays ‘Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika’ on a homemade violin | Full Transcript |
| 23:18 | Monica Wittenberg was recently commended for bravery by the TRC for her involvement with the Imbali support group. // We were sitting in the house, the Gabela house, that has experienced unspeakable terror, even from ’86 onwards because Sipho her son was a UDF member and a spokesperson for the youth. In ’89 Sipho was so severely injured by white policemen and Mama Gabela and Baba Gabela were not allowed to come out of the door. Sipho was in the outbuilding. He was injured so badly, he was out of action for a whole year. Now, when this happened to the Gabela family. That was the last and very severe incident. Graham Swan, an African Enterprise member said, well no family can endure so much suffering. We must do something about it as churches. Now there was the, either that was Graham Swan, he is a Canadian. There were two ideas, you could either evacuate the whole family to somewhere safe like African Enterprise which is a paradise of a place, or he had the idea to take a little ...more | Full Transcript and References |
| 28:19 | Little Ntemobo was only four years old when he witnessed the violent murder of his father. He lives with this horror every day. // I’m Dudu Ngcobo. We used to stay in Imbali township, section two. We used to be constantly harassed by the police and on their visit, they asked what the surname of the household was and I told them we’re Ngcobo’s. On one of their visits they inquired what my husband’s tribe was and we explained and then they said this is definitely the household they were searching for. They wanted to know where the boys were, and I said there were none in that house. I explained that I stayed alone with the children and that there were no boys who stayed in the house. After that I never had peace. They would come at night and I heard noises and I’d hear footsteps outside. I was always thankful at sunrise that I was still alive. One Sunday I went to church with my younger child and this one remained behind with his father in the house. At 12:30 I noticed a ...more | Full Transcript and References |
