Special Report Transcript Episode 65, Section 2, Time 15:48

I literally didn’t believe it. I thought that not even this government’s that stupid and when it sank in it was a terrible shock and we all, all of his friends, apart from the tragedy of it there was a sense of anger, a lot of anger. // It’s a long time, but it’s like yesterday, because it’s not something that you forget. I was in Pietersburg hospital, admitted because I had a threatened miscarriage with my son Hlumelo, who’s his son and when I first was told that he had been detained I really wasn’t worried because he had been detained before and I knew he could look after himself. And so the death, or the announcement of the death, it really was a shock. Shock in the sense of, I didn’t think it was possible that he could have died. It was the most traumatic moment of my life. I don’t think there is anything that would ever affect me as much as that. It was a very deep friendship, a very intimate, peer relationship of two very committed people, with an ability to share at a very deep level about our country, our hopes, our fears, our commitment. And a very deep and intimate love relationship which is not describable. I don’t have a problem with the amnesty process, because there is nothing that can redeem the loss, the loss is complete. // I have problems myself with some of these amnesty applications. I would oppose this amnesty application with every ounce of blood that I’ve got.

Notes: Donald Woods (Former editor and friend); Mamphela Ramphele (UCT Vice-Chancellor); Photos: Ramphele as young woman, with Biko; Barney Pityana (Chair: Human Rights Commission)

References: there are no references for this transcript