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Special Report Transcript Episode 84, Section 6, Time 35:39One of the most shameful chapters of the resistance against apartheid was the burning of people, mostly local councillors or people accused of collaborating with the state. Often a car tyre was put around the victim’s neck, filled with petrol and set alight. This was where the term ‘necklacing’ started. Hundreds of people died this way in the turbulent 1980s. There was an expectation that necklacing would be investigated by the Truth Commission and that some of the perpetrators would ask for amnesty. This has unfortunately not happened. Who asked someone who was a young activist at that time and is now a journalist and a poet to try and find explanations. Notes: Max du Preez Conflict between local councillors and political activists intensified in townships around the country during the 1980s, as pressure mounted on councillors to resign their positions on councils created under the Black Local Authorities Act and without popular support. Councillors who refused to ... a car tyre filled with petrol used mainly by UDF supporters to burn political opponents, especially those regarded as collaborators and police informers |