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[low music]
[low rumbling]
[grunts]
[men speaking indistinctly]
[melancholic music]
[music continues]
[tense music]
[kids chattering]
[music continues]
[truck rumbling]
- [men speaking indistinctly] - [car doors opening, closing]
[man] Come. [speaking foreign language]
[grunting]
[man] That Piet Müller?
You fucking pussy.
- How's it? - Oh, Dirk.
Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi. Just look what they done to you, eh?
- [Piet chuckles] - I thought you'd retired, man.
Hey, Jaco.
[in foreign language] Unlock the man.
Nah, I left the police about six years ago.
Took a package.
I run a small security firm here in Smits.
Here.
What's that?
Chicken for you.
[grunting]
[in foreign language] Nice isn't it?
What do you want, Piet?
I lead a quiet life now.
Keep my head down.
And suddenly I discover
the Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner
right here on my doorstep
with you as their star, too.
It's a family, Piet.
A family amnesty.
That business with Alex Mpondo, you remember '86?
That was 14 years ago.
And some things you don't forget.
Bullshit.
What needs to be forgotten, you forget.
I need this amnesty, Peter.
Yeah.
[coughing]
You know, if I remember correctly,
you were never even charged.
Uh-uh.
So why claim amnesty for something
you're not even accused of?
Yeah, I'm serving 18 years in prison for killing [indistinct].
Yeah, so?
So I want to get out, man!
I tried amnesty but they won't give it to me...
unless I claim for everything else as well.
So that's why I'm here, man, come clean.
Just as long as you keep me out of it,
that's all that concerns me.
[emotional music]
[kids chattering]
[kids shouting indistinctly]
[shouting continues]
[truck horn blaring]
[shouting continues]
[music continues]
- [feet stomping] - [men chanting]
[speaking indistinctly]
[stomping, chanting continue]
[speaking indistinctly]
[stomping, chanting continue]
[cheering, whistling]
[in foreign language] He has come back!
[in foreign language] Alex Mpondo! Good work!
[in foreign language] Alex Mpondo!
[in foreign language] My brother!
I never thought you'd show your face in this place again.
[in foreign language] How's that?
[laughing]
Here, man, is this how they dress in Pretoria?
[in foreign language] I thought everyone had forgotten me.
[in foreign language] There might have come a time when you wish they had.
[in foreign language] Auntie!
[in foreign language] Alex, my brother's child. Welcome Home.
- [women ululating] - [crowd cheering]
Hi.
[woman] How's it?
I'm Sarah.
I grew up in this house.
I wondered if I could take a look around.
My husband's not here, so I can't let you inside,
but, um...
you're welcome to look around the garden if you like.
[dog barking]
Thank you.
[woman speaking in foreign language]
Ach, don't mind the dogs.
No, no, no, they won't bite.
Stay!
[woman speaking in foreign language]
The old fence is gone.
[woman] Yeah, it's the first thing we replaced.
- You know, full of holes. - [dog barking]
What kind of dogs did you have?
Didn't have dogs or a gun.
Or a man, come to think of it.
Just me and my ma.
[scoffs] If you ask me that's asking for trouble, eh?
Well.
I guess we didn't know any better.
[low music]
- [chickens clucking] - [kids chattering in distance]
They're still here.
Johnny Nyonaso, my first boyfriend.
You're the Barcant girl, aren't you?
Yes.
You have quite a reputation, you know that?
Running around with the kids from the township.
What is wrong with the white boys?
[Sarah] Nothing.
It's just that I never found one that turned me on.
So what do you do now?
I'm a lawyer.
My client, Dirk Hendricks,
is here to plead his case for amnesty
before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
He freely admits that in this police station
between the fifth and the 31st of May, 1986,
he did brutally interrogate Mr. Alex Mpondo.
He understands the need for a full and frank disclosure.
In fact, my client is very sorry
for any harm inflicted upon Mr. Mpondo
and sincerely apologizes for the wrong done to him.
Any questions?
You know Mr. Mpondo is here to oppose Hendricks's claim?
My client hopes that in the spirit of the commission
Mr. Mpondo will find it in his heart to forgive him.
Will he shed any light on Sizela's disappearance?
[woman] What happened to Steve Sizela?
[man] What about Steve Sizela?
- Sarah. - Don't get up.
- What took you so long? - I came as fast as I could.
- The top's down. - Yeah.
Don't tell me you drove from the airport
with the top down.
- All the way. - Across the Karoo?
Are you mad?
Ben, I'm here one minute
and you're talking to me like a teenager.
[in foreign language] All I want to say, my nephew, is...
here is the goat with which
I welcome you back home.
[in foreign language] Praise the ancestors.
[in foreign language] We will send the soul of the goat...
to report to your ancestors...
[goat bleating]
that the beautiful Mpondomise has returned home unharmed.
[crowd speaking in foreign language]
...even though the beautiful Mpondomise has returned
he has forgotten how to speak his language in the proper way.
Please forgive him.
He has been gone a long time.
[crowd speaking in foreign language]
[goat bleating]
[in foreign language] Thank you, Aunt.
It gives me pleasure to see...
that I am still remembered as a son of this soil.
Ahh.
[crowd speaking in foreign language]
So how long are you staying?
Till the end of the hearing.
And then?
Back to court in New York.
New York.
So you're in America now?
Yes, I am.
So let me tell you about the hearing.
I read the statements.
I couldn't believe it was Hendricks.
When I first asked Alex to come back here,
he didn't want to go through all this,
but he had a friend, Steve Sizela,
who was arrested alongside of him.
He was never seen again.
I was Alex and Steve's lawyer at the time.
That's Steve.
He's the reason why Alex agreed to come back.
It's been 14 years now and James, Steve's father,
is desperate to find him.
I want you to put pressure on Hendricks
to explain what happened to Steve.
There's a dozen lawyers in Cape Town
who could've done this for you.
Yes.
I wanted you...to come back.
[indistinct] Your favorite.
Mm. Great, thanks.
I get the feeling Ben would fight this case if he could.
How is he?
Not well.
I try not to think too far ahead.
[in foreign language] The people of this town are proud of you.
You gave nothing to those Boar police.
[in foreign language] Make sure they are locked away.
- [upbeat music playing] - [phone ringing]
[woman over phone] Mr. Mpondo?
Who's this?
Sarah Barcant, your lawyer, uh,
Ben gave me your number.
I've just checked into the hotel.
Welcome to Smitsrivier.
Thank you.
[Alex over phone] Well, welcome back.
Uh...
can we meet tomorrow?
I know it's Sunday, but...
[Alex] Eight o'clock at the pool,
you remember where that is.
- [men laughing] - [Sarah] Yes.
[Alex] Will you come with me to see James Sizela
tomorrow afternoon, Steven's father, the headmaster?
Yes.
- Good. - [music continues playing]
-[phone beeps] - Bye.
- [low music playing] - [indistinct chatter]
Welcome back.
You recognize me?
Mr. Müller.
[Piet] Hm.
You're all grown up, eh?
You just couldn't stay away from us.
You had to come back, huh?
Miss Barcant, come join the party.
No, thank you, I have work to do.
Yes, you got work to do.
[low music]
[in foreign language] That's the Barcant girl.
[water splashing]
[music continues]
[water splashing]
- [gasps] - Hi, I'm Sarah.
[groans]
Mr. Mpondo, can I talk to you now?
Of course.
Mr. Mpondo, what exactly are you looking
to get out of this hearing?
What I'm looking for, Miss Barcant,
is to find out what happened to Steven Sizela
and to block the amnesty of a sadistic bastard.
According to this, you were arrested in [indistinct]
uh, on May fifth, 1986,
along with your friend, Steven.
- Yes. - And taken to
the Smitsrivier police station
where you were beaten and tortured for 28 days.
31, beaten for three, tortured for 28.
And you held out all that time?
[scoffs] Any implication that I did not
must be slapped down immediately, Miss Barcant.
I understand,
but there are parts that don't sound accurate.
For instance, the cells had dirt floors.
That's not true, they're made of stone in Smits.
How would you know?
Because I spent a night in one of them
and the floor was the coldest I ever slept on.
You were in those cells?
What for?
It's not important.
Then this fire, did you see a fire while you were in jail?
I didn't see it but I heard it and I smelled it.
Well, there's no record of a fire in Smitsrivier,
not in 1986.
Well, I must have got it wrong.
Gotta get it all down accurately.
The more holes there are in your evidence,
the harder it will be for us to prove that he's lying
about what he did to you and what he knows about Steven.
It's just too easy to shoot down.
Do you think they can shoot this down?
Scars apart, you're in good shape.
True, it's up here that's not healed.
[in foreign language] Tell me, why were you trying to take the desk?
You were going to sell the desk for firewood, weren't you?
Was Mandela a desk burner?
This is Steve?
[Mrs. Sizela] Yeah. That's Sizwe.
Steve.
That's the last picture of him ever taken.
He was just 18.
That picture helps drive out my last sight of him.
The sight of him laying on the ground as they kicked him.
They did that in front of you?
A mother should not outlive her children.
They chop up their desks
because they are too lazy to find firewood.
Well teacher, what are you going to do?
I cannot expel it thanks to our new laws.
If you want to be useful in Pretoria, find us more desks.
Well, shall we start?
Teacher, this is Sarah Barcant.
Ben Hoffman's protégé , now a hot shot in New York.
- A lawyer? - [Alex] Yes, like Ben.
A criminal lawyer, straight from the DA's office.
Ben brought her here specifically to deal with Hendricks.
Hendricks is not the problem here.
Hendricks is the problem.
He'll run rings around us unless we take him seriously.
Oh no, you wouldn't know, I suppose.
So who do you think is the problem, Mr. Sizela?
Piet Müller.
He was captain of the security police here
when Steve was detained.
[Sarah] There must be entries in the station log.
[James] The docket is missing.
What about witnesses?
There were two [indistinct] officers,
but they've gone to ground.
Miss Barcant, will you make an application
to represent our son's interests?
Of course.
Miss Barcant, we would like to find our son.
I understand.
You get to the truth...
and let Almighty God take care of the reconciliation.
So you're the desk burner.
He's going to expel me.
No, he won't.
How can you stop him?
Because I am Alex Mpondo.
I'm the big cheese from Pretoria.
Well, my uncle says you're all hat, but no cattle.
Who is your uncle?
Oscar Dumasi, he fought in the war.
[in foreign language] People who fought in the struggle...
don't talk about it.
Can I wash your car?
Of course you can wash my car, my boy,
as long as you promise not to set it on fire.
Wait for me at my aunt's house.
James thinks that I recruited Steve,
took him away from his status
and was responsible for what happened to him.
I came back here to help him find his son and bury him,
but he takes my participation as an indication of guilt.
That's gratitude for you.
The Almighty will have to take care of the reconciliation,
Miss Barcant, because James Sizela
is an unforgiving old bastard.
What about you?
If Hendricks comes clean can you forgive him?
He won't... so the question will not arise.
Is there anything you remember
that links Hendricks to Steve's disappearance?
Anything that I could put in my application?
Nothing.
Here's a copy of Hendricks's statement for you to read.
I'll see you tomorrow morning, eight o'clock at the hotel.
[chuckles]
You still haven't told me why they put you in jail.
[engine starts]
[shouting]
[somber music]
[splashing]
[music continues]
[Alex] Good morning.
Morning.
I've been reading Hendricks's statement.
I see he didn't put you off you food.
- Did you read it? - No.
You didn't read it?
I know what's in it, I don't need to read it.
I can't believe it, will you read it?
Did you read this when you read it?
Alex, why am I here?
Because of James Sizela, a man who does not like me.
Then don't think of him, think of his son.
Not a day goes past when I don't.
Have some coffee.
Andre, a cup of coffee, please.
So I found out why you were in jail.
You were dating a black man.
Johnny Nyonaso.
Yeah.
Do you know what happened to him?
No.
Um, you know, you're gonna have to cross examine Hendricks.
Crosse examine him? [chuckles]
[Sarah] Yeah.
Miss Barcant, all this was a long time ago.
I was at times drugged, I was brutally beaten.
My recollection is at best hazy.
At worst...
Well, shall we go?
[people singing in foreign language]
[man] Today the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
is in Smitsrivier with only one case to hear.
It concerns the interrogation, 14 years ago, of Alex Mpondo
by Dirk Hendricks, one of the old regime's
most notorious policemen.
Those expecting Hendricks to be punished for his crimes
may get a surprise.
The TRC procedures are totally different
from a conventional court.
Unlike in a criminal trial,
if the commission believes that Hendricks
is telling the whole truth about torturing Mpondo,
he can never be charged.
The community is hoping that the truth
will include the answers to Steve Sizela's disappearance.
And it is expected that this disappearance
would be raised in the hearing today.
[singing continues]
[in foreign language] We are here to support Dirk Hendricks.
I want to read you an excerpt from Psalm 91.
"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
For surely he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with his feathers
and under his wings, you shall take refuge."
I want you to close your eyes,
take no notice of what is happening behind us
and pray with me.
[crowd chanting in foreign language]
Father, today we stand before you.
We place Dirk Hendricks in your care
Father...
this burden placed upon him is unwanted.
This assault on our people,
we believe it is unjust.
Father, we ignore the black threat
we do not recognize this illegitimate government...
[chanting continues]
[indistinct chattering]
[chanting continues in distance]
[chanting continues]
Alex.
[in foreign language] Lock him up and throw away the key, comrade.
[crowd chanting in foreign language]
[somber music]
[indistinct chattering]
[in foreign language] Good morning, I'm Nonthuthuzelo.
I'm here to comfort you.
[speaking in foreign language]
- [feedback squealing] - Order, order, thank you.
[Chairman] Good morning.
Please.
Mr. Hendricks, do you swear to tell the truth,
the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?
I do, I do.
Mr. Bester, you may proceed.
[Bester] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Hendricks, you were at one time a member
of the security forces till you were convicted in 1992
for the murder of Mr. [indistinct] while he was in custody?
Correct.
Your part in Mr. [indistinct] death
is the subject of another amnesty application
that will be dealt with at a separate hearing?
That's correct, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Hendricks, can you tell us why you chose
to put in this application for amnesty
considering that Mr. Mpondo
has never threatened to charge you.
Because this is the Truth Commission
and I must tell the truth.
In 1996, you were posted to the Smitsrivier police unit
under the command of Captain...
Müller.
[Bester] Mm.
Can you describe the situation at that time?
[both speaking in foreign languages]
Chaos.
And what do you consider to be the main problem?
[translations playing indistinctly over headphones]
The shortage of information.
- Information. - [Dirk] Yeah.
In May, you arrested Mr. Alex Mpondo.
- On the fifth. - Mr. Chairman.
[Bester] And held him for 28 days.
- 31. - 31.
- [Dirk] Mm. - [Sarah] Mr. Chairman.
Miss Barcant.
Mr. Hendricks, were you aware that Mr. Steven Sizela
was picked up alongside Mr. Mpondo?
Yes.
And three days later was allegedly turned loose,
he's not been seen since.
[Bester] Mr. Chairman, with the best will in the world,
this hearing cannot pursue avenues
which are not germane to this claim.
[Sarah] Mr. Chairman,
I'd like to draw the committee's attention
to the fact that I have been asked to act
for Mr. and Mrs. Sizela
in the matter of their son's disappearance.
Given that Mr. Hendricks's last statement
covers the period during which Steven Sizela was last seen,
I would like to submit that even if Mr. Hendricks
did not interrogate Mr. Steven Sizela,
he would have worked closely with whoever it was that did.
[whispering indistinctly]
[in foreign language] There is hope.
We will look into application, Miss Barcant,
but for the moment, could you please confine the questions
to the arrest of Mr. Mpondo?
[Sarah on TV] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[crowd clamoring on TV]
Good start.
Mr. Bester, would you continue?
Yes, thank you, Mr. Chairman.
- Mr. Hendricks-- - Excuse me,
but where are the exhibits?
I asked that objects similar to the ones
used on Alex Mpondo be brought here.
[whispering indistinctly]
They're, um, they're on their way from the police station.
Did you say these objects
are still held at the police station?
Yes, it would appear so, Mr. Chairman.
Not, I hope, still in use.
[laughing]
No, no, no, no.
Uh, while we're waiting,
can we get some more background information on the victim?
Mr. Bester, I'm not a victim.
Well, that is the legal term, Mr. Chairman.
Don't refer to him as a victim
if he doesn't like that word.
Well, what should I call him?
Mr. Mpondo.
Mr. Hendricks, what led you to arrest Mr. Mpondo?
I had information that he was involved
in the transportation of MK terrorist weapons from up north.
I got a tip-off that he was in the [indistinct] area.
So we picked him up.
So how did you set about
accessing information from Mr. Mpondo?
By beating him.
[crowd chattering]
[shouting in foreign language]
[in foreign language] You should die in jail, you dog.
Quiet, quiet.
Severely?
- [whip cracking] - [screaming]
For the record, that's a yes.
I...I got a sense that he... that he was holding back.
So you had to put more pressure on him?
We decided to break him.
And, uh, how did you go about this?
The prisoner would be brought into my office.
We would have a conversation.
- [blow landing] - [groaning]
And...if that proved unsuccessful...
[screaming]
...then he would be forced--
- [whip cracks] - [screams]
...over the table or
suspended between the desks.
[Chairman] And beaten again?
Yeah.
[Chairwoman] For how long?
An hour or so, I had a clock.
Then you would question him again.
[Dirk] No, he'd be in no state to talk.
He would be sent back to his cell
and I would send for him the following night.
But Mr. Mpondo, he held out.
At which point you introduced the bag?
That is correct.
We know what you mean by the bag, Mr. Hendricks,
but for the benefit of those that don't, could you explain?
It is a canvas bag, it's standard issue at all stations.
As an instrument of torture?
No, Mr. Chairman, it's used for carrying
ledgers and log books.
[low, tense music]
[clock ticking]
[Alex grunting]
[whispering indistinctly]
Okay.
Are you sure you're okay?
I can request a break.
I'm okay.
The suspect would be forced to the ground.
[Alex grunting]
And I would pull a wet bag very tightly over his head.
- [Alex whimpering] - [Dirk] Okay. Huh?
They say that it gives a sense of drowning.
[Alex breathing heavily]
Which is why I would use the clock again.
[Alex groaning]
To make sure that that didn't happen.
[Alex speaking indistinctly, groaning]
But a suspect can recover quite quickly.
[Alex gasping]
[Dirk] Okay, are you waking up now?
So you're able to do resume almost immediately.
[Dirk] Start talking about all your mates.
And if that proves unsuccessful,
[Alex breathing heavily]
...it can be repeated again and again.
Yes, but in the end,
did the use of the bag get you what you needed?
He told me what I wanted to know
about where the arms and ammunition were stored.
- [crowd clamoring] - It is in Mr. Hendricks--
It is in Mr. Hendricks's interests--
Quiet, quiet!
...to claim that his interrogation of Alex Mpondo
yielded material results, otherwise,
what would justify the long and brutal treatment
to which my client was subjected?
Miss Barcant, will you please keep your composure.
Mr. Chairman, my client will refute these allegations
when he comes to testify.
[indistinct chatter]
Mr. Bester, would you continue please?
- Mr. Hendricks? - Mm.
Are you married?
For the record, please.
I'm divorced.
[Bester] Children?
Yanni is 16 and Elise is 12.
- Where are they now? - [Dirk] Overseas.
[chuckles darkly]
My wife, she left me.
She said it wasn't easy living with somebody like me.
- Because of the danger? - The fear.
We live behind the wire.
My son needed a guard to go to school.
[Bester] Did you suffer psychologically?
I've--I've had nightmares.
And the doctor said that I had suffered from PTSD.
[Bester] Post-traumatic stress disorder?
[Dirk] Yes.
What are the symptoms?
Nightmares.
Alex.
[crowd clamoring]
Miss Barcant, is your client unwell?
No, Mr. Chairman, just overcome by nausea
having listened to claims of victimhood
from a self-proclaimed torturer
who feels he deserves our sympathy.
[Bester] As it happens, Mr. Chairman,
I have you a list of symptoms characteristic of PTSD.
Hyper-arousal, bouts of inexplicable anger.
Bring on the violins, Mr. Bester.
[vomiting]
[speaking in foreign language]
[splashing]
Ben wants to see you.
I cannot sit there listening to him talk
about how much he suffered and his bloody PTSD.
Listen, Alex, I've known you for a long time.
We've struggled too hard and waited too long
for an opportunity like this.
Look, man, I came back here to find Steve,
but this price,
it's too high.
If Hendricks's version of the truth takes hold
then that's the end for me in politics, I'm finished.
You heard what he said.
That I broke.
Is there anything you need to tell me about what happened
that you didn't tell me at the time?
No.
I don't know.
I just cannot afford to go down that line.
[Sarah] Are you okay?
- Yes, you? - Yes.
- Shall we go back? - Not today.
Why not?
I'm going to look for something.
If I could find it,
it'll prove I didn't break under torture.
You have to go back to the hearing.
I'll see you tomorrow.
What would you like me to tell the chairman?
Tell him I'm suffering
from post-traumatic stress disorder.
[engine revving]
Now with reference to your application
to represent Mr. Steve Sizela,
we have come to a judgment which is that
although Steve Sizela was last sighted
at the police station,
you have supplied no direct evidence
which links Mr. Hendricks to Steve's disappearance.
We therefore rule that you will not be permitted
to cross-examine Mr. Hendricks...
[crowd clamoring]
[in foreign language] What is he talking about?
[speaking in foreign language]
We want the whole truth!
Order, order! [speaking in foreign language]
Order, order please.
Mr. Hendricks, we suggest that you meet with Miss Barcant
with a view to helping her find the answers
that Mr. and Mrs. Sizela are looking for
regarding their son.
[crowd chattering]
[whispering indistinctly]
Mr. Hendricks will meet with Miss Barcant.
[guard] 10 minutes.
Do you remember the first time I met you, Sarah?
We picked you up belly-dancing with the natives on [indistinct].
You must've been, uh... about 16?
And drunk.
You don't recall that occasion?
I recall the stone floor of the cell you threw me in.
Only until that lefty lawyer, Ben Hoffman, bailed you out.
You were actually lucky to get off there
with a suspended sentence.
Yeah, but my mother wasn't so lucky.
Allowing you to consort with people of other races, eh?
She knew it was illegal.
We're not here to discuss my past, Mr. Hendricks.
You were a wild kid, huh?
I must admit, I never kind of pictured you then
as lawyer material.
Yes, well, it was that experience
that made me the lawyer I now am.
Steven Sizela, do you remember him?
[indistinct] kid, the son of a schoolmaster.
Plus he consorted with Mpondo,
whom we'd already marked as ANC.
We were picking them up together.
We were hoping that they'd denounce each other.
We couldn't break that Sizela.
But when we bought them face-to-face,
Alex Mpondo identified Steve Sizela as a comrade.
Now, if you persist in pursuing this business
with Steve Sizela I'm gonna bring that out in court.
Okay?
What condition was his comrade in
during this confrontation?
Miss Barcant,
I do not want to be held responsible
for destroying Mr. Alex Mpondo's political career.
Now, what I said in court was the tip of the iceberg, eh?
Because that boy didn't just break
he split open like a watermelon.
He told us every single thing that we wanted to know, okay?
Okay.
What?
Can I be frank with you, Dirk?
Yeah.
Okay, well, the reason Alex is opposing your amnesty
is to find out what happened to Steve.
If you could help us in this regard,
I will urge my client to drop his objections to your claim.
Earlier, you used the word we.
Was Müller responsible for Steve's interrogation?
Oh.
I remind you that for amnesty there must be full disclosure.
Full disclosure will ruin your client, Miss Barcant.
Can I refer you to Alex's statement?
Listen, it's full of the discontinuity
that you'd find in the victim of a car accident.
He describes a tap in the corridor, there is no tap.
A door that leads out into a fire, there is no door.
He talks about an office with a dirt floor.
As you can see Miss Barcant, this floor's made of stone.
As I said, under stress
events can be distorted.
Even imagined.
Okay?
[speaking in foreign language]
[door unlocking, opening]
You don't have any regrets, do you?
Sarah, it was a war and I won.
End of.
- Ben? - [groans]
- Are you okay? - Oh, yeah. Yes, yes.
- Are you sure? - Yes.
[shouting in distance]
Kids reacting to what they heard in court today.
This is special.
Layed down the year you left for New York.
It's a bit past its prime now, but who cares?
You're home.
Is your mother still in Australia?
Byron Bay. And she's married again.
She has a whole new life now.
- So you are in touch? - In a way.
So how is New York?
Great.
Don't look at me like that.
It's not that I've sold out.
I'm doing good work.
It's just that I'm not doing it here
with the Truth Commission that gets you.
This country, your country is coming apart
and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
is helping to hold it together.
It seeks forgiveness, not retaliation.
It's extraordinary--
Perhaps I don't have the faith in it that you have.
So how did it go with Hendricks?
[Sarah] He said that Alex denounced Steve.
The message was clear,
stop pursuing the Steve Sizela business
or else Alex gets it.
Ahh, it won't work.
Tell Alex tomorrow exactly what Dirk said.
I know how he'll react.
Don't be so sure.
I think Alex is a lot more damaged
than you led me to believe.
You'll have to come out with a statement
before Hendricks does.
Well, that could damage him politically.
He doesn't have an option, Sarah.
Because it will come out anyway.
These things always do.
[indistinct shouting]
[sirens wailing]
[shouting continues]
Hey, who are you running away from?
- It's okay. - Let me go.
Are you running away from a black man, eh?
You fly back here with your big ideas
wanting to punish the people who protect you
but late at night when you're all alone,
you won't be scared of us, will you? Huh?
No, you'll be scared of them.
The same people you've come back here to defend.
Now we'll protect you from them now,
just like we protected you from them then.
We'll get one of my guys to walk you back to the hotel.
It's only one block, I'll be fine.
[in foreign language] Come on, let's go get them.
[all shouting indistinctly]
[sirens wailing]
- [shovel digging] - [Alex groaning]
[shovel clanks]
[low music]
[indistinct chatter]
Good morning.
- Good morning. - Sleep well?
Fine, you?
This is the tin that Steve and I used
to pass messages to each other.
Did you open it, what's in it?
It's the rusted shut,
I'm, uh, I'm treating it with oil.
What about a can opener?
This contains Steve's last letter.
We have the hearing in half an hour.
We need to know what's in it.
Even if this is never opened,
this proves that the security forces never found it.
Which means that neither Steve nor I told them,
which means we held out.
It means we held out.
What do you think is in it?
- A list maybe. - Names?
New recruits from the township.
What you're saying contradicts
what Hendricks said to me yesterday.
He said that you broke.
That you told him everything he wanted to know.
This proves he's a liar.
He also said that you and Steve were brought face to face.
Were you?
Yes.
And that you denounced Steve.
[somber music]
Did you?
I just wanted it to end.
Hendricks thinks this is his trump card.
He said if we continue to pursue him about Steve
he'll reveal that you betrayed him
and that will be the end of your political career.
But it's the only way to place Hendricks
in the same room as Steve.
I'm getting movement here.
Can I give you some advice?
Beat him to it, get it out before he does.
You see...
I didn't need a can opener.
[indistinct chatter]
[in foreign language] I heard about it.
[in foreign language] Was anyone hurt?
[in foreign language] It was just a riot.
[speaking indistinctly]
[whispering indistinctly]
He's brought his own lunch, eh?
[Chairman] Good morning.
Miss Barcant, do you intend to open for Mr. Mpondo?
[Sarah] Yes, Mr. Chairman.
You are Alex Mpondo, member of Parliament
and council member of the ANC?
Yes.
[Sarah] You heard what Mr. Hendricks has to say
in respect of his application and you oppose it, why?
I thought he might lie.
And has he?
He has stated in this hearing
that under questioning, I gave him information
and Mr. Chairman, he has stated in private
to my advocate, Miss Barcant,
that I in fact broke and told him everything
that he needed to know.
But you did, Alex.
So what about this tin?
It belonged to Steven's father.
Perhaps he recognizes it.
[Chairman] Show it to the Sizelas please.
- [mumbles] - I don't know.
Steve would put notes for me inside and hide it.
Only the two of us knew where that place was.
I did not go looking for it until yesterday
but when I did... it was still there.
- And did you open it? - Yes.
[Sarah] What was inside?
A list of volunteers for the township unit.
[Chairman] Can I have a look at it, please?
We had lost a lot of people.
Mainly due to the activities of Mr. Hendricks and the like.
At the time we... we needed new recruits urgent--
Excuse me, Mr. Chairman,
but what is the significance of this?
All it does is confirm two things.
One, that Mr. Mpondo was indeed holding back.
And two, confirms my client's suspicions
that Mr. Mpondo was a key figure in the local resistance.
[Chairman] Mr. Mpondo?
Mr. Hendricks has lied to this commission.
He has stated that under questioning,
I broke and I told him
everything that he needed to know.
Then why did he not know about this list?
Why did he not retrieve it
and arrest and continue to brutally interrogate
the people that are on it?
It is indeed a list.
Xolani Finca.
[indistinct chatter]
[low music]
Yes, I'm present.
Toto Zamdela.
[in foreign language] I'm present, your honor.
Yandlisa Bodloza.
Killed in action.
Oscar Dumasi.
[in foreign language] Yes, that's me.
Zach Hosea.
He's my father, still in Zimbabwe.
John Nyonaso.
Johnny? John Nyonaso?
He died in jail.
[music continues]
Ezekiel Majola.
Uh, present.
James Bonga.
Present.
[in foreign language] That's me.
Leesham Hajee.
[in foreign language] That's me.
[music continues]
Did you know of the existence of this, Mr. Hendricks?
I did not know about the existence of this list.
Thank you. Mr. Mpondo.
You done good, eh?
I have...just...one more thing
that I would like to state for the record.
On the fourth day of my interrogation,
Steven Sizela
was brought into Hendricks's office
and I was asked
to identify him
as a member of uMkhonto we Sizwe,
the military wing of the African National Congress.
Which you did.
You pointed your finger at Steven.
You identified him as a-- as a comrade.
And that...sealed his fate?
Yes.
[dramatic music]
[no audio]
[in foreign language] Please calm down.
[speaking in foreign language]
[in foreign language] What did I tell you?
[Chairman]
We're gonna take a break.
[whispering in foreign language]
[in foreign language] I've never seen anyone shoot himself in the foot like that.
[in foreign language] How long have I been telling you he's a traitor?
[in foreign language] He's a government fool now.
[in foreign language] Do you remember what we used to do to traitors in our time?
[in foreign language] There's a traitor here! He must die!
I hope the old man is satisfied because that cost me.
Are you okay?
I'm sorry.
About what?
Johnny Nyonaso.
Thank you.
Time to go.
Yeah, when we get back in there,
focus on Steve's physical state.
I take it he was in a bad way?
Just keep jabbing at that, like a boxer.
[indistinct chattering]
[in foreign language] Mpondo, you traitor!
Mr. Chairman, with your permission,
we'd like to continue the cross- examination of Mr. Hendricks.
How long will this take, Miss Barcant?
I promise it will take less than the 31 days
Mr. Hendricks lavished on my client, sir.
[Chairman] Go ahead, please.
On the fourth day you brought me and Steve face-to-face.
Can you recollect the condition he was in
when he was brought into your office?
No, I don't remember.
Well, was he standing up or what?
Uh, my recollection's very hazy.
Let me help you.
He lay on the ground.
Just inside the door.
Staring out of one eye.
It was difficult to see the other
because that part of his head had been so bashed about.
You cannot recall this?
I can't recall the detail.
Did it concern you... seeing him like that?
I don't remember being overly concerned, no.
You complained...
[Dirk] What a big mess.
...about the bleeding on your floor.
You called for a broom to sweep up the dirt.
You took a bucket of water
and you threw it over him.
Then you decided to go back into the corridor
and fill it again.
You cannot recall this?
It's possible that during this time the room was cleaned,
the floor was swept,
and the bucket was refilled from the corridor.
I like to keep my place tidy.
Let's me ask you again.
What condition...was Steve in
when he was brought into your office?
Mr. Chairman I object to--
No, Mr. Bester, I allow it.
Mr. Hendricks, please.
All I remember is that you raised your arm
and you identified him.
Mr. Hendricks,
I was in no state
to raise a finger.
- You raised your-- - You raise my arm
and pointed it at him.
[shouts in foreign language]
And then someone said, "For God's sake, identify him."
That person is in the hall today.
Perhaps you could raise your arm
and point him out--
[Bester] Mr. Chairman, I object.
...to us.
I don't understand.
I'm asking you to ID the man
who brought Steve into your office.
Do you want me to do it for you?
That's him!
[crowd clamoring]
Isn't it?
[Bester] This is atrocious, he is a--
[crowd clamoring]
Order!
[in foreign language] Quiet please!
Quiet! [speaking in foreign language] Order!
I apologize, Mr. Chairman,
for my client losing his composure.
Apologies accepted, Miss Barcant.
Let's adjourn for lunch so that we can all
regain our composure.
I had no memory of Müller bringing Steve in
until just now.
[chanting]
What the fuck does Hendricks think he's doing?
I don't know.
He's your client, Mannie, you ask him.
You want me to try to persuade him to withdraw his claim?
It's too late for that now, you asshole.
We just remind him who saw Sizela alive last.
Just remind him.
Well, can you explain why Mr. Sizela,
having been positively identified as a member
of MK by my client, was released from custody?
That decision was not made by me.
By Mr. Müller perhaps?
A superior officer.
Who then informed Mr. Müller
that Steven Sizela had been identified as a member of MK?
Mr. Hendricks, I do not need to remind you
of the terms for amnesty, full disclosure.
Mr. Hendricks.
Captain Müller was there when the identification was made.
You say Mr. Müller was there
when the identification took place, where was there?
Where did the identification take place?
In my office.
Mr. Hendricks, you acknowledged that water
was carried in from the corridor.
Yes.
And that your dirt floor had been swept.
Yes.
The Smitsrivier police station
doesn't have a tap in the corridor.
Your office doesn't have a dirt floor, does it?
No.
So where did the identification take place?
Let me put it another way, it didn't take place
at the Smitsrivier police station, did it?
[whispers] No.
For the record, that nod's a no.
So where?
There was a farm.
About, uh...
10 K on the N-17, about two kicks off [indistinct].
Does it have a name?
Ryder Farm.
How was Mr. Mpondo taken there?
[Dirk] In the boot of my car.
- Drugged? - On occasion.
Why did you not mention this before, Mr. Hendricks?
I apologize, Mr. Chairman.
What was the purpose of the farm?
We need to hold suspects in peace and quiet
away from the traipsing in and out of...
[mumbling]
So in the case of a suspect
who was unfit to be returned to his relatives,
what would you do?
In the case of Steven Sizela, what did you do?
Mr. Hendricks, you confirmed
that Mr. Mpondo's identification of Steven Sizela
sealed Steve's fate.
What was his fate?
I had nothing to do with the disappearance
of that Sizela boy, do you understand that?
We understand that, Mr. Hendricks.
But if he died in custody somebody would have buried him.
[indistinct chattering]
On the farm?
Where on the farm?
Well how must I know?
[indistinct chattering]
[in foreign language] That's it.
The truth will come out.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, no further questions.
[groans]
10 o'clock tomorrow morning at the farm.
I need to go to the farm.
- We'll drive up. - Tonight.
Meet me at my aunt's place.
Hey boy, you didn't think I was going to throw it away.
Thanks for the new shirt
but my uncle said I should give it back.
Why?
He says you are a disgrace to the ANC.
Then let's go and speak to your uncle.
What's going on, where are you going?
[dramatic music]
[in foreign language] What's happening?
[in foreign language] Alex Mpondo is going to fight my uncle.
[speaking in foreign language]
[in foreign language] Did anyone invite you?
[in foreign language] What have you been telling this boy?
[in foreign language] That we don't need a traitor bribing our kids with t-shirts.
[spits]
[in foreign language] Look here,
Your name was on that list...
you, Zach, Ezekiel.
[in foreign language] That was just a piece of paper.
[in foreign language] I was tortured for 28 days
to reveal that information.
And we told them nothing.
Together we saved your worthless skin!
[indistinct chattering]
[in foreign language] Calm down! Calm down!
[in foreign language] You want to know what it was like?
[shouting indistinctly]
[in foreign language] Calm down!
[in foreign language] Come, he's drowning my uncle.
[chattering continues]
[gasping]
[in foreign language] You could have killed him.
Yeah?
Well maybe I should have used the clock!
[Oscar coughing]
[in foreign language] Leave me alone!
One thing you didn't know.
I became the torturer a long time ago.
[somber music]
[grunting]
[brakes squeak]
[Piet] Get your tongue ready to wag boy, huh?
[grunts]
[Dirk speaking indistinctly]
[music continues]
Is this it?
[man speaking foreign language]
[grunts]
Yeah, this is it.
[breathing shakily]
[in foreign language] You shit!
You're wasting our time. Who is this person?
You know this person.
You'll never get out of this fucking place.
Who is this person?
[in foreign language] Mpondo, you heard the captain.
[grunts]
[in foreign language] Sizela is your comrade?
Your comrade is a member of MK, isn't he?
[Piet speaking in foreign language]
[Piet] Yeah. [speaking in foreign language]
Okay, you got your ID.
[Piet] Now get this fucking floppy out of here.
He's yours, you signed for him, Piet.
My boys are fighting fire out there.
There's no time, Dirk.
[water running]
[Dirk] You've broken his bloody neck, Piet.
Yeah, well, you know what to do.
Fuck.
You're always pushing it, Piet.
Always gotta clean up for you, eh?
Not for long.
Say goodbye, Alex. Eh?
[Dirk grunts]
[speaking in foreign language]
You made a big mess, eh?
See you later, Alex, no bag tonight.
Had a good day today.
[grunting]
[somber music]
All of these years, I thought I'd killed him,
but he was as good as dead already.
I remember the last time I saw him.
He was being dragged away.
He gave me a look.
Sometimes he seems to be accusing me,
other times, he's saying, hey bro,
we made it.
We held out longer than we could've imagined.
The boys would have been proud.
Did I release him from his pain
or was I just trying to end mine?
[engine approaching]
[car door opens, closes]
What are you doing here, huh?
What are you doing here?
I'm still in the security business.
Saw your lights from the tower.
I protect this property so I came to check on the premises.
We don't want anyone tampering with evidence, now do we?
No need for concern, Mr. Müller.
We'll be here till dawn.
Still making it with the black boys, eh, Miss Barcant?
Yeah.
Is Steve buried here?
Piet!
There is no way, Mr. Mpondo,
that you will ever connect me to that boy.
He was still alive when I left him with Hendricks.
Did you know Müller from before?
He was the one, along with Hendricks,
who arrested me because of Johnny.
I didn't know it was them.
I was only 16.
[low music]
Thanks to Ben, I got off on a suspended sentence.
Johnny got nine months.
And that's what they call the equitable law
in South Africa.
The judge felt my mother was at fault,
allowing me to consort with black kids
so she lost custody.
She couldn't handle being ostracized so she went away.
I hated this country.
I went to live with Ben and I got out as soon as I could.
You never wanted to come back.
No.
Not till now, perhaps.
[emotional music]
Ground seems to be too hard here.
[indistinct chattering]
You know, I've spent years
praying to God we would find him
but right now I'm hoping he's not here.
[indistinct] just take a smoke break there, eh?
[indistinct chattering in distance]
Where did you bury him?
I know you might not believe this,
but I saved your life, man.
That's a fact.
If I hadn't held you back you'd have gone the same way
of Steve Sizela and nobody would've given a shit.
But by holding onto you, Alex, [indistinct]
I saved your life, man.
You got to live.
You killed more people than me, man.
And you will also apply for amnesty for what you did, Alex?
By rights...
you should be buried in that field, not Steve.
Alex? Eh?
I'm gonna say this to you,
I did nobody off because of what I did to you.
I buried him...
about five meters from the sheep pen
on the lawn to the house.
I'm sorry.
So fucking sorry.
[melancholic music]
There we go, that's it.
- There we go. - [dog barking]
What is it, boy? Find something?
[music continues]
All right, okay.
And this is a police docket.
The top page records the arrest of Steve Sizela.
Does it name the case officer?
Yes, sir.
Piet Müller.
[indistinct chattering]
Piet Müller.
[music continues]
[in foreign language] It's my child.
[sobbing]
[speaking in foreign language]
[sobbing, wailing]
[Mrs. Sizela speaking in foreign language]
[in foreign language] My God, what have I done to deserve this?
[music continues]
[groans]
[whispering in foreign language]
Who would go to the length
of burying a piece of evidence like this
besides the body of a murdered man?
[music continues]
Piet.
Yeah, Christian?
I have a warrant for your arrest.
- [woman] Piet? - [indistinct chattering]
It's okay, it's okay.
But Piet, what's going on?
[car door closes]
- Christian? - Sorry, Marie.
[car door closes]
[engine starts]
[prisoners shouting]
Mr. Chairman, in light of recent events
my client would like to withdraw his objection
to Mr. Hendricks' claim for amnesty.
He feels his concerns
have been taken into account and aired.
He does not want to continue.
[Chairman] Thank you, Miss Barcant.
[indistinct chattering]
Mr. Hendricks, we've heard your claim for amnesty
with respect to the interrogation of Mr. Alex Mpondo.
Your claim for amnesty...
will be allowed.
[indistinct chattering]
Yes.
[Chairman] That's it.
Thank you, Alex.
[judge] Piet Müller,
you are hereby charged with the murder of Steven Sizela
at Ryder's Farm on or about the eighth of May, 1986.
How do you plead?
Not guilty.
Your Honor, before we go any further,
I would like it known that my client
will be applying for amnesty--
[shouting]
[Bester continuing indistinctly]
[gavel banging]
[crowd clamoring]
Going already?
Yeah.
Will you be coming back?
I'll see you again, Opie.
[sighs] Not for me, for Müller.
So he can get off the hook like Hendricks?
He should be doing another 18 years,
not picking up amnesties like air miles.
You still don't get it, do you?
I'm not letting you go
if you don't understand what's happening here.
It's not about putting bad guys away.
It's about bringing communities together.
We've just got a small window of opportunity
to open up the past before all these memories
get set in stone.
So Hendricks gets his freedom, so what?
And the Sizelas?
Do you think they'll ever be able to get over their anger?
Or Alex, his trauma and the damage to his reputation?
How do you ever restore what they've lost
and what you've lost, Sarah?
Will punishing Hendricks really bring that back?
Let them carry their own load.
You have to deal with your anger
and escaping to live in New York
Is not the answer.
[in foreign language] I can only beg your forgiveness...
for what I have done.
I regarded Steve as a brother.
[in foreign language] Teacher...
forgive.
Let me just say something.
We only found Steve's remains because of Alex.
So we should indeed be grateful to him.
[in foreign language] Forgiveness is great.
[in foreign language] Yes, it's great.
Steve. [sighs] Alex.
[in foreign language] Come here, my child.
[in foreign language] Thank you, Mama.
[in foreign language] Go well, my child.
Goodbye.
[James speaking in foreign language] Hey, boy.
[chuckles]
I was just coming to find you.
Looks like I found you first.
Well, I... I just wanted to thank you.
- For what? - For ruining my life.
[both chuckle]
Are you coming back for Müller?
[sighs] Are you?
Look, this country is changing
and you should be part of it.
I always felt what happened to me was such a small thing
compared to what happened to you, but...
You think I don't know that?
We have the right... to say that it hurt.
[somber music]
[music continues]
[upbeat music]
[music continues]
[somber music]
[upbeat music]
[music continues]