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February 2021 Newsletter

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February 2021 Newsletter FEBRUARY 2021 NEWSLETTER MURDER IN PARIS is a political crime thriller that traces the motives for the assassination of anti-Apartheid activist, Dulcie September. The story travels from the heart of Paris in March 1988 to the pursuit of justice in 2021. From ‘Incorruptible’ to ‘Rogue’ Murder in Paris follows Evelyn Groenink's 30 year journey to investigate the reasons for the assassination of Dulcie September. Evelyn Groenink is a veteran journalist who started her journalism career in the early 80s at a small left-wing newspaper in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. After 1987, and partly as a result from her association with the Dutch Anti-Apartheid Movement, her journalistic focus changed to southern Africa. She was deputy editor for Dutch Anti-Apartheid News. Evelyn is currently investigative editor for the African Investigative Publishing Collective and its partner ZAM in the Netherlands. My book ‘Incorruptible’ tells the story of my investigative journey into the background of Dulcie September’s assassination. I started that journey, long ago, believing that struggle heroes like her – I also looked into the murders of Chris Hani, and of Anton Lubowski in Namibia-, would, and could, only be murdered by one culprit: the apartheid regime, and for one motive only: because they were freedom fighters. At the end of the journey, things looked a bit different. I had discovered that those mentioned above, including Dulcie September, had tried to keep their organisations free from wrongdoing. “They stood against mafias who had invaded their movements’ inner circles. They were not only brave anti- apartheid fighters; they were incorruptible,” as the back cover of the book reads. M U R D E R I N P A R I S N E W S L E T T E R F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1 This is not to say that the apartheid regime had nothing to do with the murders. But was the regime always the same regime? And was the ANC always the same ANC? What do you call a regime that now wants to make friends with its former enemy -and vice versa? What do you call arms dealers who work with both? A lot changes when power changes. One could call it the corruption of a liberation movement. It could also be called simply ‘business as usual.’ In politics, the two, especially when values and principles are relegated to the dustbin of history, tend to go together. And those who remain principled, and stand in the way of such business, tend to get removed. The subject of my second book was removed from his position by the Jacob Zuma government, Ivan Pillay, aka The Unlikely Mr Rogue, is my husband. A smear campaign about a ‘rogue unit’ at the SA Revenue Services, which he headed at the time, sufficed to get him and his fellow senior managers, all principled civil servants, out of the way. The result was what the powerful circles around Zuma wanted: they could loot without having to fear even an audit. The same story could be told, as the Zondo commission is presently doing, about other ethical civil servants in the South African state who were obstacles to plunder. Still, those who were smeared, fired and prosecuted by the ‘Zupta’ regime got off lightly. Many have been assassinated since South Africa’s liberation. They are less well-known than Dulcie September, Anton Lubowski and Chris Hani, and they served perhaps on a lower, municipal or provincial level; but they too, died because they stood in the way of jobs or contracts, because a rival and not they should be in the post or get the deal. In a way, therefore, the ‘Unlikely Mr Rogue’ follows logically on ‘Incorruptible.’ The second book simply shows what happened to the ANC and South Africa after Dulcie September was murdered. Taken together, as additional background to Enver’s movie, I hope they show, like the movie, that Dulcie is not in the past -and more importantly, that the principle and ethos that was buried with her should be revived and inspire us again. M U R D E R I N P A R I S N E W S L E T T E R Enver Samuel: What I found in the Archives t was round about August 2019 when I took a call from the archive “whisperer” Nhlanhla Mthethwa, and he casually said he had something for me. I got to his office as quickly as I could because if the “whisperer” calls and it is related to archive, you know that he might have found something special ... He turned on his laptop and played a clip… I was transfixed, there before me dressed in a pink top, a soft voice, a hesitant smile was Dulcie September speaking to me. The tears welled up in my eyes … I had been working on Murder in Paris for two years, I had immersed myself in reading about -Pat Rowe, Honorable Mention Dulcie, obtained countless photographs and newspaper articles about her, but now there she was finally talking back to me! I had no clue about her voice, her accent … “I’m Dulcie September, I’m the chief representative of the African National Congress in France”. In an instant she had become a 3 dimensional character and I could pick up nuances that no book, article or photograph could do. If ever I needed a pick me upper on the trials and tribulations of making the documentary, this was it. Archive research is one of my favourite parts of making a documentary. The search almost takes on a super sleuth connotation, it is like searching for M U R D E R I N P A R I S N E W S L E T T E R F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1 and finding nuggets of gold. There is a pounding of the heart as one door opens and another and another that takes you down a journey of discovery. In my search for archive for the Murder in Paris documentary, I have accessed amongst others : INA – French National Audiovisual Institute, South African History Archive. Historical Papers Research Archive at the University of the Witwatersrand, SABC Archive, Robben Island Mayibuye Archives at the University of the Western Cape, University Of Fort Hare Archive, Full Circle Productions, National Archives Of South Africa, South African Oral History Online, Sunday Times The combination of this archive comes together in Murder in Paris, and I believe it paints a picture of a remarkable woman and a true freedom fighter. About Enver Samuel: Enver is an award-winning filmmaker involved in television production since 1994. He has a passion for telling the stories of unsung heroes and heroines of the South African struggle against apartheid: "The telling of the story of Dulcie September is both timely and appropriate. Her long and uncompromising struggle against apartheid and her persistent battles to unmask the deceit and evil of the global arms trade, that resulted in her murder in 1988, stands out as a sterling example of moral courage and bravery". Sound recordist Kholisile Vinqi with director Enver Samuel, France 2018 M U R D E R I N P A R I S N E W S L E T T E R F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1 TO DIARISE: Freedom Park launches Dulcie September Annual Lecture Freedom Park is a celebration of the achievement of democracy, founded on the values of human dignity, human rights and freedom. One of the crucial and innovative aspects of Freedom Park is its integration of history, culture and spirituality all foregrounded on indigenous knowledge systems. As we celebrate 20 years of our existence, Freedom Park is issuing a call to all South Africans to embrace, respect, promote and develop those human rights enshrined in our Constitution to build a true non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society. March 21 is a day that some South Africans rather want to forget, but for many it serves as a reminder of the country's dark past, one which they hope never to slide back to. As we commemorate this month, we should do so with respect and appreciation of our fellow countrymen and -women who fell in the process of confronting the past injustices of apartheid. In this regard, we appreciate the role played by various generations of fighters who sacrificed their lives in the interest of a better South Africa. We join the citizens of South Africa and the world as it celebrates the month in honour of all the heroes and heroines of the struggle. We celebrate this month, in respect and indebtedness of our fellow countrymen and women who fell in the process of confronting the past injustices of apartheid. In this regard, we appreciate the role played by various generations of fighters who sacrificed their lives in the interest of a better South Africa. M U R D E R I N P A R I S N E W S L E T T E R F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1 One such heroine we remember this Human Rights Month is Dulcie September as we pay tribute to her in an upcoming Public Lecture. We salute her achievements as a phenomenal human being, leader, freedom fighter and activist. She was truly one of those exceptional human beings who brought about qualitative leaps in the struggle for humanity and freedom internationally. Freedom Park pays tribute to Dulcie September.
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