Scene 11 - The fall of Impundulu

Summary

In this scene zenzile speaks the lines of the ANC men, of her grandmother and of the man who rescues her.

zenzile: One Monday, I arrived back at my shop in Inanda from doing a ceremony for my gogo in Ipharadesi. When I arrived there those men were already waiting inside.

Music builds.

zenzile: ‘Yah, Mpundulu,’ they said. ‘We’ve been looking for you.’

I just kept quiet. I didn't say yes or no to any of the questions they asked. Even when they began hitting and kicking me and pushed me into one of their cars.

I kept quiet for most of that drive – I just looked at them until the one man slapped me hard and said, ‘Ubukani? … Eh? … Ubukani klova?’

They asked how many ANC people I had killed and eventually I replied, ‘Woooo, there are not enough fingers and toes on my hands and feet to count for you.’

‘Bangaki?’ they asked again, and I answered, ‘As many as you yourselves had killed of our IFP members.’

One of the younger ones hit me again and told me to stop being cheeky. Angiqambi amanga. I repeated that we’d all been in the same business, whichever side you were on, we were all as guilty as each other.

That car drove through Amaoti … Amaotana, heading to the cemetery eTafuleni. The graveyard there is at the top of a hill and surrounded by bush and umhosha … In that bush you will find the bodies of our comrades.

Then they pushed me out of the car and into those bushes. [She discards the green dress on the floor in front of her.] There were others already waiting there. I got a hot slap as well as a kick and then another. [She begins to puppeteer the dress so that the flimsy fabric becomes a ragdoll representation of herself.] I fell down and stood up.