In the 1970s and 1980s, the Apartheid regime in South Africa sent thousands of young soldiers to fight the liberation army SWAPO and the ANC on the border between Namibia and Angola. Alongside the army, there was the very effective Koevoet police unit, a murder machine that made many victims. According to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Apartheid regime made more victims in the neighbouring countries than in South Africa itself. Four white war veterans are introduced in Across the Border. Leon does not regret having to kill and is proud of his activity in Koevoet. John, Sean and Mark are still at war, but with themselves. They suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Their aggression, paranoid thoughts and actions form a threat to the new South Africa.
Saskia Vredeveld (South Africa) | South Africa | 1999 | 55 min | Afrikaans and English spoken, English subtitles
When the War is Over deals with the after-effects of the South African Struggle against Apartheid, as experienced by two former members of the Bonteheuwel Military Wing (BMW), a militant teenage self-defence unit. Gori is now an army captain in the new South African army. Back from exile for almost a decade he is still unable to come to terms with life after Apartheid, not least with the prospect of married life. It is only in the extreme violence of being on the road – fighting gangsterism, drug dealing and other criminal activities – that he feels at home. One of his friends and comrades, Marlon, became a gang member, like most of the ex-activists. Yet Marlon’s political vision has remained intact, and he is eager to abandon a life of crime. He helps to initiate peace talks amongst warring groups but then his sister is murdered by a rival gang and he is faced with a dilemma.
François Verster (South Africa) | South Africa | 2002 | 52 min | English and Afrikaans spoken, English subtitles
awards: Best Film, Norwegian Documentary Film Festival 2003, SIGNIS Award, Zanzibar International Film Festival 2003, Gold Stone Award 2003, Stone Craft Awards 2003: Direction, Script, Music.
