Mamelodi and Atteridgeville learner’s celebrate Human Rights Day in style!
More than 200 high school children from Mamelodi and Atteridgeville celebrated this year’s Human Rights Day differently when a top local businessman hosted a special screening of the South African film, Kalushi: The Story of Solomon Mahlangu. which was released in cinemas last Friday.
Baker Maseko, chairman of New Integrated Credit Solutions (NICS) treated 240 mostly Grade 11 and 12 history learners from Mamelodi and Atteridgeville high schools to a special film screening Kalushi: The Story of Solomon Mahlangu at Ster-Kinekor’s Ster-land in Arcadia on Tuesday.
“I have decided to use the screening platforms as an opportunity to remind the learners about those bad old days of obfuscation…so that they can have a dialogue and wrestle with the ideas and ideals that Solomon Mahlangu fought for.” said Maseko.
“I would like to challenge black-owned businesses to host special screenings with the view to remind each of us in the region to stop self-hate and to remind young people about our hard-earned freedom through the eyes of people such as Mahlangu who grew up in the same surroundings but sacrificed his life so that today we can be free.”
“This is also to renew our vow not to relent in our struggle against xenophobia, Afrophobia and dialogue on what Human Rights mean to our youth and the freedom that Mahlangu selflessly fought for”
Maseko also pointed out that the ideas of radical economic transformation and other means to redress poverty and unemployment would be a mirage if we do not invest in the education and empowerment of a black child.
Just like Mahlangu fought and defied the atrocities of apartheid, we expect learners today to celebrate and defend our new-found freedoms and not forget people from Mamelodi, Attridgeville and other townships who played a pivotal role in the struggle for the liberation of our country” added Maseko.
The film portrays the life of Mahlangu and his role in the struggle for freedom in South Africa.
The film which was in the making for the last ten years was made with an entirely South African cast, including Thabo Rametsi, Jafta Mamabolo and Welile Nzuza and directed by Mandla Dube.
Mahlangu’s life ended at the gallows when he was convicted of murder in 1979. Mahlangu’s lawyer Priscilla Jana says: “He was convicted and sentenced to death for a murder that he did not commit.
“He was convicted on the doctrine of common purpose in South African law if people decide to kill somebody and even if they don’t actually participate in the murder but they are part of it in some way or the other, then they are convicted on the doctrine of common purpose.”
“But I believe that this was a wrong charge because Solomon did not participate in any way or have the intention of killing anybody whatsoever.”
As his lawyer, Jama was one of the last people to see and speak to Mahlangu before his hanging.
“We actually became friends in the end. I was not just an attorney and client relationship. It was a friendship, trust, confidence and somebody that you can talk to”
Source: Mahlatse Lehong (The Voice of Tshwane)
