Wrench, Nigel
Za87
Soweto, 27 July 1987. The politically charged funeral of a young activist who fled South Africa to became a commander in the military wing of Nelson Mandela's African National Congress. The man being buried is Peter Motau, assassinated in neighbouring Swaziland on the orders of the South African administration. 'ZA87' is a raw audio document of one extraordinary day under apartheid. A father breaks the regulations, declaring any political statements at the funeral illegal. Young activists, the "Comrades", sing in praise of the banned ANC's military wing, sirens blare, helicopters hover overhead, a police officer orders all television and photojournalists to leave. Nigel Wrench's microphone remains switched on. And it features Winnie Mandela, as she speaks into Wrench's microphone and stages a remarkable intervention as the police seek to detain activists.