30 years after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Truth be Told screening at Apartheid Museum

Thirty years after the establishment of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), the French Embassy and French Institute in South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi, the Apartheid Museum, the Foundation for Human Rights and EMS Productions hosted a screening of Bones of Memory, an episode from Enver Samuel’s Truth Be Told documentary series. The event was attended by the Ambassador of France to South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi, H.E. Mr David Martinon.

The documentary revisits the story of Ntombikayise Kubheka, an anti-apartheid activist and member of uMkhonto weSizwe who was abducted, tortured and killed by apartheid security police in 1987. Through the perspective of her daughter, Thuli, the film reflects on the long-term effects of political violence and the ways memory and loss continue to shape families and communities across generations.

The screening formed part of broader reflections on the legacy of the TRC and ongoing questions around justice, truth and historical accountability in democratic South Africa. Visitors also engaged with Grave Injustice, an exhibition examining the unfinished work of the TRC and the continued calls from victims’ families for recognition and accountability.