| Time | Summary | |
| 12:30 | During South Africa’s transition period between 1990 and 1994 the country was nearly plunged into chaos. There were mass killings on trains, buses and taxis, the killings at Boipatong, Phola park, the rightwing threat. APLA, the armed wing of the PAC, was carrying out terror attacks on white civilian soft targets. One such an attack was the Highgate massacre in East London which claimed the lives of five people and shattered the lives of many others. At the last human rights violations hearing in the Eastern Cape this week survivors and victims’ families spoke frankly about their pain and bitterness. | Full Transcript and References |
| 13:10 | ‘Highgate Hotel, East London 1 May 1993’ // Imagine this pub filled with locals having drinks and relaxing on a typical Saturday evening, but on this night just after ten o’clock the unthinkable happens. Two gunmen spray the pub with bullets, whole hand grenades and tear gas canisters into the bar area. They escape. The killers are members of the PAC’s armed wing, APLA. The dead are Derek Whitfield, Dave Wheeler, Deon-Wayne Harris, Douglas Gates and Stan Hacking. Many others are seriously wounded. | Full Transcript |
| 14:03 | ‘Truth Commission, East London 10 June 1997’ // It’s a bit like a nightmare. It was a nightmare to me. You hear that firing of that gun going off all the time. // Twenty year old Chappy Belling took four bullets that night, three of them in his back. | Full Transcript and References |
| 14:18 | As a result of this attack I sustained injuries of a serious nature to my left arm, left hip and also internal injuries. // Belling lives in constant pain and has to take around 600 tablets a month. He’s angry about the loss of his youth, his dreams and his right to lead a normal life. // My social life, I’ve got no more social life as such. I was very bitter about it in the beginning. I couldn’t take black people around me, knowing that it was caused through them, but then I realized that it’s not the black people that I must be angry with, it’s those that done the harm to me. | Full Transcript |
| 15:18 | On Tuesday morning the TRC led an emotional return to the scene of the shooting. // There should never be a repetition of an act such as this one. So we asked you to pour your holy spirit upon the hearts of your people. // ‘Doreen Rousseau, wounded and crippled.’ // … Do not yield by running away facing the pain by we yield by confronting the pain… // ‘Fran Wheeler, widowed.’ // Her husband, Dave’s death has meant great emotional and financial loss for her family. // …There should be peace in our land, bless us now and forever, Amen… // ‘Bernice Whitfield, widowed.’ // The death of her husband Derrick John has ruined her family financially. She’s lost all faith in people and only believes in God. | Full Transcript and References |
| 16:05 | In the spirit of reconciliation and healing the Commission wants to facilitate a meeting between the Highgate massacre survivors and members of the APLA command, such as this man, Letlapa Mphahlele, APLA’s director of operations who’s applied for amnesty and takes full responsibility for the attack. | Full Transcript |
| 16:25 | I would like to meet them, but forgiving, I can’t forgive. I can’t forgive if I can’t forget and I will never be able to forget. When I look at my scars every day of my life how can I forget about what happened that night? | Full Transcript |
| 16:44 | I don’t think I’d like to see them. I mean, I have nightmares now. I see this man standing in the doorway with this balaclava shooting …. I don’t think I’d like to meet up with them. | Full Transcript |
| 16:55 | It’s ruined my life. We battled, the kids and I, I had to sell a lot of things to make things meet. I’ve just got a bitter … I’m just very bitter about what happened. I think they really be brought to justice, not get away. | Full Transcript and References |
| 17:12 | I would have no hassle in meeting them. I would say to them I believe that you are the one who killed my husband and today you’re walking away from me but when you meet Jesus face to face you’ll have to stand and answer and he will judge you not me. | Full Transcript and References |
