Goodbye Bafana Page #3

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-Oh, fine.

-The sea was flat for a change.

-Oh, good.

Got you some fresh crayfish, Barbara.

Oh, never mind fresh, they're alive!

Oh, seeing as you didn't get seasick,

we can go shopping now.

Nelson Mandela? That's awful!

Ya, it's a big responsibility.

James gets to check their mail

and monitors all their visits.

That's restricted information, Gloria.

For goodness sake,

Mom's not going to tell anyone.

Gloria, come help me

choose some salad stuff quickly.

I'll wait outside with the kids.

Come here.

The two of you, stand still. Stand still.

Where is your passport?

Let me see your passports.

Where is your pass? Your pass!

Here, your pass. Come, come, come.

What's going on, Pa?

-Passports. Where is your pass?

-They're checking for passes.

-Come back here. Where's your pass?

-No! No!

Hey, come back, come back.

-Hey!

-Hey!

Get in the van!

Where is your pass?

My baby!

-You can't just leave the baby here!

-Shut up!

I'll take him. He's my daughter's child.

It's all right. It's all right,

it's all right, it's all right.

Maybe you should go and talk to her.

Another minute

and these will be done, okay?

Feeling better?

Dinner's almost ready.

-Why didn't you stop that policeman?

-Because that's his job.

To take the mommy

away from her baby?

No. But if the mommy

doesn't have a pass,

then she's not allowed to be there,

so they have to arrest her.

Do we have a pass?

We don't need one.

-Why not?

-Because we're White.

-But is that fair, Pa?

-It's apartheid.

It's the way we live, Natasha,

Whites on one side,

Blacks on the other.

It's God's way, darling.

Just like he doesn't put

a sparrow with a swallow,

or a goose with a duck,

or a cow with a buck.

It's just not natural.

And we don't question God.

-Switchboard.

-Pretoria 39001.

-Jordaan.

-Gregory here.

A telegram just arrived for Mandela.

I know. The boy smashed head-on

into a bridge.

Was it...

What?

-You know. Was it an accident?

-Of course.

-You'll tell him personally, won't you?

-Yeah.

Let me know his reaction.

What's up?

Mandela's oldest son

was killed in a car crash.

Good riddance.

Do you have kids?

Hey, work, you Kaffir!

Hey, do you want two days solitary?

Who the f*** is Madiba?

-Madiba, it's Mandela's clan name.

-Clan?

Go tell him.

Mandela, I'm sorry.

Hey, work, Kaffir!

Hey, what are you trying to do, man?

Get back to work, man!

-Van Niekerk! Can I have a word?

-What?

Regulation 1 6/A of the Prison Act states

that if a prisoner loses

a family member,

they are entitled to two days off work

on compassionate grounds.

-Compassionate grounds?

-Hey!

Mandela's a lawyer,

he knows these things.

You don't want him laying a charge

against you, do you?

I can escort him back to his cell,

if you like.

Earlier today, South African forces

intercepted a large group

of SWAPO insurgents

in South-West Africa,

-killing 12 terrorists...

-Would you like some more?

-...and arresting five.

-Yes please.

-There were no reports of casualties...

-Thank you.

...on the South African side.

Dr Christian...

Your food's getting cold.

-What if it was murder?

-Not in front of the children.

James.

They'd never do such a thing.

I called the police in the Transkei.

I spoke to the duty officer.

The more questions I asked,

the more he clammed up.

Eventually he hung up on me.

-That doesn't mean anything...

-Can I serve the jelly, Ma?

Go ahead, darling.

I was the one who told Jordaan

that Thembi had a licence,

that he had a car.

You're doing your job.

This country is at war, James.

These people are savages.

They don't want to share

this country with us. They hate us.

If they had their way, they'd drive

every single white person into the sea.

They'd leave us with nothing!

Not even the clothes on our back.

Yeah, I know.

Come and have pudding.

All right, you win this time.

There won't be a next time.

I'll come back and visit.

I promise I will, Bafana.

My father says

you are going too far to ever return.

I have to go.

This will protect you

the rest of your days.

I will wear this forever.

-I see you, Madiba.

-I see you, Mr Gregory.

I want you to know that I am very sorry

about the death of your son.

Many times I tried to explain to my son

why I was always away from home,

that I fight for a better world,

for my people and my family.

I'm not sure he ever understood.

Where did you learn to speak Xhosa,

Mr Gregory?

I grew up near where you were born.

Then you understand.

I need to bury my son.

-You know they will never allow it.

-I am an honourable man.

I give you my word

I will not try to escape.

It's not you.

It's your communist friends.

What if they try to rescue you?

What communist friends

are you referring to, Mr Gregory?

The whole of the bloody

African National Congress.

Obviously, you have not read

the Freedom Charter.

-I have.

-You have not. It is a banned document.

Where would a sergeant

in the Prison Services

get his hands on such a document?

Well, I know about it.

Then you would know

that all we want is equal rights for all,

a world where people like you and l

can live peacefully side by side.

That is what I wanted for my child.

Surely you want the same

for your children?

I wish to be alone now.

Motsadi, Mandela must eat.

When our leader is ready to eat,

he will eat.

You can tell him

his son was buried yesterday,

that the boy's mother was at the funeral.

-Have you read the Freedom Charter?

-What?

The Freedom Charter.

Have you read it?

-No.

-Do you know what it's about?

It's about the extermination

of the Whites.

-Stuff like that, isn't it?

-How must I know?

Pa, can we go watch Province

play against Natal on Saturday?

-Maybe.

-Yes!

I just need to quickly pop

into Roeland Street Prison.

-But my mom's got lunch waiting for us.

-You go ahead. I'll be on the next train.

But Roeland Street is not...

Go, kids! Go.

Excuse me, I understand

there's a section here

containing banned literature.

-Downstairs.

-Thank you.

-Yes?

-I'm with the Prison Services.

I'd like to take a look

at the Freedom Charter.

Wait here.

-You got an authorisation?

-What?

This is a restricted area.

You need authorisation to be here.

Sergeant Gregory.

I'm a warder at Robben lsland Prison.

So? You need authorisation

from the security police

if you want to look at banned material.

Listen here, Major Jordaan

of the Bureau of State Security

personally instructed me

to take a look at the Freedom Charter.

Call him. It's Pretoria 39001.

Give him what he wants.

Sit there.

You'll find it in there.

Thank you.

"We, the people of South Africa,

"declare for all our country

and the world to know

"that South Africa belongs to all

who live in it, Black and White,

"and that no government

can justly claim authority

"unless it is based on the will of the... "

-What are you doing here, James?

-What are you doing here?

I can't believe you did that.

How can you lie to me?

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