Refiloe Molakeng, a student from AFDA, a private higher education institution that offers courses in film, television, performance, business innovation and technology, radio and podcasting, has caused a stir of emotions with the Marikana massacre-inspired film Sons of a Massacre.
The film raises questions once again on the heart-wrenching shooting that claimed the lives of 34 striking platinum miners on August 16 2012 in Marikana, North West.
It zooms into the lives of the victims’ families, post the event, following them through the challenges they faced after losing the breadwinners.
“I was highly inspired by the fact that it has been 10 years already but some of the questions have been left unanswered,” said Molakeng.
“Families are still crying over compensation for loss [of their loved ones] and, although some have been provided with funds for young children to continue with [their] studies, it can just never be enough, because a father’s provision is just different.
“In this film, everything starts one family conducting a cleansing ceremony. We start by looking at Bongani Dhlamini, a 19-year-old son of a miner who lost his life to the massacre. Bongani now feels it is his duty to provide for the family, and even takes drastic measures to put food on the table.”
In the film, Dhlamini’s best friend, Thabo, persuades him to join a gang of criminals and take part in a robbery that goes horribly wrong, resulting in the death of a security guard, all in a quest to get easy money.
“It now becomes a cycle, that Bongani lost his father and needed to start providing, but instead also claims the life of another family’s breadwinner.
“The massacre broke us and we are scared that the damage it has done will just birth more damage for generations to come,” said Molakeng.
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