Nelson Mandela spent most of his life fighting the colour-based injustice of the apartheid system. But he also came to appreciate colour differences - not of the skin, but of his surroundings. The palette of his life was characterised by a range of shades, tones and hues. In this edited version of a speech that Mandela delivered in 2003, he recalled how colour informed, defined and transformed his life. Credits: Angie Kapelianis, Chevon Erasmus and Danny Booysen © SABC 2020. No unauthorised use, copying, adaptation or reproduction permitted without prior written consent of the SABC ..read more

Former president Nelson Mandela wasn't a brilliant orator like Winston Churchill, John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King or Barack Obama. But Mandela was one of the most quoted and influential people in the world. And he often got standing ovations without even saying a word. Such was the appreciation of his sacrifices, lack of retribution and commitment to democracy. When Mandela did speak, though, he measured his words, spoke confidently, and often disarmed everyone with his unique brand of humour. Angie Kapelianis highlights some of Nelson Mandela's classic sound bites in almost half a century ..read more

The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s first-ever partial event hearing took place at the Regina Mundi Catholic Church in Soweto in mid-July 1996. The focus was the twentieth anniversary of the June 16 Soweto uprising – the day thousands of black children revolted against the apartheid system of Bantu Education and Afrikaans as the medium of instruction. All hell broke out when the police unleashed their dogs, tear gas and bullets on students armed with stones, knives and fire. The official cost a week later: more than a thousand injuries, 900 arrests and 140 corpses – the fir ..read more

After a long process to choose a design and construct a building, the new South African Constitutional Court building, the flagship structure of Constitution Hill, was officially opened on 21 March 2004. Judge Albie Sachs gives us a tour of the historic site. Credits: Angie Kapelianis © SABC 2021. No unauthorised use, copying, adaptation or reproduction permitted without prior written consent of the SABC ..read more

They became known as the Cradock Four: Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkhonto and Sicelo Mhlauli. On the 27th of June 1985, these four men left the small Eastern Cape town of Cradock for a meeting of the United Democratic Front in Port Elizabeth. A few days later, their mutilated and charred bodies were found in the bush outside the city. Convicted Vlakplaas commander Colonel Eugene de Kock recalled that Goniwe's death was "the beginning of the end of apartheid". "Who killed Matthew Goniwe?" was a constant refrain for 13 years until February 1998, when a group of former security policeme ..read more

PW Botha personified apartheid and the old National Party for most South Africans. For eleven years between 1978 and 1989, he ruled the country as prime minister and then president with a wagging index-finger, two States of Emergency and his repressive security forces. Although Botha introduced limited reforms, he failed to cross his own Rubicon by not abolishing apartheid. Credits: Angie Kapelianis, Anita Visser and the SABC Media Libraries. © SABC 2021. No unauthorised use, copying, adaptation or reproduction permitted without prior written consent of the SABC ..read more

Veteran activist and sociologist, Professor Fatima Meer championed equality and social justice. Under apartheid, she was banned, detained and held in solitary confinement. She also survived an attempted assassination and arson attack on her Durban house. Credits: Thrishni Subramoney, Dumisani Shange, Angie Kapelianis and the SABC Media Libraries. © SABC 2020. No unauthorised use, copying, adaptation or reproduction permitted without prior written consent of the SABC ..read more

Seamus Heaney called her "one of the great guerrillas of the imagination"; the Nobel Committee called her "a magnificent epic writer" and the Independent newspaper says she's "one of the world's greatest writers". Credits: Angie Kapelianis © SABC 2020. No unauthorised use, copying, adaptation or reproduction permitted without prior written consent of the SABC ..read more

Former South African president FW de Klerk who died at the age of 85 in Cape Town, was one of only four South Africans to receive the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize.  De Klerk shared the award with his presidential successor, Nelson Mandela, in 1993 for ending apartheid and helping to create a new South Africa.  Following the historic 1994 election, De Klerk became Mandela's deputy.  But their rocky relationship saw him quit their Government of National Unity.  During the Truth and Reconciliation Commission period, De Klerk apologised for the pain and suffering that aparthei ..read more

After a long process to choose a design and construct a building, the new South African Constitutional Court building, the flagship structure of Constitution Hill, was officially opened on 21 March 2004. Judge Albie Sachs gives us a tour of the historic site. Credits: Angie Kapelianis © SABC 2021. No unauthorised use, copying, adaptation or reproduction permitted without prior written consent of the SABC ..read more