The untold story of the 7 days war
By Mlondi Radebe
A Pietermaritzburg-born award-winning author and producer of film documentaries, Mazwi Ngubane, says there aren’t enough efforts to preserve the politically violent history of the city.
Ngubane wants the history and the architectural buildings to put the capital city of the Province of KwaZulu-Natal back on the world map by producing more films and stories about the city.
Award-winning author and producer of a one hour documentary titled, The Scares of Seven Day War, Mazwi Ngubane.
“I realized that the youth of Pietermaritzburg was not aware of what happened during political violence in KZN, and in Pietermaritzburg, in particular, they are not even aware of the icons of Pietermaritzburg and that is why I decided to make this documentary to preserve that history”, Ngubane said.
He describes it as a heart-wrenching documentary film that captured incidents that took place in 1990s when the political violence when it was in its peak between Inkatha Freedom Party and UDF or African national congress.
He said, “there are incidents where we also speak to icons of Pietermaritzburg, they call them warlords, people like David Ntombela and the families of Sichiza Zuma and other victims in Imbali and Edendale areas.”
The greater Edendale area outside Pietermaritzburg is home to over 300 thousand people with an unemployment rate of over 40%.
This area was once a battlefield at the height of political violence in the 1990s between the IFP and the United Democratic Front.
During the seven-day war, over 80 people were killed and over a hundred and twenty homes were burnt down when the IFP supporters allegedly attacked areas including KwaCaluza,Ashdown, and Edendale.
It’s alleged that the violence was sparked by people from these areas, which were regarded as a stronghold of the United Democratic Front at the time.
Buses ferrying IFP supporters from Elandskop that were passing the area head to a party rally in Durban, were pelted with stones.
Community members of accused IFP supporters of forcing them to leave their homes in the Vulendlela area when they refused to join the IFP.
They fled their homes fearing for their lives.
On the 26th of March 1990, David Ntombela who was the IFP leader in the midlands called a meeting with his party supporters in Vulindlela. After that gathering supporter travelled to Edendale and attacked people in the area for seven days. Many fled the area after their homes were torched.
Ngubane added that it was not easy for him to interview the dubbed warlords for his film documentary.
In the documentary, Ngubane poses questions to David Ntombela on allegations that he was a warlord and was at the forefront of this war.
Ntombela’s did not answer the question but used explicit language denying these allegations.
Seven-day War is now also staged as a musical play in theatres. The director of this film, Mvuselelo Buthelezi.
the story of seven-day war is a sensitive one as many families are still bleeding reeling.
A monument was erected in the Imbali township to honor the city’s fallen heroes and heroines.
