#feesmustfall

September 2016. Mountain Language/Pinter Sketches. The play that never was. Somehwhere out there, there’s an alternate universe where Mountain Language/Pinter Sketches managed to be staged after the Fees Must Fall Protests of 2016, and the entire cast got to rest well knowing that this play’s ill fated end won’t haunt them to this day. This was an INCREDIBLE piece of theatre that only managed to have a preview in the Wits Downstairs Theatre, but eventually cancelled due to the escalating violence on campus during Fees Must Fall 2016. 

Directed by Tina Johnson, Mountain Language is a fifteen minute play written by Harold Pinter, in response to the Reagan administration’s tampering with the Venezualan government during the Cold War. The play followed the lives of  refugees in a military camp, detained for unknown reasons. I played the villainous Lieutenant, an absolutely sadistic, twisted, son of a bitch. He was the most difficult character I ever played. In every rehearsal I had to slap Sera’s backside, grope her and try to kiss her and viciously attack one of the women waiting in line. I felt so bad after every scene and made sure I didn’t hurt anyone. I remember for the tech rehearsal, I had to throw my big boot at one of the women in the line, and it flew higher than usual, hitting Buntu Petse square on the thigh. I was terrified I had hurt her but thankfully it didn’t. The pictures you see up here are of the rendition of Mountain Language. The second half of the show was comprised of sketches written sporadically by Pinter, but always performed after Mountain Language.

I wonder about this play often. I wish it would return, especially now that I’ve grown as an actor, I’d love to tackle the complex and psychological writing of Pinter. Gosh, this certainly can’t be my last Pinter play. I lived, breathed and ate this play for nearly three months. We started rehearsal’s in July and were set to premiere in September. We were directed by Tina Johnson, an absolute character of a woman. Aptly nicknamed Tiger Tina, she was old school and meticulous about what she wanted. She’s a New Yorker, and listening to her stories of theater and life was like living in a movie. She’s the sister to the late Torger Johnson, she’s worked with Michael Shannon. Wow. I worked very hard to listen to her and man did I grow as an actor. We all did. 

I was also fortunate enough to work with Mlindeli Zondi, Sera Nansubuga and Tebogo Machaba, three brilliant actors who led by example and gave me great insight in approaching character. I’ll never forget how Sera, without fail, would cry during one of the torture scenes. It was miraculous to experience.  

Mountain Language/Pinter Sketches

Directed by Tina Johnson. 

Written by Harold Pinter.

Starring Mlindeli Zondi, Sera Nansubuga, Shelby Storme Kuhn, Nokuthula Mkhwanazi, Harry Faulkner, Ivan Dos Santos, Tebogo Machaba, Nomonde Kananda, Thandi Belfort & Joel Leonard.

19th - 24th September (Cancelled after preview on the nineteenth due to protests.)

2016.

Wits Downstairs Theatre.

Liberals Establish “Progress” For a Freer South Africa

A group of young liberal South Africans have established Progress, which they describe as a grassroots movement that will fight for a free future. Its motto is “Our Freedom. Our Future.”

“We are young South Africans who are concerned about our country’s stagnating economy, and mainstream calls for disregarding basic liberties.”

The following principles are said to guide Progress:

• Liberty •…

Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu, a name nearly lost in time but was resurrected at the height of student protest in South Africa in 2015. Solomon Mahlangu struggle song became the anthem during Fees Must Fall protests and a reminder of the youngest person sentenced to death under the apartheid government in 1979.

South African director Mandla Dube brings the story of Mahlangu to audiences to highlight the life of the anti-apartheid leader who joined the African Nation Congress military wing Mkhonto We Sizwe after the events of 16 June 1976. A stellar performance by Thabo Rametsi who plays the leading role in the cinematic portrayal of Solomon Mahlangu, alongside actress and TV presenter Pearl Thusi, who plays the role of leading lady.

Kalushi premiered in Pretoria earlier this month and is showing at cinemas nationwide in South Africa.

Tensions at Nelson Mandela University as Police Join Private Security at Blockaded Campus Entrance

The Echoes of a ‘Fall’ that Never Quite Landed

It’s 2026, and the air in Gqeberha still tastes like smoke and unresolved promises.

If you close your eyes at the North Campus gates, you can almost hear the ghosts of 2015. Back then, we were told the fees would fall. We were told the gates would swing wide. But today, the only thing falling is the rain on students who spent the night outside because their NSFAS accommodation hasn't cleared yet.

There’s a heavy irony in seeing SAPS “step in” at a university named after a man who spent 27 years fighting for the right to stand where those students are standing. It’s not just about the money anymore; it’s about the math of survival. 34,000 students are surviving, to be exact.

5,340 beds.

Countless dreams are currently "pending" on a digital portal.

#SoBasicallZA, we called it "Fees Must Fall," but maybe we should now call it "The System Must Wake Up." The barricades aren't just made of tires and debris this time, but also of red tape and "readiness assessments" that feel anything but ready.