A misty spring morning in Paris, 29 March 1988. Exiled resident of Athlone, Cape Town Dulcie September had just visited the post office to collect mail for the ANC office in France, where she served as a Chief Representative of the African National Congress. She would have been completely unaware, as she pressed the lift button to the fourth floor, that an assassin was lurking in the shadows. 5 shots …
At her funeral ANC President Oliver Tambo stated: “The African National Congress make this solemn vow: that these murderers, who today arrogantly strut the globe, will be brought to justice, it might not be tomorrow, it might not be next year, but they will be brought to justice”.
It has been 33 long years since Dulcie’s assassination and there has been no justice for her and her family. This documentary finally gives her a voice and we are hoping it will be the catalyst to bring her name back into public discourse and play a role in reopening an inquest into her untimely death.
MurderinParis also unveils a number of complex issues that deal with the nature of liberation struggles, the moral and political questions and critically the gaps and silences in the telling of the story of the fight against apartheid. Through the telling of the story of this courageous and remarkable person, we are reminded in a powerful way of the immense sacrifices that people like Dulcie September and many others made to liberate us. Her personal and political integrity, her principled position, her moral courage and her vision for a better South Africa stands as a strong reminder of how central these values are even today as we confront the agenda item: “unfinished business” of the past and the present. And on that growing list, the unresolved issues and unanswered questions that swirl around the murder of Dulcie September, must be writ large.
Dulcie September’s niece Nicola Arendse, upon viewing the documentary, was moved to say – “I saw my aunt talking for the first time – hearing her voice and seeing her “alive” in the video clips. That was very special, a poignant moment for me. I saw my aunt as a person who did what she did thoroughly and completely, till the task was done well. She asked questions and challenged those who needed to be challenged, even if it was to produce better work standards. The documentary speaks to her as a freedom fighter and as a person with her own unique character”.
About Enver Samuel:
Enver is an award-winning filmmaker involved in televisoin production since 1994. He has a passion for telling the stories of unsung heroes and heroines of the South African struggle against apartheid.
“My foremost goal as the producer/ director of Murder in Paris is to ensure that the documentary has not just been made for a broadcast date and then is forgotten. It will also have an active social impact campaign, supported by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, designed for it to ensure maximum exposure at schools and community halls at grassroots level throughout the country – we look forward to sharing the film with you and your communities!”