Husband and wife theatre duo Zwelibanzi and Refilwe Sibiya will bring their hard-hitting political production, “Interrogation Room”, to the Playhouse Loft from September 28 - 30.
Since its debut at the State Theatre last year, the production has gone on to capture thousands of theatre-goers across the country, and it is now back in Durban for two school and two public performances.
Written by Refilwe, it stars Sabelo Motloung as Vusi Ndlovu, Richardt Nel as Lieutenant De Kok and Peter Mashigo as Constable Themba Maseko, with direction from Zwelibanzi.
Set in 1986, “Interrogation Room” relays the story of Vusi Ndlovu, a young freedom fighter who is abducted by the apartheid Special Branch Police on suspicion of terrorism.
He is subsequently taken in for questioning in the interrogation room after they discover he has explosive-making materials in his informal dwelling.
It is there that young Vusi finds himself at the merciless hands of Lieutenant Pieter De Kok and Constable Themba Maseko and their brutal brand of law enforcement.
Speaking to Refilwe, she said: “It is during that interrogation that he gets to learn how the system works. The so-called freedom fighters, the so-call terrorists in the country, and exactly how the power dynamic between the non-whites and the white people actually works in the country.
“It is there that he disappears and is never seen or heard from again at the hands of Lieutenant Pieter De Kok and Constable Themba Maseko.”
Refilwe explained that the inspiration for the story stemmed from the fact that many apartheid stories aren’t told and this was her way of shedding light on a very painful time in the history of South Africa.
“‘Interrogation Room’ comes from the stories of freedom fighters who went missing during apartheid. Either they went for training in the bushes or they had been taken in by the police and they were never seen again.
“These stories are not often told. I wanted to shed light to that kind of story, that somebody could be taken and nothing becomes of it. Their names are not even mentioned during Struggle-rated holidays.”
Speaking on the relevance of the story today, she said theatre-goers should use the knowledge gained to educate themselves.
“A lot of history is washed over and I’m more inspired to tell those stories so that we can use that as a way to educate ourselves, educate our children, and people who are interested in the history of SA without it being glossed over or making us feel guilty for bring up such stories.
“As soon as you mention the word ‘apartheid’ people get uncomfortable and they want to know ‘why do we still want to talk about that, aren’t we over that’, and there are still so many injustices that stem from the unresolved issues of apartheid.”
Speaking about the show’s successful run, she said she is “absolutely thrilled” as people call to ask her to write more protest theatre productions.
"People are receiving the production very well. As uncomfortable as it is, it makes people ask questions and if you do not remember what’s being said during the play on stage, I am sure you will remember how it made you feel.
“We’ve been asked to show in Cape Town, Kimberley and North West. So we will be heading there next year.”
For her, this production is a way a start an uncomfortable conversation, one that does not favour those in power.
“I’m asking, do the people who are in power now, know the cost of our freedom, do they take into stride the decisions they make for the people of South Africa?
“What the production does is shine a light on how apartheid itself affected not only people of colour, but also white people in this country. So many of them were actually under oppression. It was a different oppression but they were also under it.
“We talk about conscription, how young boys were conscripted into the SA Defence during apartheid against their wishes, their parents, but because this is what the system was at the time, it put them under a lot of pressure as well and a lot of lives were lost.
“I want to tell the story, as uncomfortable as it is, as raw as it is, as brutal as it is, as crude as it is, I want to tell it and I have to try and not centre myself.”
Aside from the hard-hitting regime, the production explores the theme of hopes and dreams.
“It explores the loss of hopes and dreams and how these three men find themselves in this interrogation room.
“If they had been living in a different system they would be somewhere completely different,” she said.
Vusi, for example, wanted to be a soccer star. Themba loved fashion and hoped to be an entertainer and Pieter dreams of being an opera singer.
“I’m sure if they had lived in a different time, era and system, they could have been three completely different people.
“I also wanted to explore that sometimes it is our circumstances that shape us. I think you were yourself before your situation and condition alter you so that you become somebody else, so that you can survive that situation or time.”
The message is simple: “It is theatre with a purpose. The purpose of this production is ask the tough questions, do not just make assumptions.
“If you want to enrich yourself, you have to experience this show,” ended Refilwe.
“Interrogation Room” will run from September 28-30 at the Durban Playhouse. Tickets are R100 at Webtickets.