A tribute to Zwelinzima Sizane

We pay tribute to stalwart of the 1976 student uprising, Zwelinzima Sizane, who died on 5 October 2014. Arrested towards the end of July 1976 for his involvement in the student struggles, he was brought to South Africa's most notorious police station, John Vorster Square, where he was detained and tortured. He went into exile soon after his release.

Sizane’s account of his incarceration and torture at the hands of security branch members is documented in Between life and death: stories from John Vorster Square, an interactive DVD developed as part of the joint South African History Archive (SAHA) / Sunday Times Heritage Project (STHP). Contents of this DVD are now also featured in an online exhibition on the Google Cultural Institute website.

Materials produced in the course of the project, including a video-recording and transcript of an interview with Zwelinzima Sizane are archived in the STHP collection (AL3282) at SAHA. Extracts from this interview are also included in the guide for educators for use in the classroom.

Zwelinzima Sizane was the African National Congress’s (ANC’s) Gauteng secretary of political education and training at the time of his death.

See inventory for the Sunday Times Heritage Project (STHP) collection

Visit the Sunday Times Heritage Project (STHP) page

Visit the Between life and death: stories from John Voster Square DVD page

Visit the Google Cultural Institute website

Download a copy of the educators' guide