South Africa's anti-apartheid activists haunted by their persecution as compensation anger brews

Anti-apartheid activists like Mzolisi Dyasi feel let down after the sacrifices they made for democracy.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersGhosts of apartheid haunt South Africa as compensation anger brews12 hours agoShareSaveSumaya BakhshBBC NewsShareSaveGetty ImagesMany young people sacrificed their lives to fight the racist system of apartheidIt was late at night on 10 December 1987 when prison officers had woken Mzolisi Dyasi in his cell in South Africa's Eastern Cape province.

He remembers the bumpy drive to a hospital morgue where he was asked to identify the bodies of his pregnant girlfriend, his cousin and a fellow anti-apartheid fighter.

In response, he had dropped to one knee, raised his fist in the air, and attempted to shout "amandla!" ("power" in Zulu), in an act of defiance.

But the word caught in his throat as he was "totally broken", Mr Dyasi tells the BBC, recalling the sight of his loved ones under the cold, bright lights.

Four decades on, Mr Dyasi sleeps with the lights on to ward off memories of the physical and mental torture he suffered during his four years in prison.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8yz0e22dro

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