When the War is Over

‘Killing an enemy is nothing here. I would just do it, go home and sleep peacefully. Really, there’s nothing unusual about killing in Bonteheuvel. There is even a new trend: only if you’re shot in the head, it’s a good murder. This is where the expression ‘burst his cap’ comes from.’ Bonteheuvel is located close to Cape Town. In the eighties, Bonteheuvel was notorious for its violent riots in the struggle against apartheid. The youngsters united themselves in the Bonteheuvel Military Wing, a guerrilla branch of the ANC. Two of these former BMWers are alternately followed in their daily lives in WHEN THE WAR IS OVER. Gori has become an army captain, Marlon a gang member. Like all other comrades, both are having problems finding their niche in life. The battle is won, but what now? The documentary is dedicated to seven victims whose names are mentioned, to all other fallen BMW comrades and also to the mothers who accommodated the teenagers during the anti-apartheid struggle. This dedication betrays a strong commitment. Perhaps this is why the presence of the camera does not seem to affect anyone; not during the gang members’ deliberations, not when illegal shebeens are rounded up or when a woman says she is glad that her eldest brother was ‘at least just run over by a bus’. With his unadorned style, filmmaker François Verster presents an apt depiction of the hopeless life in Bonteheuvel.