In one of the most iconic photographs in South African history, a teenage boy carries the lifeless body of Hector Pieterson through the streets of Soweto. That boy was Mbuyisa Makhubo — and shortly after that moment, he disappeared.
This episode traces the haunting mystery of Mbuyisa’s life after the photo: the surveillance, the exile, the letters from Nigeria, and the trail that goes cold without answers. But it’s also about more than one young man — it’s about what happens to people who become symbols, and how a country forgets those it once celebrated.
Blending biography, memory, and political analysis, we explore the broader story of June 16, trauma, exile, and the cost of carrying the struggle on your shoulders.
Produced By:
Sthembiso Matenjwa
Tatum Damons
After Freedom SA (Pty) Ltd
Jul 4 202528 min