The oppressed speak a violent language. Because, as Frantz Fanon put it, “violence, like Achilles’ lance, has the ability to cure the wounds it has inflicted.” ‘Silverton Siege,’ directed by Mandla Walter Dube, is an Afrikaans-English multilingual historical thriller film that immerses audiences in a mainly segregated South African socio-political environment. Separatists Khumalo, Masego, and Terra travel to Silverton’s Seahorse Oil Depot on January 25, 1980.

However, their plan is jeopardized due to a snitch in the squad. As a result, they seize many hostages at the town’s major bank. The narrative eventually shows the undercurrents of racial animosity that underpin people’s lives in the country. The ending is a little vague, as it leaves a lot to the imagination. If you’re looking for answers, let’s examine the closing minutes with a magnifying glass. WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.

Synopsis of the Silverton Siege Plot

Calvin Khumalo introduces the spectator to himself and his group, uMkhonto we Sizwe, in the early panoramic shots (or MK). By the end of the 1970s, the MK was no longer as dominant, as most leaders were imprisoned for political reasons. In the midst of rising racial tensions, they target facilities such as the Rooiwal Power Plant, which cause infrastructure damage but no civilian casualties. On the morning of January 25, 1980, they made their way into Pretoria, aiming for the Seahorse Oil Depot. However, as Khumalo arrives at the oil depot with Terra and her beau, Masego, he realizes that their secrecy has been compromised.

The police chase takes the militants to a taxi stand, and Masego is killed in the process. With their backs against the wall, Khumalo and Terra join forces with Aldo to break into a Volkskas Bank branch in the city and kidnap numerous victims. While Captain Langerman and Inspector Schoeman begin negotiations, the presence of a white nationalist Brigadier raises additional concerns. The police prioritize the rescue of Christine, a bank employee whose father happens to be the Minister of Justice. The militants, on the other side, demand that a helicopter transport them to a safe area. However, as soon as Khumalo discovers that the helicopter is a trap, he considers using the opportunity to further the goal of Nelson Mandela’s release.

The Silverton Siege Has Come to an End: Who Is The Informant? Are Khumalo and Terra alive or dead?

After their first mission fails, Khumalo suspects that there is an informant among them. Otherwise, the authorities would not have known that MK was organizing an attack on the Shoehorse Oil Depot ahead of time. They fail to escape the police pursuit and enter the bank, putting the thought aside. Khumalo, on the other hand, stresses right away that their objective is not to take money from the bank since they are ideological fighters, not petty robbers. Soon after, as Captain Langerman fulfills their request, they are given a helicopter (an anachronistic one). However, Khumalo quickly discovers that the pilot possesses a firearm. Khumalo and the party, feeling betrayed, return to the bank, carrying the pilot with them.

Khumalo coerces the pilot into disclosing the identify of the informant. However, the pilot tells them that he knows very little and is merely following orders. However, at a later encounter with Aldo in the bathroom, the pilot reveals that he knows Aldo is the true informant. To maintain secrecy, Aldo kills the pilot on the spot while telling Khumalo that he did it in self-defense. Later, when Captain Langerman goes through the doors to see if everyone is okay, Terra recalls that Aldo stated the captain’s name, despite the fact that he was not allowed to know it.

Terra shoots Aldo dead on the spot, while the Captain informs the Brigadier that the rebels’ morale is at an all-time low. After Christine was killed by the sniper, Khumalo and Terra agreed to let the hostages escape the bank. The SWAT team attacks the scene, and the crimson colour adds to the eerie atmosphere. Khumalo and Terra wreak havoc with their firearms, killing numerous members of the state militia. The film, however, ends as they go out the front door. As the screen switches to the credits, we hear gunshots. The suggestion is that both Khumalo and Terra die in the meeting, which is supported by historical evidence.

Can Nelson Mandela Be Released?

Initially, Khumalo and his colleagues consider obtaining a helicopter from the negotiation and escaping the mayhem alive. They quickly realize, however, that they have forfeited their independence as they pass through the bank’s entrance. According to a captive, they have only two options: death or imprisonment. Then Khumalo comes up with the brilliant notion of turning a routine hostage scenario into a nationwide movement.

As a result, he walks out in front of the onlookers, makes a spectacle of burning money, and yells, “Free Nelson Mandela!” Nelson Mandela lead the anti-apartheid struggle, co-founding the militant organisation uMkhonto we Sizwe (apartheid being a complicated structure of social segregation). He was serving a sentence at the notorious Robben Island Prison in 1980.

Toward the end of the film, Captain Langerman hands Khumalo a letter from the state president guaranteeing Mandela’s release. Because Nelson Mandela was not released in 1980, the letter is most likely a forgery. However, as stated in the concluding title cards, the Silverton Siege incident sparked a nationwide Free Mandela movement, which resulted in Mandela’s release on February 11, 1990. The renowned leader would be the country’s first black president, ushering in a new era of reconciliation.