Kalushi
Kalushi is a 2016 South African film about Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu, a nineteen-year-old hawker from the streets of Mamelodi, a township outside Pretoria in South Africa.[1] He was born in Pretoria on 10 July in 1956, the second son of Martha Mahlangu. His father left him in 1962, and from then on only saw him infrequently. His mother was a domestic worker and took sole responsibility for his upbringing. The film is based on a true story.[2]
| Kalushi | |
|---|---|
 theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Mandla Dube |
| Written by |
|
| Starring | Thabo Rametsi Thabo Malema Welile Nzuza Jafta Mamabolo Louw Venter Fumani Shilubana Pearl Thusi Gcina Mhlophe Marcel van Heerden Murray Todd |
Release dates |
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| Country | South Africa |
| Budget | R20 million |
| Box office | R2.3 million |
Plot
Kalushi is brutally beaten by the police. He goes into exile following the 1976 Soweto uprisings to join the liberation movement. He returns from military training in Angola. En route to their mission, his friend and comrade, Mondy, loses control and shoots two innocent people on Goch Street in Johannesburg. Mondy is severely beaten and tortured; Kalushi is forced to stand trial under the common purpose doctrine.
The state seeks the highest punishment from the court, death by hanging. Kalushi has his back against the wall and uses the courtroom as a final battlefield. His sacrifice immortalises him into a hero of the struggle and a national icon of the youth joining Umkhonto we Sizwe.
Cast
| Thabo Rametsi | Solomon Mahlangu |
| Thabo Malema | Mondy |
| Welile Nzuza | Tommy London |
| Jafta Mamabolo | Lucky |
| Louw Venter | Van Heerden |
| Fumani Shilubana | Lucas Mahlangu |
| Pearl Thusi | Brenda Riviera |
| Gcina Mhlophe | Martha Mahlangu |
| Marcel Van Heerden | Judge Theron |
| Murray Todd | Mr. Mailer |
| Clive Scott | Mr. Bragg |
| Lawrence Joffe | Heller |
| Shika Budhoo | Priscilla Jana |
| Kaseran Pillay | Dawood |
| Mona Monyane | Comrade Eve |
| Ryan Dittman | Mr. Hartog |
| Zweli Dube | Comrade Papers |
| Buyile Mdladla | Gebuza |
| Siphiwe Nkosi | Damoyi |
| Anton Dekker | Minister of Police |
| Gary D'Alessandro | Commander Esperanza |
| Bhekisisa Mkhwane | Jacob Zuma |
| Thembalethu Ntuli | Coca-Cola |
| Wandile Molebatsi | Cousin Phineus |
| Dan Robbertse | Colonel Breytenbach |
| Jacques van Jaarsveld | Ester De Wet |
| Matt Stern | Wouter Wolmarans |
| Jacques de Silva | Frelimo Soldier 1 |
| Mpho Magapi | Solomon's Teacher |
| Reginah Dube | Sis Lindi |
| Denial Honeyball | Court Stenographer |
| Martin Le Maitre | Prison Commissioner |
| Masoja Msiza | Rev. Ndlovu |
| Thami Mzaku | Bra Frank |
| Daniel Du Preez | Swaziland Customs Officer |
| Lawrence-Lee Thorpe | Pretoria Central Prison Warder 1 |
| Samuel Manuel Hauze | MPLA Soldier-Angola Execution |
| Markus Haywood | White Comrade in Bungalow |
| Johann van Rensburg | Court Orderly |
| Asia Mahomed | Record Bar Merchant |
| Jaden Naidoo | Indian Boy |
| Renus Muller | Policeman 1 |
| Chris Barnard | Supreme Court Policeman |
| Jacobus Smit | Court Illustrator |
| Simao Domingos | Frelimo Commander-Rescue |
| Siphamandla Dlamini | Pretoria Maximum Warden |
| Mandlakayise Walter Dube Jnr | Studio Photographer |
References
- Mandla Dube (2016). "Kalushi: The Story of Solomon Mahlangu". Retrieved 22 September 2016.
- "Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu". SA History. Retrieved 22 September 2016.