| Summary: | Magister Artium - MA (History) === Nokuthula Simelane, born near Bethal in Mpumalanga, joined the ANC's armed-wing
uMKhonto we Sizwe (MK) as a courier while studying at the University of Swaziland in the
early 1980s. In 1983 she set out on a mission to South Africa on the pretext of purchasing
clothing for her up-coming graduation. Simelane was however abducted, and has since not
been heard from nor has her body been found. Her disappearance was one of those
examined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of South Africa.
These are some facts about Simelane. This thesis seeks to explore how Simelane's
biographies manifest themselves across multiple genres and in so doing determine their
similarities and differences, with a view to understanding the difficulties of producing the
biography of a missing person. The genres of biography I examine relation to Simelane are:
the TRC's Amnesty Committee (AC) hearings, the Human Rights Violations Committee
(HRVC) hearing, their transcripts and the TRC reports; a documentary film called Betrayal
directed by Mark Kaplan; and a statue of Simelane located in Bethal sculpted by Ruhan
Janse van Vuuren.
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