March 1, 2005
By Ndaba Dlamini
AS the play "Tshepang" drew to an end, muffled sobs could be heard emanating from the emotionally charged audience at The Barney Simon Theatre in Newtown.
Based on the horrific rape of a nine-month-old baby girl in the small Northern Cape town of Louisvaleweg in 2001, the play tells the tragic tale of the infant victim, who became known worldwide as Baby Tshepang. The story unfolds through the eyes of Alfred, the man who has loved the baby's mother, Ruth, since childhood.
Cutting a tragic-comic figure, Alfred maps out the town's socio-economic landscape. Poverty and unemployment are rife; the only pastime is drinking. It is a recipe for violence and disaster.
Ruth is another tragic figure. Throughout the play she carries a miniature crib on her back, symbolic of the burden she must carry for the rest of her life. She is also silent for the full 80 minutes of the play, only whispering a barely audible "Tshepang" at the end.
Other props also become symbols: a small doll wrapped in a cloth is "Jesus's sister", a representation of Baby Tshepang's guardian angel; a broom is a symbol of the violence in the small town. Eventually, it becomes a symbol of the rapist too.
The town and the characters are not real but are "based on 20 000 true stories", the number of child rapes in South Africa each year. Writer and director Lara Foot Newton skilfully weaves the real and the fictional into a play that does not shy away from the brutality of child rape.
"I really hope people will not be put off by the content, and they will come and have a theatrical experience that will help them to deal with this phenomenon," says Foot Newton. "That is what theatre can do. It can heal, bring understanding and insight, and help audiences to catharsis."
After the news of Baby Tshepang's rape, six men were arrested almost immediately, but then released. Finally, David Potse, the boyfriend of the baby's mother, was arrested and convicted. It was also later revealed that the mother was out drinking when the infant, left alone in a room, was raped.
Talented Mncedisi Shabangu plays Alfred and Kholeka Qwabe plays Ruth.
The play has won several local awards, including the Fleur du Cap Award for Best New South African Play, the Naledi Award for Best Set Design by Gerard Marx, and the Fleur du Cap and KKNK Best Actor Awards for Shabangu's performance,
"Tshepang" is on until 20 March at The Barney Simon Theatre in Newtown. For more information, contact the Market Theatre publicity department on 011 832 1641.
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