London Recruits (film)

It is inspired by the true story of how the ANC recruited volunteers in Britain in the 1960s and 70s, at the height of apartheid, to travel to South Africa for undercover missions.

The film features interviews with surviving recruits, ANC Comrades and South African security forces, interspersed with archive footage and dramatic reenactments.

[1][2] In 1967, South Africa is under the control of a militant white supremacist government, rigorously enforcing apartheid laws while crushing any organized opposition.

In this bleak landscape, ANC leader Oliver Tambo, operating from exile, devises a strategy to rebuild a new underground movement.

Exploiting apartheid's inherent prejudices, Tambo recruits sympathetic whites people from London to conduct covert missions deep within the racist regime.

However, efforts to inspire a broader audience result in torture and imprisonment, failing to deliver a message of hope to the millions suffering under apartheid.

Despite the risks involved, Sean, Steve, Kathy, and other courageous young Londoners volunteer to deploy these devices in South Africa.

Eventually 35 men and women, including Ronnie Kasrills contributed to the book that he entitled London Recruits: The Secret War Against Apartheid.

He went on to say, "There are many reasons why it worked so well — a combination of using the larger-than-life Kasrils; lively interviews with several of the original recruits…" …"wide-ranging footage beyond the typical apartheid-era material, including some sourced from private archives; re-enactments with well-cast actors; excellent cinematic storytelling and superb editing.

[6] In Hollywood's Variety magazine Thinus Ferreira called the film "…an edge-of-your-seat documentary thriller set in the early 1970s, blending elements of espionage, courage, sacrifice and jaw-dropping twists.