34 years ago, the assassination in France of a South African political figure caused a stir: on March 29, 1988, Dulcie September, South African representative in France of the ANC, Nelson Mandela’s party, was shot dead. in front of his Parisian office.
A documentary, Murder in Parisscreened at various international festivals, retraces his life and tries to answer the many questions that still remain unanswered. VSar if the case had been, in 1992, dismissed by the French courts, despite different leads, several names mentioned, and revelations before the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the culprit or culprits who fired five bullets in the head of this anti-apartheid activist, in front of her office rue des Petites-Écuries, in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, have never been clearly identified. The relatives and family of Dulcie September have now filed a case before the French courts, to request the reopening of the case. In question: the discovery, according to them, of new elements of tangible evidence. It is in this context that this documentary takes place.
For director Enver Samuel, it is important that this story continues to circulate, to accompany the request to reopen the file. “It is not simply a question of who pulled the trigger, but also who decided on this assassination. The family wants to have all these answers, and to know why there has been all this long silence.“
“I think today we have to try to make enough noise for the case to be reopened, and, hopefully, to obtain more concrete answers.”
Enver Samuelat franceinfo
More surprisingly, a projection of Murder in Paris was even organized by the French Embassy in South Africa. It must be said that this documentary follows the investigation of journalist Evelyn Groenink and the supposed links between the assassination of Dulcie September and her research on French arms sales to the apartheid regime. Pretoria was then under embargo but managed to circumvent the sanctions thanks to secret arms contracts. Dulcie September was investigating the role played by Paris shortly before her death.
But for Ambassador Aurélien Lechevallier, who hosted the screening in his residence, it is important today that light be shed on this affair: “There are indeed suspicions concerning the involvement of certain services, not only French but also South Africanhe told franceinfo. Me, I think you have to be comfortable with all that, it’s part of a work of memory. As you have seen, on the African continent and elsewhere, today France is committed to this work of remembrance. You have to be transparent, you have to be clear and you have to participate in this work with everyone, so that the truth is done and if possible all justice is done..”
According to Enver Samuel, the request to reopen the file should be examined again by the French courts within the next few weeks.