Nkosinathi Fihla interviewed by David Wiley May 12, 2006 Cape Town, South Africa.
"I'm worried that our history on Robben Island will disappear. There was another big quarry where thousands of us were tortured, were beaten time and again, were sent into isolation, were punished..." [9:02]
Nkosinathi Fihla, who was imprisoned on Robben Island because of his activities in the armed wing of the African National Congress in the Eastern Cape, believes the brutality against many prisoners there should not be forgotten.
Nkosinathi (Ben) Fihla was born in 1932 and lived in New Brighton, an African township of Port Elizabeth. Port Elizabeth was a stronghold of the African National Congress, and Fihla became active with the organization, joining the ANC Youth League, which was banned in 1960. After that, he helped organized the armed struggle underground in the Eastern Cape while he taught cricket and traveled to ballroom dancing competitions in his public life. Fihla is now a member of Parliament.
