Inspired by Ernest Khosa’s Turfloop Memories – set to premiere on 12 June, illuminating the scenes – Studying Under the Barrel of a Gun is a new South African political and psychological thriller directed by Tebogo Malope and produced by Cornet Thabiso Mamabolo.
Malope, the award-winning director, is recognised for numerous successful projects, including Queen Sono and various international documentaries. The film’s producer, Mamabolo, is well-known for his portrayal of Thabo Maputla in Skeem Saam; he not only produces the film but also plays the role of the liberation icon Peter Mokaba in Studying Under the Barrel of a Gun. The narrative follows Ernest Khosa, a soft-spoken rural student who becomes involved in the underground resistance movement against occupying soldiers.
Mamabolo shared a post on his Instagram with the caption: “A film not carried by funds and resources but synced energy of the technical crew and cast, a film driven by prayer and determination to tell a tale of fallen heroes, one meant to archive the history of students’ activism.”
Set to be released just four days before Youth Day, an annual landmark that honours the youth who took to the streets on 16 June 1976 to protest against the apartheid regime and its enforced use of Afrikaans as the medium of instruction in schools.
This film began production in April 2026 and is a political-psychological thriller infused with musical elements, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the military occupation of the University of Limpopo (University of the North, which was commonly known as Turfloop) during the apartheid period.
Studying Under the Barrel of a Gun narrates the experiences of students striving to obtain an education while facing the looming threat of police brutality, military presence, and violence perpetrated by the apartheid government at the University of Limpopo (Turfloop).
The film seeks to illuminate the Turfloop war of 1986, a significant yet frequently overlooked chapter in South African history, shedding light on many undocumented or underappreciated historical events and instances that contributed to the tumultuous landscape of South Africa in the 1980s, which was under intense scrutiny both domestically and internationally for its oppressive and unjust laws.
Crucially, this film emphasises the importance of local talent, as the production has focused on collaborating with interns and actors from Limpopo to offer them valuable hands-on professional experience.
