Endorsed by the African National Congress and banned by Botha's government, this South African feature is one of the very few to examine the black experience under apartheid from a black man's perspective. Mapantsula was made by a mixed crew in Soweto and Johannesburg with the cooperation of the inhabitants. Shot under the noses of officials by surreptitiously passing itself off as an apolitical gangster film, the result is a "spirited and defiant statement against the oppressive regime... The title means 'thief' and the film centers on Panic, a cynical, streetwise con-artist devoted to flashy suits and snappy shoes. Panic lives township life to the full, dancing, drinking, and relieving the occasional businessman of his wallet. But the ghetto's political realities gradually impinge on Panic, whose politicization begins in earnest when he is thrown into prison with freedom fighters who have little regard for his way of life." (Program notes) "Mapantsula doesn't set out to be a political film in the preaching sense. It is a slice of life-a few weeks in the world of an irresponsible black man who becomes caught up in the political drama almost by accident," says co-scripter Mogotlane, who gives a powerful performance as the unsympathetic protagonist confronted with the true meaning of moral courage.