AN AFRIKANER farm boy became an ace fighter pilot with the British air force that downed the Germans in a famous World War II battle and returned home to lead an anti-apartheid mass movement.
It sounds like a blockbuster storyline for a make-believe movie, but in reality it sums up the life and times of Adolph “Sailor” Malan.
Malan’s heroics were brought back to life in a recently released historical documentary titled Freedom Flyer, the creative work of film-maker Desmond Naidoo.
It took Naidoo 10 years, from the time the idea first swirled in his head to the premiere of Freedom Flyer at the Nu Metro movie house in Hyde Park, Johannesburg, last month.
The movie was also screened on SABC 3 last week.
Initially, Naidoo was sceptical about the project recommended to him, but after research he not only learnt that Malan played a pivotal role flying a Spitfire fighter aircraft in the Battle of Britain, but was a freedom fighter who challenged the apartheid regime.
“It intrigued me that he became an anti-apartheid activist after the war,” Naidoo said.
“An Afrikaner fighting against apartheid in the 1940s and 1950s is not a popular storyline, a part of South African history that has not been well documented,” he added.
Apart from Malan’s son and daughter, some of the experts that Naidoo engaged for the film were Professor Bill Nasson, a former history lecturer at Stellenbosch University, and UK historian Dilip Sarkar MBE.
“Professor Bill had a passion for Sailor Malan stories,” said Naidoo.
“Dilip Sarkar is regarded as a world expert on the Battle of Britain.”
Naidoo said Sarkar interviewed more than 400 World War II pilots from the age of 19 and has written nearly 40 books.
“Sarkar believes that Malan was the best of them all,” said Naidoo.
Malan grew up on a farm in Wellington in the Western Cape, living a life of adventure, hunting and horse riding.
His family struggled financially so he left home at the age of 14 for maritime training on board the General Botha training ship until 1927. During the next eight years he worked on board the Sandown Castle cargo vessel.
After joining Britain’s Royal Air Force and their “snobbish culture” in 1936, he quickly climbed the ranks through his craftiness in the cockpit.
Before the 16-week aerial combat with Germany that began in July 1940, Malan was already a flying commander in charge of six pilots.
A daring Malan fighting trait was flying within 20 yards (18 metres) of an enemy craft before opening fire, instead of the norm of 400 yards (367m), and shot down multiple German targets.
“Wait until you are close enough to see the white in your enemy’s eyes, then fire,” was Malan’s military method.
Many British people, the media and British prime minister Winston Churchill considered him a war hero.
He returned to South Africa to take up farming. Having battled the Nazi party’s tyrannical tendencies, he realised he had to oppose apartheid policies and atrocities.
Instead of burying his head in farming and pretending nothing was wrong, Malan responded by forming the “Torch Commando”.
It was a gathering of activists who marched against apartheid and carried a flaming torch. Their coming together usually drew thousands of like-minded people.
An Afrikaner opposing apartheid posed a problem for the government of the day.
It became a matter of “Malan versus Malan” because Daniel Francois Malan was the South African prime minister at the time.
Sailor Malan died in 1963 after battling Parkinson’s disease in his latter years.
Naidoo said Malan’s passing was not recognised by the authorities, and his legendary efforts continue to be buried in the sands of time.
He used the latitude of being a film-maker to depict Malan’s fights for freedom.
“It is a historical story with universal and contemporary themes.”
Naidoo said he took the responsibility of “storytelling” with the utmost care.
“Shaping people’s thinking is an important part of what we do, especially in documentaries,” he said.
“Accuracy, not to disseminate wrong information, or not to distort what people say, is always important. Therefore, research is critical. Everything must be reflected in a honest way.”
Naidoo, 61, a production company owner since 2012, said Freedom Flyer was his first stand-alone effort.
He has worked with other well-known production companies such as Urban Brew, Clive Morris Productions and Meropa previously, and performs various consulting roles in the local film industry.
Naidoo was born and raised in the Eastern Cape and was heavily involved in his family’s business.
His interest in media work caught flame when his uncle and well-known Durban-based journalist Yogin Devan came to town on field trips,
After studying journalism at Rhodes University, Naidoo was well into his 30s when his media career began.
In the late 1990’s he worked as a producer on The Felicia Show on TV.
He joined the SABC in 2001. During his 11 years there, he worked on news and was a commissioning editor.
Enver Samuel, the owner of EMS Productions and a committed documentary maker, said ‘Freedom Flyer’ appealed to him because he was also a “history buff, interested in World War II”.
“I knew about Malan but not his exploits with the Torch Commando. That was quite a revelation.”
Samuel said he enjoyed the professionally done production.
“The audience’s reaction at the premiere was important. They were enthralled by the production,” he said.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE