Baxter remembers sinking of Mendi

The sinking of the troopship SS Mendi in the English Channel on 21 February 1917 and the death of 616 South Africans on their way to France, including 607 black troops of the South African Native Labour Corps, is considered one of South Africa's worst military disasters.

Now that story is being retold in Did We Dance: Ukutshona ko Mendi (The Sinking of the Mendi), on at the Baxter from 25 February to 10 March.

The title of the play is derived from the legend of the 'death dance' - the men of the labour contingent performed one last, barefooted dance on the tilting deck of the Mendi before she sank.

In picture are Apollo Ntshoko, Warona Sean and Thando Doni.