The tragic death of Matwetwe star Sibusiso Khwinana, which happened three years ago, has inspired a new documentary titled 57, which is set to premiere on S3 on September 14.

Khwinana, a Matwetwe lead actor, was stabbed to death in Pretoria in March 2019 during a robbery.

The title 57 is inspired by the 2018 South African murder statistics, which stated that 57 people were murdered in the country daily.

The doccie features the Matwetwe production team, a criminologist, psychologists, historians, academics, journalists and ordinary citizens.

Speaking to Sowetan on Sunday, Khwinana's friend and Muvhango actor Tebatso Mashishi said he was pleased with the documentary, though he is still mourning his friend.

“It is very emotional for me. It kind of brings mixed feelings. You are celebrating that the film is done but you are still mourning at the same time.

"The gesture is very humbling and it remembers the legend he was, though he was young. The wound is still fresh and I am caught between celebrating a beautiful soul and mourning.

“The film itself is shining a light on the fact that 57 people died daily at the time. When my friend died on March 1 2019, he became part of those statistics.

"The worse thing is that no one wants to do something about the numbers so that we have zero murders. The government does not seem to take these statistics serious.”

Khwinana, who led a group of young independent film and theatre makers , wanted to turn Pretoria into a creative hub.

The young creators that he had brought together have been struggling to continue where he left off since his death.

Mashishi explained: “Sbu was a leader and brought us together for a common cause. He always said we [as young people] are the future and we need to create content and find ways to promote and put it out there. It is not that we are no longer there; it is because we are still mourning.

"Everyone is mourning differently, and we are still trying to figure out how to pick up the pieces. Nobody can do or have the same passion that Sbu had."

Craig Freimond, who directed the documentary, said the film was a genuine and honest attempt to find some meaning behind the number of people killed daily.

“Our murder statistics compare to those of a war zone. The documentary aims to open a conversation, unearth insights, and begin to demystify the madness that is currently consuming and suffocating our nation,  while at the same time honouring and exploring Sibusiso Khwinana’s tragic passing. It is only when we really understand the complexities of this subject matter that we can begin to find ways to fix them.

“Using the death of Sbu as a catalyst, we set about having an open and honest conversation about the shadow that hangs over our nation. We hope that the film will be insightful, illuminating and, above all, helpful in trying to get to grips with the problem of violent crime,” said Freimond.

Khwinana’s younger sister, Malebo, thanked directors and the rest of the crew that was involved in the film.

“We are still in a healing process as the family. I might have lost my brother but I have realised that I gained more brothers. His friends like Tebatso have been supportive to me and family.”

bambalelep@sowetan.co.za