The Line

When the first episode of the mini-series aired in July, 1994, thousands of Zulu hostel dwellers, supporters of the Inkatha Freedom Party, stormed South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) headquarters. They threatened the cast with violence; the rival African National Congress (ANC) reported eleven deaths related to the telecast. CCV, the arm of SABC which broadcasts specifically to the Black population, banned the remaining two episodes. But a week later, after a nationwide protest, CCV reversed its decision and broadcast the entire series to a record audience.