Thembi Mtshali

Dr. Maria Berkel is on the way to her new job in a hospital of a small African village. On the domestic flight, she meets the rough-and-ready pilot Paul Freytag. At first, Maria is rejected, but with a little help from the healer N'nanga, she wins slowly the confidence of the local people. She is convinced, that contaminated water causes the disease of the villagers. But soon she realizes that people will not get sick from bacteria ...

Mapantsula tells the story of Panic, a petty gangster who inevitably becomes caught up in the growing anti-apartheid struggle and has to choose between individual gain and a united stand against the system.