My brother Peter and I grew up in Durban, South Africa, our parents were both Italian. We were inactive Catholics when we were forced by the apartheid military to become Jehovah's Witnesses, after refusing conscription military service. We became JW's because the military did not recognize Catholic conscientious objectors, and even though we had no political beliefs, we were facing a 6 year prison sentence.
My brother was a semi qualified chemical engineer, serving as a soldier in the SADF, when he was imprisoned after refusing duties. He had no political (or even religious) beliefs but was in prison with soldiers who were fighting the apartheid government. He was awaiting a 6 year sentence, when he became a JW. Peter was sentenced as a JW religious objector, to 3 years confinement in a military detention camp at Voortrekkerhoogte. After completing his sentence he wanted to finish his studies. And in the mid 1990's he remarkably managed to find work in the laboratory of a large manufacturing company (Unilever). But started feeling that post-apartheid black empowerment policies were threatening the job he had. so he decided to leave his family, and move to Krugersdorp in order to live and work as a full-time volunteer at the JW Watchtower Society Branch Office, that was printing bibles, religious magazines, and books.
Whilst working at the Branch office, someone, possibly a fellow JW, may have asked Peter for a lift into Soweto (i have little information on what happened). And whilst in Soweto, that person may have been attacked, and someone may have been stabbed. The SA police instead of dealing with the persons responsible for what had happened, decided to incarcerate my brother in two psychiatric hospitals (Sterkfontein & Townhill), drugged, and tortured him. When he was discharged, he was hardly able to walk, and no longer able to work at the Branch Office.
In 1997, about 3 years after the end of apartheid, and after I had completed a 3-year community service sentence as a JW, in lieu of refusing military service, I received a promotion to train and work as a computer programmer at the Office of the Premier KwaZulu-Natal, regional government head office, in Pietermaritzburg. that same month, early morning, 5 days before Christmas in 1997, my brother died in Durban as a JW, whilst living with my parents in the house they built at 13 Ypsilanti avenue, Glenashley in Durban-North, in the 1960's. He died in what police told us was a car crash with a truck, supposedly on the highway just north of Umhlanga. And was 38 years of age.
Despite this traumatic loss of my brother, in one of the worst periods of my life, I was able to persevere and continue working at the Office of the Premier. And i received top marks in studies, and two promotions. but after 12 years in government service, and 3 years after the death of my brother, I was unexpectedly fired without any reasons and lost my pension. I was trying to find some justification for this, and applied for medical boarding, which was granted. but a year ago, my former employer, the Office of the Premier KwaZulu-Natal stopped my disability pension, and I am now no longer receiving any income.
If you would like to make a donation in support of the memory of my late brother Peter Orlandi, to enable me to continue online to recount the brave stand he took, towards a better life for everyone in South Africa. please contact me at mo699116@gmail.com
thank you, Marco Orlandi (brother of Peter)
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