The 1927 Mapleton Train Disaster, Memorialisation, and the Media’s Role in Narrating the Dead

On 27 July 1927, a passenger train collided with a goods train near the town of Mapleton in South Africa. Twenty-seven black passengers and four white train staff died and scores more were injured in one of the largest train disasters in the country’s history. Injured black passengers were transported to hospital in disused coal trucks and those killed were buried in “one large grave” near the scene of the accident, while the white train staff were quickly treated and those who died had individual funerals. This article uses the case of the Mapleton disaster to illustrate the media’s role in narrating death and the relationship between history, journalism, and memorialisation. The study draws on archival documents and newspapers for two purposes: First to construct a history and second to conduct a thematic content analysis of newspaper articles that covered the tragedy. Using the concept of bearing witness, the study attempts to understand the role played by the media in preserving the memory of those who have died tragically, been buried, and are now forgotten. The study argues that although journalists play a vital role as servants of history, their privilege in creating narrative results in a historical construction and collective memory that quiets some voices while elevating others. This impacts the capacity for recognition and memorialisation. In addition, the case illustrates how, in the context of tragedy and mass suffering, the media can facilitate public agency and responses that are counter to the hegemonic structures in society.