The death of an estranged brother forces ageing librarian Sipho Makaya, along with his daughter and the niece he has never met, to confront the betrayals, jealousies and animosities of the past.

Nothing But the Truth, set in post-apartheid South Africa and on until Saturday at West Yorkshire Playhouse, delves into family secrets, sibling rivalry and reconciliation. It confronts the destruction of a man's aspirations, exploring the relationship between those who fought against apartheid and those who returned victoriously after living in exile.

The play was written by and stars John Kani, whose many international awards and accolades include the Titan of the Century Award as Best Performing Black Artist of the Century by Tribute Magazine's Black Business Forum.

His acting won him a Tony Award for Best Actor during the 1974/75 American tour of Sizwe Banzi is Dead and The Island, which he co-wrote with AtholFugard and Winston Ntshona.

In 1985 John Kani's younger brother Xolile was shot dead while reciting poetry at the funeral of a three-year-old girl who had been killed by a police tear gas canister.

For more than 15 years John Kani locked up the pain deep inside himself, unable to confront it or deal with it. After the release of Nelson Mandela from prison and the creation of a democratic South Africa, he had a problem.

"I supported theTruth and Reconciliation Commission set up by Archbishop Desmond Tutu; but the difficulty I had was answering the question: do I forgive the white policeman who shot my brother? In Nothing But the Truth it is the son of one of my characters whom is killed. Athol Fugard says you must always start from a personal point of view and then branch out from there.

"When it opened in 2002 the experience was cathartic. I had never felt so good. I cried. Now I can live with the fact that my brother died. I remember him with a smile. The play finally released me from my bitterness, pain and anger," he said.

Asking him about the problems facing post-apartheid South Africa prompted a response of Martin Luther King eloquence.

"Nothing, nothing, will ever beat apartheid. We have a memory mark that says it was evil and bad. Everything post-1994 is heaven. We may have other problems emerging - crime, the Aids pandemic - these are the challenges of the new democratic South Africa.

"But every day little battles are won. Crime is falling. Every day a new house is built, someone gets a job; every day a new hospital, a new school, a new clinic is built. All these things make you feel proud to be a part of the building of a new South Africa.

"I will be 64 in August. I have spent most of my life under apartheid, despairing that nothing would ever change. I voted for the first time when I was 50.

"South Africa being a new democracy, we are still excited by it. We are sensitive to anything that could threaten it. You cannot say only the black people were responsible for democracy; there were white people as well. People were predicting a mess but our elders sat down together and talked."

He added: "After centuries of democracy people start thinking about greater civil liberties and rights; people believe they are entitled to it (greater freedom) even if they never did anything about it. In Britain and America people tend not to involve themselves in the day-to-day management of their lives, only at election time. After that they get on with the grind of existence," he said.

John Kani, looking forward to the 2010 World Cup, which will be hosted by South Africa, does not believe that his country will make the terrible mistake of going down the road of Zimbabwe - a once-fertile, fruitful country now being turned into a wilderness.

"The programme of land redistribution has been going on since 1994/95. Claims are being dealt with at a speedy rate. We opted for reconciliation. We have a community committed to serve whoever is in leadership. People like F W de Klerk, Tabo Mbeki, Mandela are determined to protect democracy."

Nothing But the Truth is on at West Yorkshire Playhouse until Saturday, starting at 7.45pm. The box office number is (0113) 213 7700.