In 1985 violence exploded in communities around Durban. Youth fought amabutho. Pondo fough Zulu. Conflict spilled into the factories. COSATU was launched. Then UWUSA. How did shopstewards cope with this? How do they see trade unions and politics? Shamin Meer reports on interviews with 36 shopstewards in Durban, with a postscript by Ari Sitas. This is the second in a series of two articles.