By Tom Powell
American film-maker Randall Nickerson is in Cape Town this week seeking inspiration for a documentary he is putting together about a UFO sighting in Zimbabwe in 1994.
During morning break on September 14 of that year, 62 schoolchildren between the ages of eight and 12 saw a strange craft land 150 metres from the Ariel School in Ruwa, from which two small beings emerged which were described as having "big eyes like rugby balls".
The children's individual descriptions of the phenomenon were so similar that news of the sighting spread around the globe.
Nickerson was approached with footage taken by the late Pulitzer Prize-winning Professor John Mack, who travelled to Zimbabwe to interview the children after the event.
Nickerson said: "This is a story the world needs to see. Personally, I think it's moving. I've found hundreds, if not thousands, of people who believe it and couldn't find anyone who didn't. It blew my mind when I saw it."
Although Nickerson admits the footage of the event makes it difficult to disprove the phenomenon, he doesn't want his film to be biased.
"I don't want to steer the documentary in any direction at all. I'd rather present all the evidence and let people make up their own minds."
Refusing to believe so many people can be mistaken, Nickerson is visiting southern Africa to shed light on those events.
Having visited the school itself, Nickerson is now in Cape Town to track down some witnesses and investigate some "unearthly" sightings that occurred in South Africa, including two UFO sightings in Port Shepstone and Johannesburg in April.
Anyone who saw the event in Zimbabwe can contact Nickerson on 082 815 4731 or by e-mail at [email protected]