there are several inconsistencies with the historical record concerning the swedish missionaries, the witts. in the film, witt is depicted as a middle-aged widower, a pacifist and drunkard, who has an adult daughter called margareta. in reality, otto witt was aged 30 and had a wife, elin, and two infant children. witt's family were away at the time of the battle. on the morning of the battle, otto witt, with the chaplain, george smith and surgeon-major james henry reynolds had ascended shiyane, the large hill near the station, and noticed the approach of the zulu force across the buffalo river. far from being a pacifist, witt had co-operated closely with the army and negotiated a lease to put rorke's drift at lord chelmsford's disposal. witt made it clear that he did not oppose british intervention against cetshwayo. he had stayed at rorke's drift because he wished "to take part in the defence of my own house and at the same time in the defence of an important place for the whole colony, yet my thoughts went to my wife and to my children, who were at a short distance from there, and did not know anything of what was going on". he therefore left on horseback to join his family shortly before the battle.