In the small township of Soshanguve, Gauteng Province, there were three friends called Nosi, Sindi and Karabo. Karabo lived with her parents, Sindi lived with her granny and Nosi lived with her uncle and his girlfriend.

The girls were well-known ekasi. They attended Ruabohlale Secondary School and were doing Grade 10.

Karabo really loved to party. One day she told the girls they should go out to The Coconut Lounge to have fun.

“No, girls. I know we need to cheer ourselves up, but remember, tomorrow we are writing Life Sciences,” said Sindi.

“I don’t care!” said Karabo. “Why are you always telling us about school when it’s time to party? You always spoil our plans. Why? Because your gogo will say ‘ahw mzukulu ungayi lapho akuphephile’ (don’t go there my child, it’s not safe.)” Karabo said, mimicking Sindi’s granny.

“Nosi, please talk to Karabo, please. We can’t go there, we have to study hard.”

“Nxese mtana, not today Sindi, we need some time off from school,” Nosi said.

“Nosi, do you want to spend the rest of your life at your uncle’s house?”

“Yey! Today I won’t listen to your cry baby speech, remember I also don’t live with magogo,” Nosi said.

Sindi left them and went straight home. She told her granny what happened when she was with her friends. Gogo advised her not to be friends with Karabo and Nosi, but Sindi couldn’t because they were her childhood friends.

Later Sindi read her books while Nosi and Karabo were preparing for tomorrow’s party.

On Saturday afternoon Sindi saw Karabo and Nosi catching a taxi to The Coconut Lounge. They greeted Sindi and off they went. Karabo and Nosi were really enjoying themselves, Gugulethu was the song of the day. Karabo told Nosi that there was a guy outside looking for her. Sindi went out to find the guy.

“Hi, I’m Bra Vutha,” the man introduced himself.

“Yes, I heard about you,” Sindi said walking away.

“Argh, people spread lies out there. Can’t we just take a ride? We’ll be back before the party ends.”

Sindi agreed and they left the club. They got in the car and the guy took Nosi to his house. He dragged Nosi to his room and pushed her on his bed. He forced himself on Nosi. Nosi tried to fight but she was weak and the guy was sober and strong.

“Yah, Karabo’s really got cool friends, I’ll pay more,” said Bra Vutha when he was done.

While the guy was sleeping, Nosi escaped. She ran barefoot, crying in pain. On her way she saw an old lady and the lady took Nosi to her house. Nosi rested a bit and took a little nap, when she woke up she made her way home.

Karabo went looking for Nosi at her house.

“Karabo, what are you looking for?” Nosi’s uncle asked when he opened the door.

“Uncle, I’m looking for Nosi.”

“Mxm, Nosi left with you yesterday, don’t you remember?”

“I do Uncle, but we went on our separate ways home.”

“Karabo, where is Nosi?” Uncle shouted. “Go find Nosi or I won’t spare you.”

“Uncle, Nosi left me at the party. She said she was going to talk to Bra Vutha…”

“What! Bra Vutha? The rapist? The blesser? Did you say Bra Vutha?” said uncle.

Karabo was so afraid she couldn’t speak, she kept nodding.

“Let’s go find Nosi, you fool.”

They got to Bra Vutha’s house and Uncle banged on the door.

“Vutha! Come out and face me, I want my niece!”

“Well, well. Where on earth will I take your niece, the universe is big? Who knows, maybe you sold her. Your niece stole my watch and ran away at the party. well after a good night i guess

“What have you done to my niece? I swear if you hurt her I’ll make you suffer.” Uncle warned. “Let’s go Karabo, let’s leave this man.”

Nosi arrived home later, crying.

“Nosi, what happened to you my dear?” Uncle took her and sat her down. “Stop crying, I couldn’t rest, worried about.”

After a while Nosi stopped crying.

“Say something, tell me where were you?”

“He-he- he rape me,”

“Who did that Nosi? Who rapped you?”

“Bra Vutha,” said Nosi, her tears falling down.

Nosi’s uncles also started to cry. He was so angry he was seething.

Nosi, I will make sure he gets punished for this, for every drop of tear you shed. I will deal with him haphazardly and he will sure become helpless and immobile.”

The news of Nosi’s rape made the rounds in the community. Soon, Sindi’s gogo knew.

“Did you hear what happened to your friend, to Nosi? She was raped by Bra Vutha,” Gogo told Sindi.

“What? No, no, no, Gogo, that’s not true. How? When?”

Gogo did not have all the answers for Sindi, she had also just heard the news.

“But I warned them not to go to any party. Gogo, let’s go check up on her.”

Sindi went to Nosi’s house.

“Hi friend, how are you keeping up? Are you fine?”

“No I’m not, Sindi. I feel sorry for my body, I feel sad, scared and desolate.”

“No come, let’s go out for a walk. Please, come.”

Nosi thought the walk would do her good and so she went with Sindi.

“You know, I hate to say I told you so but I’m so sorry for your pain.”

As they were walking, some girls from their neighbourhood stopped them.

“Yoh! Look, that’s Nosi, a characterless girl with immoral behaviour. She’s Vutha’s mistress.”

“Nosi tell me, what were you thinking? Were you expecting lavish stuff?” Karabo said. Nosi was shocked, how could Karabo say such things about her, she was supposed to be her friend.

“Well, look at you now, but girl you made money for me.” Karabo said.

“Shut up! You are cold-hearted, you have a nerve to gossip about me to your fake cronies.”

Nosi turned around and ran away. She saw the community marching and shouting, yelling with anger. They went to Bra Vutha’s house and started throwing stones at Bra Vutha’s house.

“To hell with rapists and blessers!” the people shouted.

Nosi ran and stood in front of everyone.

“This man raped me with no hesitation and I won’t remain silent. I will fight for my justice and I won’t allow scums like him to ruin our world. My friend sold me to this man and now I know when they say a friend can kill you. Let the police take this man away so he can rot in jail for the rest of his life.”

The crowd was cheering and shouting, supporting Nosi. The police came and arrested Bra Vutha for rape. As he was thrown into the back of the police van, the community rejoiced.

***

Tell us: What do you think of what Karabo did? Should she also be prosecuted?