Gatjeni goes to the fridge and takes one beer. He opens it and places it on the table.

GATJENI: Now everyone keeps quiet until we all take a sip.

MBONANI: Chikwambani drink, don’t be afraid.

S’KHWIHLI: Aaah! This is the real sorghum.

CHIKWAMBANI: Awu…madoda wakithi (brother) this reminds me of British Empire.

GATJENI: What do you remember about it?

CHIKWAMBANI: My cousin Chimililo yho…that man he can drink and the more he drinks the more dumb he becomes. He will tell us about his grandfather who used to use witchcraft for fun like travelling from here to Malawi with his African mats. Eh…that guy was a real character as he always keeps us laughing with his lies.

They are all laughing at the story.

S’KHWIHLI: Wait Chikwambani, what sort of beer was he drinking?

MBONANI: Also, what’s the use of drinking beer and still being sober?

GATJENI: It’s amazing because we drink so that we can get drunk.

MBONANI: You started us mfano womZulu (Zulu boy) so gooi papi (so throw more papi).

S’KHWIHLI: You are stuck Gatjeni, come on bring more.

Gatjeni looks them in their eyes then stands up and takes another beer out of the fridge.

CHIKWAMBANI: Ayi…ayi…nsizwa yakithi (brother). I know you, look this beer is crying, water is falling down the bottle. Fill the table Mr Moreki.

GATJENI: It’s all right madoda, let’s start here. Mbonani does Chikwambani make you vomit?

MBONANI: What do you mean now? Why ask that now because we are drinking and chilling nicely. Why you asking that man?

S’KHWIHLI: Ask him because we are no longer fighting we are brothers now.

GATJENI: Do you hate Chikwambani?

MBONANI: No, of course I don’t.

GATJENI: Good, S’khwihli do you hate Chikwambani?

S’KHWIHLI: Not at all is just that we…

GATJENI: Don’t explain S’khwihli because you don’t owe me any explanation. So Mbonani do you love me?

MBONANI: Awu…how can you ask that Boya benyathi we are together you know that any way sisonke (we are in this together).

GATJENI: Then why did you treat him like an outcast? I believe that you really don’t have issues with him because if you had, you would’ve refused to drink with him on the same bottle. What amazes me is that you decided not to kill him because you said you don’t want him in your country, that you don’t want to share land with them, but you can share a bottle with them. Can you see how confusing that is?

MBONANI: Gatjeni please forgive us.

S’KHWIHLI: Yes, forgive us guys, it won’t happen again and we’ll make sure no one else does such a thing here in our community.

Gatjeni: We must leave this kind of an attitude guys. We all deserve to live in this country because the South African law states that everyone has a right for residency and has a right to live here. I don’t know anymore because now you already violated the rights of Benson to live here. Don’t look down madoda (men), be accountable for what you did.

CHIKWAMBANI: Yes, even the Acts chapter 17, verse 25 and 26 says, and he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.

S’KHWIHLI: Please forgive me my brother. Sometimes we do things because of jealousy and not knowing some things. We fail to account for our actions.

Gatjeni: Most of us if we can get wise, we won’t end up doing things like this, hence this South Africa was laid from the rainbow nation. If you know what this means, you wouldn’t be doing this things to our fellow Africans. This is why South Africa was ruled by the Khoisan. Most of us, we are from somewhere else in Africa, so what if you originate from Malawi?

MBONANI: Jama Gatjeni (Sorry Gatjeni), you better bring another beer because I can see now you are getting drunk.

They all laugh.

CHIKWAMBANI: He’s right. We Africans have something in common yet we refuse to accept it.

GATJENI: Wait I am not finish. Tell me Mbonani, what if the Khoisan chases us away from where we come from?

MBONANI: Eix! I hear you Gatjeni, we are all from somewhere and it shows that the Khoisan did accommodate us because we still live here and now we are the majority.

CHIKWAMBANI: Still on that point, we all know that even you Gatjeni, they treat you as an outcast since you are from KwaZulu Natal, so criticism goes a long way. More than you could imagine.

GATJENI: So, let’s stop this and support each other with love and sympathy.

Mbonani: Ngelami lelo (I agree with that).

***

Tell us: What do you think of the resolution?