[Phalo and Skhoma come back from a day of hunting; carcasses hang from their shoulders. They see a group of seven young women who appear to be praying.]

Skhoma: (shouts) Hey, just what do you think you are doing?”

[The women turn get up and look at them.]

Phalo: (panics) Let’s get out of this place. Let’s go home, Skhoma. These women are witches.

[One of the women smiles.]

Woman: No, we are just a bunch of girls who lost their way back home. Would you please help us? (she giggles) Forgive me it’s been a while since I saw such handsome looking men. What do you say ladies?

[The other women giggle. Skhoma steps forward looks straight into the beautiful woman’s eyes.
Phalo grabs him by the arm. He shakes himself off and they walk the girls home.]

Woman: My name is Anga, and these are my servants.

Skhoma: What are you, a princess or something?

Anga: I am. And you are a hunter.

Phalo: There is your valley, go now!

Anga: What crawled up your behind?

Skhoma: Please forgive my friend, he gets nervous around women.

Anga: We are having a huge dinner, join us. It’s the least we can do to thank you.

[They arrive at the village’s gate. Two women guard the gate.]

Phalo: Wow! Girl guards, that’s a first.

Anga: Welcome to Mama the land of women.

[Here there is not even a single man; only women live here. These women hunt, build their own houses and herd cattle while some work in the house. They do not believe in homosexuality. They take care of each other and none of them act or dress as men.]

[They serve lots of delicious food and strong beer and they danced and entertained the two men the whole night.]

[Phalo sleeps. Two ladies wake up from next to him and they get dressed. They dip a knife into a mixture of poisonous herbs and cut him on the arm. He awakens, grabs his arm, starts screaming and twitching as if he is having a seizure. He is in excruciating pain.

[Skhoma sleeps with the princess and is awaken by Phalo’s screams of pain. He jumps out of bed and runs towards the servant’s room. Skhoma kicks the door open. He is shocked when he sees his friend rolling on the floor with blood coming from his eyes and ears. Anga enters the room.]

Servant: My lady, it has begun.

Skhoma: What the hell have you done to him?

Skhoma grabs the knife from the woman’s hand and points it at her throat.

Anga: It doesn’t matter if you kill her. All that’s left for you is to take your friend and get out of here.

[Skhoma stabs the woman in her stomach. She falls and he picks up his friend and rushes out with him. Skhoma runs around with his dying friend in his arms, seeking help but none of the women would help him. He runs out the village gate. The guards laugh at him.]

[He runs and falls on his knees clutching Phalo’s bleeding body. He shouts at the top of his voice.]

Skhoma: Somebody please help. I don’t want my friend to die. What will I say to his father, my king?

[THUNDER ROARS AND IT STARTS RAINING HEAVILY!]

[The king and his men are discussing a livestock case when Skhoma enters the courtroom holding the body of Phalo the prince of Emandleni. Tshabalala, the king falls on his knees and weeps for his son’s death.]

Tshabalala: Who is responsible for this?

*****

[Hundreds of young virgin girls dress in black garments and back packs, they stand in seven straight lines, tears roll down their cheeks. MAMA, the old witch enters the hall and all the girls take off their backpacks and sit in kneeling position. They place their backpacks in front of them. They do everything at the same time.]

MAMA: My children, now is your time. The future of this land is in your hands. It’s time for our kind to grow and be flexible like the great snake of the mountain. Have faith in the maker. Your sacrifices will make us the heart of the strongest nation. Be strong my beautiful children. This must be done.

[She turns around and walks out the door. The girls start singing. They pull handcuffs from their backpacks and bind themselves as they sing teary eyed.]

*****

[In Emandleni, the men cut their hair while the boys sharpen spears and other weapons of war. The king makes a huge fire around Phalo’s body and the men throw their hair in the fire one by one.]

[The warriors are ready for battle. Women and children watch from windows as the king puts the men in formation like chess pieces. Women and children are forbidden from stepping outside before the warriors depart for battle. The village is quiet; nobody speaks. Married women pray under the big tree away from the warriors’ view. The warriors sing battle songs as they jog to the women’s village.]

[On an open road in Emandleni]

[An old, blind man stands in front of the army. He tries to stop them. They separate into two groups leaving the old man in between them facing the king.]

Tshabalala: (shouts) Hold it!

[The warriors stand still in a straight line. The old man kneels on one knee balancing himself with a long golden stick.]

Old Man: Great king, I ask you to withdraw from this war. This war will lead to the end of the world, as you know it.

Tshabalala: No one threatens me. I suggest you get out my way or I’ll be forced to end you.

Old Man: Very well.

Thunder roars very loudly and the men look up. They dark clouds are gathering. The king looks down and the old man is gone. He seems to have vanished.]

[All of the men, including the king, are scared. The warriors don’t want to question the king and he does not want to appear like a coward to his men. He signals for the men to continue.]

*****

[The yard is filled with women dressed in white garments. They are armed in all sorts of garden tools like spades and axes. As the warriors of the Mandleni tribe march closer and closer to the Village of Women, the sun is blocked by the moon while the rivers vibrate, as clouds of dust rise and fill the air. King Tshabalala urges his men to bite their tongues so they can be consumed by violent rage. He wants to destroy those responsible for his son’s death.]

[Tshabalala’s warriors kill the two guards outside the gate and throw their bloody and lifeless bodies inside the yard. They step over the women as they enter like a herd of angry buffalo’s. Blood drips down their chins.

[In slow motion the men and women collide and crash into each other. They fight. Dead bodies and blood is thrown all over the village’s sandy yard. The men destroy the women and their king watches the slaughter whilst calmly smoking a cigarette.]

The End