This play is about Liso and Thabo. They are friends. They are in Grade 9 at E.W. Pearce J.S.S (Mthatha) One day on their way to school they meet a gang of boys selling drugs.

Cast:
Thabo
Liso
Sisanda
Yonela
Aseza
Mr Ndko
Aseza’s mother
Grandma

Thabo: Hey Liso, do you see those boys sitting around the corner?

Liso: Yes. I don’t like them at all.

Thabo: Me too. I don’t have a good feeling about them.

Liso: (Passing by the boys) As I was saying Mr Samuel gave us a lot of homework this past weekend.

Thabo: (trying to change the topic) You’re right about that. Did you finish it?

Liso: Yes I did. What about you?

Thabo: Same here. What about maths? Mrs Calaza will beat you if you did not do it.

Liso: I did do my homework. Why do you think I did not do it?

Thabo: I was just asking. No offense.

[They go inside the school. The bell has rung and the learners are going to assembly.]

Liso: Look we’re late and the learners are praying.

Thabo: Mrs Lansa will kill us if she sees us.

Liso: She saw us when she was walking past Mr Ndika.

Thabo: Let’s hope that she will forget about us.

Liso: OK.

[On their way to class two learners called Sisanda and Yonela talk to them.]

Sisanda: It’s the first time I see Liso and Thabo late for school.

Yonela: That’s true girl. It’s the first time in many years.

Thabo: You won’t believe what I saw this morning on the way to school.

Liso: We saw a gang of boys selling drugs and in that gang we saw Aseza.

[Aseza is in the same school and class as them.]

Sisanda: You’re lying. Aseza Sangca wouldn’t do that.

Liso: I am telling you. I saw him with my own eyes.

Yonela: It can’t be true.

Thabo:It is true they were selling it in a beautiful car.

Mr Ndko: (walking past) Go to your class.

[Later. At break time]

Yonela: Where were we?

Sizanda: Talking about Aseza selling drugs.

Liso: We were so afraid we thought that they would make us smoke that stuff.

Yonela: That is why he is absent today at school.

Sizanda: Let’s tell our class teacher, Ms Duli.

Thabo: No!!! Aseza will kill us. He will know it’s us. We were the only ones who saw him.

Liso: Thabo is right. We were the only ones who saw him.

[Later: After school, on the way home]

Thabo: Let’s go Liso. I am in a hurry.

Liso: Ok!

Thabo: We have 3 homeworks.

Liso: List them.

Thabo: Maths, Xhosa, English

[On their way home they meet Aseza’s mom. She asks about Aseza.]

A’s mom: Have you seen Aseza?

Thabo: (winking at Liso) No we haven’t seen him.

A’s mom:When last did you see him at school?

Liso: Last week Friday.

A’s Mom: Ok my children. See you.

Thabo and Liso: Ok Mom, see you.

[Liso walks to his home and Thabo goes to his own home. Thabo and his grandmother talk about school.]

Thabo: Hi, granny.

Grandma: Hi, my son. How was school today?

Thabo: It was fine. But I saw my classmate selling drugs around the corner.

Grandma: Don’t worry son, God will make him stop.

Thabo: I know. It’s just that he will ruin every student’s life with the stuff he sells.

Grandma: Let’s pray son.

[They pray together]

Thabo: I am feeling better now.

Grandma: I know son. God is a helper.

Thabo: I am starving Grandma. What’s for lunch?

Grandma: I cooked some rice and meat with veggies.

Thabo: My favourite. How do you know?

Grandma: I stayed with you for a very long time, son.

Thabo: (as he is eating) This is good – more than good.

Grandma: I can cook. Have you forgotten?

Thabo: No

Grandma: (laughing) Next time I will cook very raw food.

Thabo:(laughing) I won’t eat it.

To be continued…