Mbulelo saw me and shouted my name. I stood there shocked. Suddenly the people came to me and they grabbed me. I asked what was wrong but I didn’t get an answer. A white lady came closer and they asked her, “Is he one of them?”

She looked confused and didn’t answer, so they decided to ask Mbulelo.

“Was he with you during the robbery?”

“What robbery?” I asked, my voice shaking and my heart thundering.

“Yes, he was with him me,” Mbulelo replied.

“What are you talking about, Mbulelo? I am coming from school and I was never involved in a robbery!” I said trying to shake myself free form my captors.

But no one paid attention to me. They started hitting me with weapons; they took my school bag away. Zinzi tried to stop them, telling them we were coming from school and I am new in the community. I couldn’t have robbed. They said she was covering for her boyfriend and they told her to go away.

At that point I was half naked and covered in blood. I didn’t have energy to talk anymore. An old lady came forward and took a closer look at me.

“He is not even from this neighbourhood, but he robs people here. Let’s burn him!”

People started shouting. YES! YES! YES!

I got really scared. I couldn’t see properly but I saw Mbulelo running away. Some guys tried to chase him. I realised that I was the only one left. I fainted.

I woke up in a hospital and Zinzi was next to me. She told me what had happened after I had fainted. She had called the police. They came and rescued me and they dropped me in the hospital.

I was very angry at Mbulelo. How could he do this to me? Zinzi was surprised to find out that Mbulelo was my brother but she tried to calm me down.

“Welcome to Cape Town,” she said laughing.

“Thanks for the warm welcome,” I said when I realised what she was trying to do.

I didn’t know what to say or how to thank Zinzi. She had saved my life. Just then my family entered the room rushing, looking like they have been running. Zinzi left. Dad was going on and on, apologising for what happened. He told me not have anger against Mbulelo. How could I not? I was boiling with anger.

“Mbulelo does not have a life. All he does is smoke drugs all day and robs people,” Thembakazi said trying to apologise for him. She was also blaming me, saying this wouldn’t have happened if I would’ve waited for her at school. She also said I should play away from Zinzi because she was bad news; she could get me in trouble. I didn’t answer her. Thembakazi, you do not know what you are talking about, I thought silently.

I got discharged that same day. I had a bandage on my head and on my arm, some stitches on my body but nothing was bad on my face. Mbulelo didn’t come back home that day and I was happy. I was not ready to see him yet.

The following day at school the boys in my class were making jokes about me. They were saying this wouldn’t have happened if I had joined them. Now I was starting to like the idea. I didn’t like the way the pupils looked and treated me at school, even the people outside school.

Zinzi and I became very close; we told each other everything. I told her of my past and she also shared with me her past. And yes, she had climbed bigger mountains than I. I was surprised to hear that she was once rapped by her father and the court found her father innocent. After that her father threw her out. She was now leaving with her uncle and his girlfriend.

I looked at Zinzi and all I could see was a strong woman. She raised herself above all that and, she got motivated when I would tell her that. Every day we walked together to school and from school. That made Thembakazi very angry and she has told Zinzi numerous times to stay away from me. I told Zinzi to pay my sister no mind; that she was just being over protective.

I was having a good friendship with my classmates; even the gang of boys were very friendly. One day they told me I must wait for them after school they wanted to show me something. I agreed to wait for them because I was no longer scared of them. After school, I waited

***

Tell us what you think: Would you easily forgive your sibling if they got you in trouble for something you didn’t do? What do you think will happen now with Anele and the gang?