Jabu grew tired of waiting for Zakes. He couldn’t understand where he had got to. He decided Zakes must have seen the lights in Noni’s eyes again, and he decided to go and talk to bra John on his own. He knew it wasn’t far. What had become of bra Zakes? Hey! These lovey-dovey married people! He never lost track of time with Stella. He always knew exactly what he was doing.

John answered Jabu’s knock at the door almost immediately. He showed Jabu into the neatly furnished front room that was double the size of most of the sitting rooms in the area and offered him a cup of tea. Jabu had never been into John’s house, but he had heard about it from his friend, Jojo.

“You should see the front room!” Jojo had been in a good mood that day. MaLulu had given him credit till the end of the month. “Well mtshana, that’s okay, with its fine settees, but wait, wait until you get to the kitchen. Oh! Italian tiles on the floor, fitted wooden cupboards, not lezi ze zinc, mtshana, this stone on the top … um … marble! I even saw the small bathroom mtshana. I sommer pretended I needed the gents. That was even nicer – nice blinds, coloured bathroom suite. And the size of the rooms! You can’t compare it with our pondokis mtshana. That man’s got moolas, I tell you.”

So Jabu was more than eager to accept the offer of tea, because he would get to see the famous kitchen. But today John did not seem to notice his matching kitchen, or see that Jabu was craning his neck to look down the passage for Jojo’s dream bathroom. He sat down and began to talk before Jabu even had a chance to tell him why he had come.

“It’s a terrible thing that has happened Jabu. Yesterday in the early evening I drove home. I came in on that road that people hardly use any more – where the old mines are. Of course, I use that road, everyone knows that. I always ask people to use that entrance to my shop to deliver big items.

Suddenly, right in front of the car I saw four men. They took out guns, maybe three or four, I don’t remember. They bundled me out of the car, I didn’t want to leave the boys alone … I ran after the car, but they kept firing shots at me and then they sped off.”

“Was it those crooks who always want ‘pocket money’?” Jabu asked. “I know those tsotsis go around telling business people to give them money or ‘some sweets’ and then their businesses won’t have problems.”

“Yes, Jabu. Unfortunately, in the end I gave in to those tsotsis. I thought I would not have any peace if I didn’t. I went to the police first, but they couldn’t help me. I’ve been paying the tsotsis in groceries, but their shopping list has been getting longer and more costly. Two days ago I told them that I would not be giving them any groceries at the end of this month. I’m sure this is payback for that.” John stopped, his lips trembling.

There was a knock on the kitchen door. Zakes was leaning against the doorpost, looking a little unsteady. Jabu knew bra Zakes didn’t drink as much as him and the boys, so this had to be something else. When Zakes stumbled into the open doorway, Jabu and John sprang up and helped him to a seat. Jabu knew something was wrong. He saw the bump on bra Zakes’s head as they helped him sit down and gave him a glass of cool drink.

“What happened?” asked Jabu.

“I was just locking the door of my workshop, when someone hit me from behind. All I heard was someone saying, ‘Busy bodies!’ then I felt a pain in my head, then everything went blank.”

“I’m sorry, bra Zakes, I thought you wanted an early night and had changed your mind about coming here. I should have come to look for you. Bra John, do you have some ice that we can put on his head? I think, bra Zakes, you should hear what bra John has to say.”

***

Later that evening, bra Zakes went with Jabu to the house of Commissioner Maphiri, the police commissioner closest to their area. He listened to them without saying a word. Finally he spoke.

“My hands are tied. Your area is supposed to be getting an area police commissioner and I can’t interfere in another commissioner’s area. The best I can do is ask my staff to look through their documents and files for information on these people.

The way these tsotsis operate, it sounds like the work of a certain big boss we’ve known of for a long time. I heard he was looking to work in this area, but I didn’t know he’d already arrived. Sorry, gentlemen, I really am sorry, but I can’t go against the rules. I want these people behind bars as much as you do, but what can I do?”

“You can help us, that’s what!” shouted Jabu, banging his fist on the kitchen table. “We come all this way and all you can say is sorry? hayi, bra Zakes! Are vaye! We’re really wasting our time talking to the POLICE!” Jabu got up and pushed past the commissioner and Zakes and stormed out to bra Zakes’s car, which was parked in the yard, banging the kitchen door as he went.

“Well, you heard the young man,” said Zakes to Maphiri, who was standing at the door with his hands in his pockets. “We were expecting a lot more from you as the police. Our community needs your help. You, as a member of the police, say you can’t help because of red tape, because of rules? Jabu is right; we have gained nothing from being free. We live in fear of those who are the same colour as us, but we cannot call them the enemy for fear of our lives. Sis!” Zakes spat out his last words, turned and walked out of the door Jabu had banged earlier. He did not bang it.