When Thabo was close, he saw that it was a dead steenbok. He sighed with relief and bent down next to it. It looked just like the one he’d watched the other night with Amahle. He stroked it and sat there for a while, next to the buck, staring down into the murky, gold water. It felt like all the energy had been drained out of him.

With hunched shoulders, Thabo walked back towards Patrick’s house, hoping he would now be home. As he walked he kicked the dust, and his mind flooded with questions.

Why at every turn am I hitting a wall? He couldn’t go on with this fight. It was too big for him, Amahle was right. He should wait until his brother was safely home from hospital and then go back to university. What could he really do here? It was too depressing, and it had beaten him. He would change his research topic.

There was no-one at Patrick’s house except his brother, who told him Patrick wasn’t there. But he might be back later.

As Thabo started walking back towards his house a man rode up on a bicycle. Thabo recognised him as one of the men who had come to see van Rensberg the previous day.

“Hello Tata,” said Thabo.

“Thabo! Thabo!” said the man excitedly, as he wiped beads of sweat from his brow with his shirt sleeve. “We’ve been looking for you everywhere. Amahle sent us. She’s at the hospital. You weren’t answering calls. She’s got a meeting with the man at Water Affairs. He has agreed to meet us in half an hour. She sent me to look for you. She will join us there – it is close to the hospital.”

“Oh wow!” said Thabo. “Amahle did that? Maybe there’s an angel on our side after all!”

Thabo and his team got to the Department of Water Affairs just a little late for the meeting. They ran inside hot and flustered. The offices weren’t plush like the mining house offices, but filled with old, worn furniture dating back to the 1960s. They were greeted warmly by a young man.

“Jacob Mandisa. I’ve been waiting for you,” he said, holding out his hand.

“Sorry,” said Thabo.

“Your name is Sorry?” teased Mr Mandisa.

“No, no! Sorry that we’re late. I’m Thabo Akani.”

Just then Amahle burst through the door.

“So sorry I’m late,” she said joining Thabo and squeezing his hand and smiling at him.

“There are more of you?”

“Yes, I’m Amahle.”

“Welcome and join us. I’m new here. Ms Masondo, our secretary, tells me you have concerns.”

As Thabo talked Mr Mandisa wrote notes.

“That is quite a story,” said Mr Mandisa as Thabo finished. “I am aware of this problem of AMD water. It is being taken very seriously at a national level and money is being poured into trying to solve the problem. The polluted water can be cleaned up but it’s expensive and time consuming. But from what I have just heard, this community doesn’t have time.”

“No, we have no time.”

Mr Mandisa rubbed his temples as if warming up some thoughts.

“This is what I suggest. Next week we are having a meeting with all the national teams. I know AMD is on the agenda but I will bring to their attention that this community needs urgent attention and try and see if I can get funds allocated so that your water can be treated immediately. But still, as you know with government, nothing is quick,” he laughed – a big belly laugh.

“Is there nothing that can be done right now?” asked Thabo.

“I can send a team up to barricade that area so that no children or animals can get down to the heavily polluted water. Next, I’d need to get in a team of professional engineers to see how we can stop the polluted water flowing into the main river. But in the meantime, I can organise fresh drinking and washing water to be trucked in to the community regularly, until we are certain that the river water is safe to use again.”

“You can do all that?” asked Thabo.

“Of course! All it takes is a few phone calls to the right people!”

“That would be … be … wonderful!” said Thabo, hardly believing his ears. Excited mutters moved through the group.

“Thank you Mr Mandisa,” said Thabo.

“Good, then I’ll get onto it right away,” said Mr Mandisa indicating that the meeting was over.

“There is one more thing…” said Thabo.

“Yes?”

Then Thabo told him the tale of Mr van Rensberg.

“I know Mr van Rensberg. He may not be very popular around here, but we get along well. I will speak to him, and explain that what happened was a misunderstanding and ask him to give you men your jobs back.”

Thabo smiled. “It’s amazing what can be done when you have good people in the top jobs.”

“Well, I try to do my best.”

Thabo and the team walked out into the street. The afternoon light seemed particularly bright after that conversation.

“Let’s wait and see if he is true to his word and does what he has promised. We’ve seen too many empty promises in the past,” warned one of the older men.

* * * * *

As it turned out Mr Mandisa was true to his word. The very next day workers started to barricade the unsafe part of the mine and river, huge containers of fresh water were trucked into the village, Mr Mandisa met with Thabo to find out more for his national meeting, and the men got their jobs back.

That evening Amahle knocked on Thabo’s front door.

“Hello,” she said shyly.

“Amahle! Hello, come on in,” said Thabo, genuinely happy to see her. “You’ve caught me just in time. I am packing to go back to Joburg. I’m presenting my research next week and have lots to write up.”

“I have some good news. Firstly, they found out where Patrick was last night. He’s absolutely fine. The naughty boy went on his own yesterday to visit his aunt in the next village. She phoned to say he was safe. The other good news is Sipho is coming home tomorrow.”

Thabo hugged Amahle tightly.

“That is the best news ever. Thank you Amahle. Thank you!”

“You can go visit him in the morning before you go.”

Thabo nodded.

“I’m off duty tomorrow, but I can come with you,” said Amahle.

“Really?”

Amahle nodded. The she continued: “Thank you Thabo. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us.”

“I didn’t really do anything. Mr Mandisa is the one to thank. And you – for following up and getting that appointment with him. I am so glad you didn’t give up. ”

“But you got us to him. And you made me see how important it was to fight for this. I hope … um … you and I … can be friends again.”

“I hope we can be more than friends,” said Thabo taking her hand.

“Yes,” said Amahle, stepping forward and taking his other hand, “that would be really good.”

“Amahle, how about we take a walk? It’s a beautiful night.”

Amahle stretched out her hand and Thabo held it.

“That would be a perfect ending to a great day.”

* * *

Tell us: Does your community work to keep your environment healthy? In what ways?

The End