Sandile shakes his head. “Your mother? You mean the woman who gave birth to you, has passed away?” He asks this question two times.

Themba looks out the window and tells Sandile what happened.

“My brother said they all went to bed in good spirits. Ma didn’t complain about any ailments. She only had a slight flu that she was managing with ordinary over-the-counter medication. My younger sister Nombulelo woke up at dawn and went to check if Mama managed to switch off the heater. The heater was still on so she switched it off and fixed the covers over Ma. That is when she found out that Ma’s body was cold as ice. She checked for her vital signs, which were non-existent by then.”

Themba looks totally exhausted after crying too many times in the few hours since he gave Sandile a lift. “Step on it, Sandile. We have to be in Jozi by sunset,” he says.

They arrive at the Khumalo home in Diepkloof. Sandile is worried about Themba’s mental state. As soon as he parks the car in the yard, all the Khumalo family members come out to greet their brother. The man who opens the driver’s door is unfamiliar to them. Sandile greets respectfully. Then the passenger seat lifts up and Themba gets out of the car.

“Greetings to you,” says Mandla, Themba’s older brother, to Sandile.

“I’m Sandile Shabalala.”

Everyone enters the house where Sandile is given food and juice. Sandile finishes his plate and thanks the family. “I’ll be on my way now. We will contact each other because we have exchanged contacts, so I can find out the date for the funeral.”

“I’ll take you home. You are like a brother to us now,” says Mandla.

They exchange mundane chatter as Mandla drives Sandile to his uncle’s house.

“Thank you, my brother. I wish I could give you more. You have helped us a lot by driving Themba home.” Mandla hands Sandile money. “No amount of money is enough to thank you for what you did, bringing Themba back in on piece. We were still trying to organise a driver since we knew he wouldn’t be able to drive on his own because he was too close to Mama.”

After Mandla has left, Sandile counts the money. Mandla has left him R1370.

On Friday, the day of the funeral, the pastor gives a glowing tribute for MaMbatha. A loving mother and doting grandmother, a loving human being, a pillar of the community and a God-fearing woman — this is the essence of MaMbatha that Sandile gets as he listens to speaker after speaker who takes to the podium.

Sandile knows that all people are spoken of in high regard after they have died. The majority of speakers exaggerate the dead person’s life, but this is one funeral he feels all the speakers are genuine. He really wishes he had gotten a chance to meet MaMbatha.

The church part of the service ends. MaMbatha’s coffin is loaded in the hearse. All cars head to the cemetery. Themba is inconsolable. He looks literally lost.

Mandla sees Sandile as people get out of their cars at the cemetery. He pulls Sandile to the side. “I’m a bit confused, Sandile. I need a moment with you when we go back home.”

“No problem, but what is it about?”

“Well, it’s about Themba’s wife. She has not been in touch with the family. And when we ask Themba he says to leave him alone. He gets very angry at the mere mention of her name. I don’t mind the wife not being here but they have kids and those children needed to be here for their grandmother’s funeral.”

Sandile is weighing up his options, thinking about how to handle the situation, when an elderly gentleman taps Mandla on the shoulder.

“They are waiting for you by the grave, Mandla. Nothing will start without you,” says the elderly gentleman.

Tell us: Do you think Sandile should tell Mandla about what happened with Zanele?