Bright lights and tall buildings reflect on the surfaces of the cars parked by the roadside near Durban Manor Hotel. The night sky above the city is a purplish black and the full moon glows like a cat’s eye in the dark. The ocean breeze sways the line of palm trees between the hotel and the parked cars. Other cars whoosh past, some going south and some going north on Margret Mncadi Avenue. The few pedestrians still walking the streets have quick feet and focused eyes. Nine p.m. in the city of Durban is a time for both the predators and the prey to move fast and strategically.

“Does this thing work on a Mercedes?” says Sbuda, a man on the passenger seat of a blue Polo Classic parked by the roadside near the hotel.

Both Sbuda and Andile, the driver, are wearing dark-coloured hoodies and caps. Sbuda turns a black and silver device that looks like a futuristic walkie-talkie in his hands. On the centre of the device, there’s a square button with a small lightbulb above it. A car key with a similar lightbulb on the centre of its grip hangs by a small chain on the device. The front part of the key is made of tiny pieces of steel connected together to allow motion as if it’s a tiny robot.

“If the Mercedes has a keyhole, it should work,” replies Andile. “Bra Tebza said the white people he’s working with on this one own a tracker company and have connections to all types of technology. I mean, look at that key. Why wouldn’t it work on a Benz?”

“Maybe they’re just testing it and we’re lab rats,” says Sbuda. The shade caused by the black Lacoste cap he’s wearing shades his face.

Andile shrugs. His hoodie is tight on his buff shoulders and arms. “Just check if that thing will open the car without triggering the alarm. I’ll keep the engine running,” he says. “If it doesn’t work, we’ll be gone as soon as the alarm starts.”

“Alright,” Sbuda takes a deep breath, tilts his cap down to hide his face and then puts a fist out for Andile to bump. Andile rolls a bigger fist and bumps it against Sbuda’s while they both say: “Abashwe (Let’s do this).”

Sbuda gets out of the Polo. His head turns left and then right as he scans the area around him from under his cap. He walks to the driver’s door of the Mercedes, scans the area again before he turns the device on. It beeps once and then the lightbulb on the device and the one on the key glow orange. Inside the Polo, Andile keeps his eyes moving around, checking if anyone is watching. Sbuda unhooks the key hanging from the device and slowly inserts it into the Mercedes door’s keyhole, afraid it might trigger the alarm.

“Come on, come on, come on,” he mutters.

When the key is fully in, Sbuda sighs in relief. He presses the square button on the centre of the device and the orange lights on both the device and key immediately turn green. Sbuda sniffs, suddenly smelling burnt electric cords. He turns the key on the door and hears the click of all the Mercedes’ doors unlocking. His head shifts back and his eyes widen in disbelief. He quickly looks around and then gently pulls the door open, still expecting the alarm to go off.

“Bloody white people,” Sbuda says in astonishment when the door opens without triggering the alarm.

Andile sees that Sbuda is so amazed by what is happening that he’s forgetting a fundamental of crime – speed. Andile revs the engine of the Polo. Sbuda jerks in shock, hides the device and key under the Benz like he’s supposed to, shuts the door and runs back into the Polo.

“Have we been spotted?” Sbuda says when he gets inside the car.

“No, but you were sleeping there,” replies Andile as he drives the Polo up Margret Mncadi Avenue.

“My bad, bro, it’s just that these white people are playing with us,” Sbuda shakes his head. “We struggle so much to steal these cars while they keep magical things like this to themselves.”

Andile laughs. “If we owned such devices, the world would end,” he says as he pulls out his phone and calls Bra Tebza. “Yoh, big man, tell your people the car is open. It’s a red Mercedes Benz parked on the location they gave us. The license plate is ND 42278.”

Tell us: Why does Andile say the world would end if they owned such devices? Do you agree with him?