Photograph: Grand-daughter and grandad

Traffic was light along this road fringed with greenery. A vehicle that stood out among the rest was a double-decker bus with lettering on it indicating that it was available for charters. In it were families and lots of luggage. Were they off on a holiday tour, I wondered?

An elderly man passed me on a bicycle. His grand daughter was seated on the cross bar. I took a photograph of them and we had a brief chat.

High security fencing separated the road from the bright green vegetation. I sensed I was passing a prison. The sight of three inmates slashing grass under the watchful eye of a warden confirmed this.

One of them, wearing the standard orange overall for inmates, shouted out: “Skyf, skyf (cigarette).”

I indicated to him that I didn’t have any to offer him because I don’t smoke, whereupon he let out a disappointed reply: “Wat het ek vir jou gedoen? (What did I do to you?)”

The double decker bus that had passed me stood at the prison gates and some of the passengers had got out. They were obviously on no package tour but on a prison visit to their incarcerated loved ones.

COMMENT: If I had a cigarette on me, should I have given it to the prisoner?