A real home
iKhaya eli lilo

Most people had already left the court but I saw that one person had stayed behind to wait for me. It was one of Gogo’s adult daughters, the same one who used to come to church with us all those many years ago. I wasn’t sure about her intentions and approached her cautiously. But I could see that she did not look at me with hostility.

‘Uxolo – sorry, Mbu. I am really sorry for what my mother did to you. How can I help you?’

‘I need to get away from here. I want to go back to iKapa. But first I want to fetch my stuff from Gogo’s house. Can you help me with this?’ She nodded and we left the court together. She even paid my bus ticket back to Graaff Reinet.

When we arrived at Masizakhe, she said: ‘I will get your things from my mother’s house … and I’ve organised with one of your aunts on your mother’s side that you can sleep at her place until your departure…’

Gogo’s daughter kept her word. She not only brought my stuff to me but also all the belongings of my late brother Mavusi. I was very grateful to see his clothing, even though all of it was in bad condition, dirty and torn.

I put everything in a big bag. Then I went to the house of this aunt, where I spent two nights. I wasn’t sure whether she believed me or Gogo, but she treated me kindly. The biggest challenge was that she also had no money to help with my transport from Graaff Reinet back to Cape Town. There was only one way forward: I needed to get in touch with Ta Simpra or the Doc – and, finally, I knew what to do.

The next morning, so early that it was still dark outside, I thanked my aunt for hiding me for those two nights without telling Gogo or anybody else, and walked all the way to the main road to get a lift to PE. I was lucky, as one of the big trucks stopped for me about an hour later; and I was on my way back – to the prison.

The guard at the gate could hardly believe his eyes when he saw me with my big bag, ringing the bell at the main gate: ‘Hey, Mbu – are you mad? I think you are the only prisoner who has ever returned here voluntarily! Did you like our food so much?’ But he opened the small door next to the gate and once I was through the metal detector check, he even allowed me a call to Karen’s office. I was so lucky that she was still in, for it was late afternoon by that time.

‘Please, Karen, can you phone the Doc or the social worker, Nomfuneko?’ I asked her. ‘I can’t stay in Masizakhe anymore and I’m hoping they will help me to get back to iKapa…’ I saw that Karen really liked me. She gave me a warm smile and made a few calls to check whether I could spend a night or two in one of the visitors’ rooms at the prison, until my return to Masi was agreed on.

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