LORE: In the days of the South African liberation struggle, Jabulani Nxumalo’s moniker preceded him and gained something of a mystical folk-hero status in the townships…

By  Mpikeleni Duma

Comrade Mzala A cousin in the struggle is a compelling historical novel about Mzala, also known as Jabulani Nxumalo, and a worker in the struggle. The book will stay with the reader after reading this story of resistance to apartheid.

The novel, written from the first-person-point of view, is dedicated to those men and women who died in apartheid police cells and ANC military camps in Angola and Tanzania. Nxumalo was born on October 27 1955, in Dundee, Northern KwaZulu-Natal. He acquired the name, Comrade Mzala, as he was fond of addressing everyone as “mzala, mzala”. In 1972, at the age of 15, he was detained without trial for his role in a school boycott. The following year he was arrested again and charged with public violence for his part in student and worker strikes. Mzala attended the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where he studied law and he was active in the South African Student Organisation (SASO). At university, he was passionate and a fiery fighter against injustice.

His participation in the nationwide upsurge following the Soweto uprising of 1976 made him a marked person, forcing him to the country to join the ANC armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, in exile. He received training in politics and other specialised subjects in the Soviet Union and German Democratic Republic. Nxumalo received military training in Angola. He was part of the famous June 16 detachment of MK.  He died in London on February 22 1991.

In the book, the author starts his journey of meeting the ideas of Mzala and getting to know about him in the following paragraph; “Uncle Joe looked at me, though deeply, and shook his head. Have you guys ever heard of Comrade Mzala?”

“He asked this question with concern etched across his face.  But there was a glint of tears in his eyes. To answer him, I said, not quite, but I remember the name from a document my father gave me once. But, I do not know much about him as a person, no”.

In the first chapter of the book, author Sandile Memela, writes the following: “To begin a journey of a thousand miles, you must have the courage to take the first step, even if you do not know the final destination. I have plucked up faith and courage to be on this journey to find the truth behind the apparent disgruntlement in our country, because I was feeling that the spirit of my great grandfather was troubled”. The author invokes the Chinese proverb: “A journey of thousand miles begins with one step”.  Likewise, Pholisa, one of the main characters in the story, travels a seminal journey to meet Uncle Joe, who once introduced them to Mzala and his teachings.

Then the author introduces Pholisa in the following paragraph: “To uplift myself, I thought about my female friend, Pholisa, who always visited me during the weekends, even when she was constantly challenging my Afro-optimism. She never stopped teasing me about being an agent of the positive changes that only I seemingly wanted to see happening in the country, for the benefit of the people, especially for those who believe in The Party.

In this novel, Mangaliso, the main character, goes to visit Uncle Joe for a long weekend for a discussion on politics. “I had been wishing to stretch my legs for a long time and the stopover had provided the ideal opportunity. I stepped out of the car, walked a few steps towards him, then reached out with his hand.”

“I am Muzi, Muziwakhe,” he smiled. “I am Robert Mangaliso, but you can call me Mangi”. “Everybody calls me Mangi.”

In the book, the author succeeds in holding the attention of the reader throughout the conversation between Muzi and Pholisa. Their dialogue helps to bring the characters and episodes alive, weaving suspense across the chapters of the book.

In Chapter 8, Uncle Joe narrates the biography of Comrade Mzala and the fact that he was an adherent of the black consciousness philosophy. “He developed some articles into research papers. In fact, at the time of his premature death, at the young age of 35 in 1991, Comrade Mzala was enrolled for his doctoral studies at the University of Essex and at the Open University,” narrates Uncle Joe.

To Mzala and his comrades of the 1970s black consciousness movement, it was not a cultural totem; not a clan name. It was a philosophy, state of mind, a way of life; it affected how you did things; how you saw things; how you related to things; how you chose things and people.

•  Mzala A cousin in the struggle is published by Book Tourism, retailing at R250

HIGH-OCTANE DETECTIVE THRILLER SET IN  SLEAZY HILLBROW’S DARK ALLEYS

HELL-BENT: A story of courage, forgiveness, greed, corruption, love and deceit…

By Thuli Zungu

Makhetha Floyd Mohlomi’s Light Smoke & Shadows fast-paced thriller is about a private investigator Joe Mlambo, who is hired by a high-profiled lawyer Mzi Nkabinde to find a missing persons, even though he has a reputation of being a derelict.

Mlambo views the assignment as his conduit to his meal ticket to finance his drinking habits, yet accepts the deposit with no intention to do the work. However, Nkabinde’s consolation is that he knows that this time since he is a powerful force the must follow through.

Mlambo is streetwise and knows all the corners of Gauteng like the palm of his hand. Pushed to do what seems to be a regular assignment, Mlambo battles the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) and a violent Nigerian drug lord hell-bent on killing him as he slowly unravels the mystery.

This thriller zig-zags between Jozi’s northern suburbs and the heart of Hillbrow, something that will leave the reader uncertain and unable to make a distinction between allies and foes.  It’s a story of light smoke and shadows where nothing can be crystal clear.

It is a story of self-realisation, repentance, self-discovery, courage, forgiveness, greed, corruption, love and deceit.

As it happens, Mlambo, an unrepentant lie, is found wrapped in the web of lies, deceit, betrayal and cover-ups as he fights for his life and for the well-being of those he loves. In his journey as a recovering drug addict and alcoholic, he finds his flaws laid bare as how he seeks to triumph over his demons.

Mohlomi is an excellent orator. His writing is captivating; he paints a picture and invokes feelings out of his characters so compellingly that one can even sense the pain experienced by those who are tortured. His storytelling gives a sense of someone with a police, lawyer or journalistic background. You can’t put this novel down once gripped by its pulsating storyline and characters. It took me a day to finish reading it.

Yet, this – a 150 page novel – is Mohlomi’s first publication. He himself had to deal with his own adversities, having had his mother died when he was only eight years old and raised single-handedly by his father, who was a policeman. As a child, he spent 99 percent of his upbringing home alone.

• Light Smoke & Shadows is available via Amazon and Takealot for R200