The Day I Died

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Thembelani Ngenelwa. The Day I Died

Title Page

Dedication

1 My first steps

2 From Cape Town to Jozi

3 The day

4 We meet again

5 It’s not over yet

6 Railway lines

7 The journey

8 Waiting and waiting

9 I’m back

10 The visitors

11 Alone again

12 Ward 6

13 Ward 8

14 Going home, alive

15 The suspects

16 The aftermath

17 The new life

Acknowledgements

On Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Helpline Numbers and Further Information

About the Book. Synopsis

About the Author

Imprint Page

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THEMBELANI NGENELWA

The Day I Died

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When the train got to Germiston station I peeped through the window to try to spot the people who had come to fetch me. You must remember that the last time I had been in Johannesburg my friends were staying in a shack in Five. Since then they had moved to a flat in town and somebody would have to be at the station to fetch me and to show me where they stayed. Still looking through that train window, I heard a familiar voice calling my name. It was Zolisa, one of my friends from Germiston. I noticed that he had picked up a little weight but other than that he was the same old Zolisa with his ever-expanding bald patch. He was in his early thirties but had the energy of a twenty-year-old. He was with two other friends that I didn’t know at the time, but I soon learnt that they were Khaya’s friends whom he had told me about over the phone. One was particularly short with long ears and big eyes. The guy was slightly built but looked very strong. His name was Bongani; he was about my age, but with a lighter complexion than mine. The other one was bigger than Bongani but looked younger. He must have been in his late teens. His name was Dumisa.

As we walked together from the train they kept making jokes and asking why I had picked up so much weight. Here we were, strangers, but chatting as if we’d known each other for ever. We just clicked from the moment we met. It was a meeting of like minds and characters. I quickly figured out that Khaya had told them about all my tricks and habits because they asked me about the things that I did while Khaya and I were still living in Cape Town. The guys had never been to Cape Town and they were eager to know about life in the Cape because the only things they knew came from watching television. As we walked I told them about the beauty of Cape Town.

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