When I first saw Tsotsi, before the avalanche of rave reviews, awards and nominations, I emerged disturbed by its lead character’s perpetual ambivalence. It seemed completely implausible to me. Such indecision and distraction could prove suicidal in the streets, and yet Tsotsi (played by Presley Chweneyagae) would frequently wear his heart on his sleeve time and again, botching several jobs in the process.
This is not a critique of the filmmaking per se, but a reflection on how the script — an adaptation of Athol Fugard’s 1980 novel of the same name — didn’t ring true of the hustlers I knew and admired.
They weren’t plagued by guilt or some inherent need for salvation. They were sharp in every sense, knew that time was their most valuable resource and, therefore, plotted like there was no tomorrow. They were a lot like Sifanele Mthethwa, Mxolisi Mvimbi, George Sitimela, Sibusiso Mhlongo and kwaito star Slovaz, a motley crew of hoodlums whom (with the help of record label Creative Kingdom PRO Malcolm X) I invited to Ster Kinekor’s headquarters to watch Tsotsi with me — and then spill their guts.
Getting a taped confession out of these cats about their moneymaking schemes proved futile. I got the impression that most of them had either reformed (“Islam saved me,” said the suave Malcolm X) or still dabbled in illegal activities. Speaking in past tense, the gravel-voiced Mxolisi revealed that he “had people working on my behalf”, while Sbu retorted, “Money is neither clean nor dirty, it is just money.”
The forceful George remained mercurial and Sifanele said he had stopped huisbraak (housebreaking) years ago, when it only cost you six months in jail time.
After some eats and the 96-minute flick, we popped round the corner to Alexandra Butchery, a drinking spot in 6th Avenue frequented by klevas (streetwise guys). As the beers kept popping and the sun set on Alex, I periodically checked on my tape recorder to make sure it was all down. Here is some of what was said:
On being a tsotsi
Slovaz: Tsotsi didn’t bath. He would wear the same clothes for three or four days. I don’t really get what’s going on there. Maybe that’s the way they wanted to portray him, but I’m not used to gangsters that aren’t clean. He was the ringleader and yet he looked sloppy. Maybe that was just the script but, for me, he is no gangster, just someone scraping through, who grew up in the pipes. Uskhotheni (an urchin) basically.
A gangster is something else. Someone who is always sharp, with four bank accounts and a house in Bryanston. But you always find him ekasie (in the township). The thing about Tsotsi is, he got money but still didn’t take care of himself.
George: If he was really a tsotsi, he would start from being an abused kid, become a tsotsi, mug people in trains, but then he must graduate. Hustling has a lot of levels, we must see his improvement until he reaches the peak of his powers before his downfall, because that’s how it is. That way, it’s a lesson to the nation and the kids growing up.
On the taal
George: The taal (slang) used by Tsotsi in the movie, I don’t know whether it’s from deep Pretoria or wherever. When he knocks and they ask, “Who is it?” He answers: “Keminaeza [It’s me].” Many people don’t understand that thing. It’s not the right taal. You need someone who can speak the taal spoken by Zola, for example, but with the acting skills of Presley. He can act, but his taal is off.
On the casting
Mxolisi: The movie could have gone to higher heights had they had stronger actors playing the characters. You could see that those actors were new in the market, especially Tsotsi’s crew. The one they gave a black eye (Mothusi Magano) and the one who got shot by Tsotsi (Senzo Ngqobe). Take the Yizo Yizo cast for example, (guys like) Gunman (Christopher Kubheka), Zola, Mandoza. I can relate to Yizo Yizo. Scary faces that talk with authority.
The lead character, he is a good actor. You can see he’ll go far, but they gave him an important role in the early stages of his acting career.
Mandoza lived in Zola, they could have given him one character. He used to hijack cars. The movie has potential, but I’m sorry to say it’s too early for them.
That girl though (Terry Pheto), she was the right woman at the right time, with the right sense of timing. She excelled. She didn’t complicate it. She kept it simple as a single woman raising a child in that environment.
On the police
Malcolm: The cops in that movie were a bit jumpy. They are very eccentric and agitated. They were exaggerating their roles as cops.
The problem that we have in South Africa is that, if they want a criminal to act in a movie, they don’t go to the ghettoes and find them. They take somebody and that person will rehearse for a day for that role. People can pick up that that’s not his life, that’s not something that he lived. My analysis is that they should have taken actual cops or former cops. The guys who were acting as cops, they knew little or nothing about the role.
Slovaz: You can’t have (Yizo Yizo character) Angel (Craig Palm) as a cop.
On what worked
Sfa: The portrayal of the street kids. They all live like that. You cannot invade their place. They live with girls who are also street kids. Even if street kids from another part of town invade their turf, there’s gonna be shit. I like that part because I know about street kids. They sleep with each other, even if one may claim one as his girlfriend. But if you bring the most glue or bread that day, she’s yours.
The subtitles, also, were very accurate. Some subtitles preempt the speaker, but those were well timed. We have to accommodate white people.
On the soundtrack
Sbu: That soundtrack was manipulated. I know the politics within the industry. There are people like Lance (Stehr of Ghetto Ruff) who have the upper hand. That’s why Zola is all over the soundtrack, and that’s not right.
There are lots of other guys — Slovaz, Mandoza, Brown Dash — with good tracks that talk about the life of a tsotsi. That’s a whole Zola album. To shamelessly promote your artist like that is wrong.
Slovaz: The soundtrack from beginning to end is Zola. I respect him. He has a lot to say and has a lot of experience of township life. But to make the soundtrack uniform, like you are selling a Zola album, is not right.
On Tsotsi’s quest for redemption
Malcolm: He was too soft. He wanted to be a mom at some stage and that girl (Terry Pheto) even said, “Look, you can’t be a mother.” Normally what happens … to make an example of (executed Crips gang founder) Stanley “Tookie” Williams. He was hardcore, but he showed redemption towards the end.
What we saw was that Tsotsi was too soft. Normally people who possess guns like him are a bit rough. Some of us are rougher than him.