Vito Ra Minaby Willie Richard Chauke
(Maskew Miller) R74.85
Tension, betrayal, greed and anger keep the reader riveted in this xiTshonga book, the title of which means My name.
The main character is Machovani Daniel Mabaso, a man who is worried about three things: his wife’s illness (she is about to undergo an operation), his election as the country’s president and the ever-present pestering journalists and television photographers.
Mabaso wins the election, but his excitement is short-lived when a former colleague at Vista University, James Zwane, confronts him with potentially damaging information.
Zwane threatens to reveal Mabaso’s dark secret: the fact that he did not pass his BA degree. If this is true it means his BA honours and master’s degrees could be revoked. The revelation could also dash his ambitions of becoming the country’s president.
Zwane promises to keep quiet if his demands are met. He wants R2-million and a lucrative construction contract. Zwane says that if he gets what he wants, he will refrain from revealing that Mabaso bribed university authorities to secure his degree.
Efforts by Mabaso to stop Zwane run into trouble. Inauguration day arrives before Mabaso can meet Zwane’s demands. His only hope now lies in Sambo, a university official who has access to the university’s information. Will this change his fate?
The novel sustains the reader’s interest throughout. It is an engaging read. It is accessible as the author uses language that is simple and easy to understand for the average learner. The lesson to be learned is that greed and betrayal do not pay.
I recommend it for grade nine learners.
Christina Hlatshwayo teaches at Vumbeni Primary School in Katlehong in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng