“Hi Letlali

I’m confident at this point that if you are reading this email, I’m dead and all my attempts to bring down the Mohale family by exposing them for who and what they are on platforms that matter has failed.

I know that our last interaction was not great. I know that you believe that we failed you in how we handled Zithulele’s arrest. And you are absolutely right. We were wrong. We failed. That’s why I’ve written this email to you and I hope that you will do the right thing. In the next ten hours of you receiving this email, information will be released. Information that will turn this entire kingdom upside down and hopefully destroy that damn throne that has corrupted individuals and made them feel that they are above other people. Please Letlali, pack your husband, your children, your money and everything that you own and leave Tholoana Kingdom. It’s going to be bad. I will release this and absolutely nothing can be done about it. No one can stop it. I hope you will put yourself and your family first. I’ve given you this heads up as my sincere and heart-felt apology to you.

I’m sorry, Letlali. For everything. And if you read this email too late. Please know that I am profusely sorry.

Kind Regards,
Regodise.”

I’m reading this email for the fifth time and Zithulele is next to me reading it as well.
“I need to phone Mashimane”, he says to me.
“What?! Zithulele, this could be our way out. We could literally walk away from this life and never look back.” I say.
“Letlali, don’t even go there. What you are thinking, pause it right there! I’m going to phone Mashimane. Please start packing our things.” He says.
I just had to show him. Why didn’t I just surprise him with a holiday away and not tell him about this?

I make my way upstairs and indeed start packing our things. My children are taking their afternoon naps so this is much faster.
I’m literally packing every single thing that I see in front of me.

After two hours of packing, bodyguards come and start taking the bags that they see are already packed and clothes. I’ve put some things in boxes and they are taking those too.
I see Fifi.
“You are done packing already?” I ask her.
“All my kids are adults. I had six extra hands helping me. I thought we would come here and help you as well. The Mohales are also almost done then we will meet here.” She says.
“Thank you so much.” I say.
“Luhle is with Maboko and Teboho helping them”, she says.
“I wonder how long we are going to live like this.” I say.
“Eish girl. Can I help?” She asks.
“I’ve packed most of the stuff. Please pack up my kids. Lol. They should still be asleep, but even if they wake up, they are a lot less fussy now.” I say.
She agrees and heads into the nursery.

Within the next hour, there are five V300s waiting in our driveway. Each V300 is packed with our things and kids. Each mother goes into a V300 that has her things and children in.
“You did well. Rea leboha”, the queen says to me.
I also see Rethabile is here. She looks humble all of a sudden. Quiet. Nice even.
“It’s okay, mama. Don’t worry.” I say.
She climbs in her car with her bunch and things. All the men take one V300. I guess they’ll be having a meeting as we drive to wherever we are going.

Mnqobi is busy bouncing around like an energy bunny. Banathi is just as energetic. I’m just so happy that they seem untainted by this.
“Sit still. Both of you. You know when you are in the car, you must sit still”, I say to them.
They sit still, but they entertain each other. They understand each other very well and I love how close they are.

It is dark when we get to the border, leading us into Lesotho. I really hope that we are not going to settle in Lesotho.
It takes about an hour for all our passports to get stamped. Tebza, Oluremi and I are struggling with our bunch of kids. But the ladies that didn’t give birth in the last seven years help us with our bundles of joy.
When we are done, we ask if my V300 to be cleared of stuff. Then Oluremi, Teboho, Rethabile and myself climb in with the six kids between us. We just know that it will be chaos, but we will not be bored.
Best believe the trip is much better.
We are even talking about our own stuff. Tebza is the one who generally knows stuff. Maboko gets information from Refiloe and Shaka then tells her everything.

“Are we going to Lesotho?” I ask Tebza.
“Nope. We are apparently going to eMtubatuba. To Shaka’s home kraal. There is a main house and seven rondels. We will all be in our own rondels with our bunch. Until further notice of course.” Tebza says.
“EMtubatuba? Zithulele will be right at home”, I say and they all laugh.
“I guess it’s time that us Basothos learned a thing or two about the Zulu language and culture”, Lulu says.
“Especially Mrs Khuzwayo and soon to be Mrs Maphumulo.” Tebza says and we all burst into laughter.
We talk for a bit before we all start dozing off. Rethabile is extremely quiet. Distant even. She is sitting alone… a bit isolated.
I see Oluremi going to sit next to her.

As soon as Tebza has dozed off and I’m pretending to be sleeping, but watching the kids still chat and play with one eye, I eavesdrop on Oluremi’s and Rethabile’s conversation.

“Ushup?” Lulu.
“Yeah. I’m just quiet. That’s all.” Thabi.
“Okay. Well, I’m sure you’ll doze off soon anyway”. Lulu.
“I’m not really tired. I’m sure I’ll be up for most of the trip.” Thabi.
“Okay. Well, I’ll be resting soon. This baby is tiring me out.” Lulu.
“You should try sleeping with your feet up. Also put a pillow around your lower back.” Thabi.
“Thanks. I’ll do that. Goodnight okay?” Lulu.
“Goodnight, ausi.” Thabi.

…

We are woken up for a pit stop. The husbands are coming to check up on their wives and kids. We are all so tired, we don’t even have time for them. Oluremi is feeling a bit sick.
Khotso takes her for a brief walk and gets her some soda water.
“She can’t have a lot, abuti”. I hear Thabi say.
Thabi goes inside of the shop and gets a few things for her from the shop. Then she starts helping Oluremi get better. I even hear Khotso thank her.
Teboho, Refiloe and I manage the kids going crazy because Thabi is not involving herself.

The dads even get involved. They have to shout a few times and even make threats.
“They should ride with you for the rest of the drive”, Tebza suggests.
They want to say no, but Refiloe and mofomahadi are already taking the kids and settling them in the vehicle with their fathers. Good luck to them.
We hit the road once again.

…

We finally get to eMtubatuba. To say that we are tired is an understatement. But when we arrive, we see four women ready to welcome us. It’s honestly the most beautiful welcome I’ve ever received. It has so much love.
We are all greeting each other and the men are beyond tired because they’ve travelled with the kids.
“Kwenze njani?” One of the ladies ask Lulu.
“Iza sthandwa, I’ll help you.” One says already taking her and leading her to a rondel. Khotso follows them.

The rest of us spend the next few hours unpacking and settling in. We are probably going to be here for a while.

After I have bathed my two rascals and Lulu’s two rascals – because she is being assisted – I leave them with Zithulele and Ona and head to the kitchen to see what I can help with.
“Hello sisi”, one mama says to me.
“Mama. Ninjani?” Me.
“Aren’t you tired? You’ve been travelling for a very long time.” She says to me.
“I’m very tired, mah. But I want to use and exploit this time to learn as much as I can about the Zulu culture and being an isiZulu bride. I’m married to an isiZulu man, uZithulele, mah. And unfortunately, his parents passed away before they could teach me anything. So please help me, mah. I’m raising two Zulu boys. I want to do my best in ensuring that I play a part in them knowing who they are and where they come from as Khuzwayo sons.”
The mamas ululate. One of them says to me, “So much humility? Your husband is a lucky man and I’m very sure his ancestors are so bride to have you, mntwana wami.” The mama.
I smile at her.
“I’m MaTango. I’ll personally make sure that you are the bride you need to be kwaKhuzwayo.” She says.
“Thank you.” I say.
“Drink some tea and have some fat cakes. You’ll need the energy.” She says.
I sit. As I start eating…
“How did you crack MaTango? We would all love your superpowers.”
It’s Shaka. He is walking in with Fifi.
I just laugh.
“Its the humility. She has a lot of it”, Refiloe says.
“I wonder. Anything from Regodise’s timed things again?” He asks me.
I shake my head.
Just then, my phone buzzes.
I look at it. He sees that-

“Hey Letlali

By now, I hope you and your family are safe. In the next five minutes, it’s over for the Mohales. I can only hope that you didn’t save them all.

Regodise.”

I show him my cellphone. Fifi reads over his shoulder. Then he dashes out with my cellphone. It’s just Fifi and I staring at each other.
“I wonder what she’s done.” She says.
Everyone comes into the main house.
We all make our way to the TV room.
The news Channel is on.

The TV goes blank. All the channels suddenly start working. It’s as if all networks have lost control of their networks and their systems have been successfully hacked.
Then…
Picture comes to life.
It’s Regodise.
She’s sitting in a fancy office chair behind a desk. She looks like a TV presenter in this shot. She’s wearing a yellow suit. She looks stunning. Breathtaking.
She begins.
“Hello world. All you beautiful nations of this world. My name is Regodise Mohale. I was Regodise Thibane before I married the father of my son and married into the most dangerous family walking this planet.”
Everyone’s energy instantly changes.
“If you are watching this, my family has already buried me and I can guarantee you that it is the Mohales themselves who have killed me – the same way that they killed morena’s father – Ntate Reahile Mohale. The real father of the Mohale twins.”
Mofomahadi has her hands on her head already. Morena is FUMING!
“I know that as a community, we were told that he died in an accident. Nothing could be furtherer from the truth. I would like to refer you to the first video evidence I’ll happily show you. It’s video footage of the day and moment that Ntate Reahile Mohale passed away. It is footage from the royal house of all the events that happened that day and video footage from the hotel that he passed away at. I had to jump through hoops to get it. But I did in the end. As you can imagine… the Mohale name can get you a lot in Tholoana Kingdom.”
A video comes onto the screen.

An Extract from My Worth Crowned You: Chapter 30
Kearabetsoe
I am woken up by an incredible rage of noise coming from downstairs. I do not remember when I finally fell asleep or when Mohato left the bed. I grab the phone that is within my reach – Mohato’s phone – to check for the time. It is 1:30am. What the heck? The arguing continues and the vicious movement of objects persists. I jump out bed. I am still dressed in yesterday’s outfit. Great. The noise and aggression of moving objects persist and become louder as I pregnantly run further down the stairs. Mohato’s rolling body and bloody face at the bottom of the staircase meet me. I look around the room: the elders are standing there in awe, Reahile is furious, torn clothes, sweaty, and clothes are covered in blood. What is going on here? Are the elders seriously watching two brothers physically hit each other? I pan the room with my eyes – intentionally and disrespectfully looking each elder in the eyes, challenging their moral capacity. Mme Mathabo is crying in a corner like a little girl instead of doing something about this utter display of disrespect for the house we all stand in. My eyes then lock with Reahile’s eyes. He is breathing heavily but is weakened at the moment that is now happening between the two of us. I jump over Mohato’s body that is lying right next to the last step of the staircase and sprint to Reahile as fast as my swollen legs will carry me, safely landing in his arms and placing my head on his chest. I am home. He passionately holds me.
The elders are beyond done with me. They are in disbelief of what I have just done in their presence and in the centre of the royal room in the royal house.
“Makoti, what do you think you are doing?” One of the uncles say, expecting me to be ashamed.
I do not even look behind me. I grab Reahile’s hand and say, “Let’s go home”.
Reahile places his hand on my lower back and gently pushes me towards the direction of the door. Mohato gets up from the floor and pulls my hand aggressively, physically pulling me back towards him. Reahile loses his mind and an animal comes out of him. He pushes me out of the way and beats Mohato to the floor again continuously saying, “Do not man-handle my wife! Do not man-handle my wife! I am not going to tell you this again.” I take the risk of walking towards him, gently lay my hand on his back. He stops. He looks at me. The animal bows before me. I extend my hand to him and he accepts. I pull him up and he obeys. I do not even let him stand there for another second, I pull him – leading the way – and we exit the door. We do not say a word to each other as we walk to the car. We get into the car and he starts the engine of the car. We drive to the gate with the intention to exit and the guard at the gate informs us that he has strict instructions to not allow the car to exit the premises with me in it. WHAT?! This is legit getting ridiculous. I step out of the car and walk to the guard, taking him on like some man: “Open this gate right now!”
“Mofomahadi please do not do this to me. I have strict instructions.” He pleads with me, not sure whose side to choose between mine and Mohato’s.
“Akiri the instruction is that you do not let the car out if I am in it? Well I am not in the car now, open the gate!” He looks at me. He is completely at a loss for words and actions. Reahile steps out of the car and grabs the remote from the guard, and opens the gate. We both get back into the car and drive out. He throws the remote out of the window.
We hold hands as he drives. He still has not said a word to me. Surely this is not one of those “actions speak louder than words” moments, is it? We drive towards the border gate and are stopped by the state squad (the Scorpions of Tholoana basically). This is highly unusual. Reahile looks at me and I think we are both thinking the same thing. The one state squad officer knocks on Reahile’s window. Reahile rolls down his window. This man’s badge reads “Phathudi Moloi”. He looks at me and bows his head. He looks at Reahile with disgust. I take it upon myself to address him. “Is there something that we can help you with ntate Moloi?” He looks at me, smiling at the level of respect that I have given to him.
“Mofomahadi, are you okay? Don’t worry, we got a call from king Mohato and he told us to stop every car and search for you as you have been kidnapped. Don’t worry mofomahadi waka, I will personally take you home. You are safe now.” Phathudi Moloi says, very pleased with himself.
“No no no, this must be a mistake. I am not kidnapped.” I protest.
“Mofomahadi, you do not need to protect this thug. We will deal with him accordingly.” I look at Reahile. He actually kind of does look like a thug that has just kidnapped me – torn t-shirt covered in blood. Very angry and no place in his heart for decency.
“Please Ntate Moloi. Please listen to me. I have not been kidnapped. This is Reahile Mohale. He is the brother to Mohato Mohale. Why would he kidnap me?” I support my protest.
The man looks at me as if I am making sense. I think he believes me… until he looks at Reahile who honestly looks nothing like the brother to a king right now.
“Small, is what mofomahadi saying true?” Phathudi Moloi directs his question to Reahile.
“Who the fuck do you think you are talking to? Who are you calling Small?” Reahile says in almost a whisper, but loud enough to be intentionally heard. Phathudi Moloi is taken aback and honestly, so am I. This is honestly not the time to be picking a fight over pettiness. We need to cross this border.
“Excuse me?” Phathudi Moloi.
“This is my wife. I have not kidnapped her. Now get the fuck out of my way so that we can head home.” Reahile.
Phathudi Moloi could not have been more confused. He looks at me and he sees how desperate my face is right now.
“Look, can the two of you please stay in a hotel for the night. Mofomahadi every border on the continent is on the lookout for you because you have been reported kidnapped. No one will let the two of you in anywhere. Let me clear the case then you will be able to cross here tomorrow morning. Just get some rest… and a shower.” Reahile caught that and the look that he gives Phathudi Moloi reflects exactly that.

---

We checked into a hotel and the only thing that Reahile said to me was “go to sleep. You need to rest.” He has not said anything to me ever since. At least he let me sleep on his chest. Did I do anything wrong? I do not understand why he is giving me the silent treatment. I passed out anyway and now I wake up to him fast asleep next to me – showered up and smelling fresh… topless too. He is so handsome. He is incredible. He is still my knight-in-shining-armour. He is the incredible father of my children and I could not have selected a better candidate. There is something incredibly poetic about the being and existence of Reahile Mohale. He embodies a strength that Shaka Zulu had: The king who fought for his throne because he was robbed of it to begin with, according to Shaka Zulu movies anyway. Through his fighting, he became the kind of man that does not need bodyguards like all the other kings had because even the strongest men became weak in his presence. There is also something very Prince William about him: honest, genuine, warm, and responsible for his own actions as well as choosing who he will become as a person – a father and a husband. Then there is a Mohale in him – the animal that attacks when offended. The animal that prefers to be rather looked at from afar, but no sticks thrown at it because it will attack and it will conquer you. He is the son of Queen-Mother Nthatisi and the late great King Mohale of Tholoana Kingdom. He has been underestimated for far too long.
I kiss him. He is deep in his sleep. I make my way to under the blankets and down to the bottom of his waist. He is completely naked – no underwear worn. I give him what I hope is a heavenly blow job. His reaction tells me that it is as heavenly as I intended for it to be. He begins to moan and his hands get busy all over my body. I rise from my knees and my face locks with his. He pulls me out of the bed and bends me over it, I am assuming because the front of my body has a rather large speed bump. He is inside of me and I feel him take it all out: the anger, the frustration, the events of the last few weeks, and the fact that we were separated for some time because of a situation that we had limited control over. He groans like an animal that has been shot and I feel him release inside of me. He rests on my back in a “bent over” position. We just both breathe heavily. After some time, he sits on the bed and allows me to hop on him, moving to the beat of the moment. My back is facing his chest. As I hop on him, his hand gets comfortable with my inner thighs, the other hand balances us both on the bed. This time, I moan in pleasure and stop the movements. He is still in the moment. He stands up and moves me against the wall, lifts my leg and puts it on his shoulder, and enjoys the desert of the day. At some point, he slightly lifts my other leg from the floor but balances me on his waist. This is gymnastics. I hold on so tightly onto him so that I do not fall, but I wake up the animal in him again. I am thrown from one side of the room to the next: I am fucked and loved at the same time. He treats me like a queen and a whore at the same time. The peak of the juxtaposition of this moment is met with erratic orgasms from both him and I. I am so dizzy, I push him away and run into the toilet to throw up.
He walks in the toilet moments later with water and wrapped in a towel. He gives me a gown to wear and hands me the glass of water. We both sit on the floor: my legs are hanging over his thighs and he is supporting my back with his right hand located on my lower back, his left hand located on my upper back. He still has not said much to me.
“Have I done something wrong?” I finally ask him.
“Hmmmm?” He responds.
“You have not said a word to me.” I say.
He is quiet.
“Reahile?!” I snap.
“I just don’t know what to say. I let them take you from me again and I let them hurt you. We walked straight into a trap. You told me that we should not even go to the wedding but I did not listen.” He says, carrying tears in his throat. “I let them hurt you. I let them separate us.” Now he is crying, and he is speaking at the top of his cry, instantly breaking my heart, “You suffered without me. Mohato put his hands on you again because I forced us to come here as if I had not learned my lesson on what this place has done to us. I have failed you. We should be home right now, but we are in a hotel – in Mohato’s territory – and I know for a fact that he will not let us get out of this place easily!”
I hug him. I hold him tight. I say, also in tears, “It is not your fault baby. It isn’t. You having a good heart is not a reflection of anything else but the fact that you have an incredibly good heart.” He just cries so intensely, and rests his head on my belly. He then says, “I am so sorry for putting my children’s lives through the mess of my stubbornness and stupidity”. My heart – I cannot take this anymore. I rub my hand on his back, and I speak to him from my soul, “I do not mind your brokenness baby – I am broken too. You found me when I was not even searching for the one who was searching for me. You have rescued me since day one – my knight in shining armour. From the day that you lifted me off the floor and raised me up, I have always looked into your eyes when I was in need and in your eyes, I have always found exactly what I need. Every moment that I have spent with you, I have thanked God for the mistake that Thandeka made of letting you go.”
He stops sniffing and he giggles.
“I love you Reahile Mohale. I don’t blame you for anything. I love you. Let us focus on getting out of here so that we can go home and be together with our two children and the two on the way.” He smiles at me. He gets up from the floor and helps me up. We walk, hand-in-hand, out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, where we find Mohato sitting on the bed with a gun in his hand. We are beyond shock.
“Reahile, let go of my wife’s hand”, Mohato says. His face is faced down and his voice is low but cruel.
Reahile and I hold onto each other tighter.
“I will not tell you again. Let go of my wife’s hand Reahile.” Mohato, still not looking at us. Mohato stands up from the bed and points the gun at Reahile’s head. The tip of the gun is touching Reahile’s forehead.
“Let it go”, Mohato firmly commands.
“Mohato, please do not do this”, I beg.
I do not even finish my sentence and the gun goes off, shooting Reahile right through his head. I cannot breathe. I feel dizzy all of a sudden. My knees are week and I fall next to my husband’s dead body. I hear people coming into the room dressed in the state squad uniform. Mohato commands one of those men to take me away and put me in the car. I am too weak to fight right now. The tears ready to fill a waterfall flowing from my eyes blur my vision. I am carried to a black Bugatti Megalon Rendering. I sit there and wait for something, I am not sure what. Twenty minutes later, Mohato walks out of the hotel dressed in a black suite and baby blue shirt and tie. He walks down the stairs of the exit of the hotel in his shades and train of bodyguards. He comes into the car and sits next to me in the back seat. The bodyguards get into the cars that are to escort the Bugatti that we are in. Some of the state squad officers head back into the hotel – to remove Reahile’s dead body and clean up all the blood I assume. Mohato holds my hand. I do not even flinch. The driver drives off, following the cars in front of him and having more cars follow him.
God… why?
End of Extract

No one is happy right now. Absolutely no one! Tebza is already on her iPad taking notes. It’s as if she’s in fixer mode and preparing a way to get above this. The twins are upset, but they are also over it. It has never been a secret that indeed, morena killed their father. I think it was just unnecessary for them to see it on video and on TV like that. Also, they both looked away – in fact most of us looked away when we were shown the pornographic scene between pregnant mofomahadi and the father of her twins. We are all very aware that mofomahadi and ntate Reahile passionately made those twins. Morena is looking at mofomahadi. He is pissed off, but he is at a point in his memory when mofomahadi chose another man over him and he seems to be hurting all over again. Oluremi is rubbing Khotso’s back. She is shocked! Genuinely! Thabi seems too scared to even feel anything. Zithulele wants to come hold me, but something is telling him to stay there by Shaka and Mohato. They might just need him for what is still to come.

She continues:
“Please bear with me a little bit longer. I promise you. You need to hear all of this. Our crime intelligence has definitely failed us. This case unfortunately defeated them and sadly, it can no longer be reopened. But my role here today is to reveal to you the kind of people who are leading us. To a very large extent, we have enabled our leaders to engage in such activity because it is how they feed us through the various programmes that they have through an organization called the church.”

Yoh! Regodise Mohale! Shaka is already on his feet. Zithulele calms him down, asking him to sit down and listen to everything so we all know what it is that we are dealing with.

“Bo mme le bo ntate ba rona… the church has kidnapped our children. It has killed our fathers, our brothers, our husbands and our uncles. We have buried so many people… lost many more that we would never be able to bury because we don’t know where they are. I can guarantee you that if you ask morena where those people are, he will give you locations and bodies of people we’ve lost that we don’t even know about.”
She takes a deep breath.
“Mme Nthatisi. Bassie. Names that you are very familiar with. Mme Nthatisi was one of the best queen mothers that this kingdom has ever seen. We never will see it. We thought Kearabetsoe would come close. But she’s failed dismally. Anyway… Bassie was an uncover agent of our crime intelligence in Tholoana Kingdom. She was sent to get into a relationship with Shaka Keano Maphumulo – Mohato’s second in command and the bishop of the church. There is even a club in Miami named after her. They found out she was an undercover agent. Her and Mme Nthatisi’s death… well, let me let you see it for yourself.”

An Extract from Nosi and The Church: Chapter 25
Kenosi
“Mohato has been arrested. The pope has been arrested. The church is in trouble”.
Kea came and made this announcement in our house this morning at 2am. No one is allowed to see him or speak to him. The only thing that Kea knows is that he has been arrested for Reahile’s murder. No one knows how anyone found out about the real cause of Reahile’s death. It happened four years ago and Kea has never mentioned it to anyone but me. According to Tholoana Kingdom News, Reahile Mohale died in a car accident.
The bishop that I am married to has been at the holding cells since Kea arrived to make that announcement, and not even he is making a breakthrough.
“This is bad”, Kea says.
“This is really bad”, I say.
We are supposed to be gearing up for Paris and now we are dealing with this mess.
My buzzer goes off, indicating that there is someone at the gate.
“Hello”, I answer.
“Ma’am, there is a Nthatisi Mohale here for you”, the security man says.
I look at Kea. She heard it too. She nods her head.
“Please let her in”, I say.
Now Kea and I are really worried.

After a few minutes, Mme Nthatisi knocks on the door, and when I open for her, she walks in with four men:
A lawyer
Two police officers
And a judge.
Kea and I start putting the pieces together in our heads.
“Kearabetswe, I know that you loved my son very much”, Mme Nthatisi begins.
“Yes mme, I loved him very much. I still do”, Kea responds.
“Then you obviously agree with me that Mohato must pay for what he did. He took both my sons from me. I cannot link him to Morena’s death, but I can link him to Reahile’s death and he will pay. But I need your help”, she says. I must give it to her, this is class A emotional blackmail. It is working on me and Reahile was not even my husband.
Kea starts shaking. She shakes her head as her body trembles.
“Kearabetswe, you are the only witness we have in this case. You were there when Mohato killed Reahile. Reahile was your husband, your love, and the father of your children. We need you to turn state witness or else we do not have a case”, she says.
Wait, what?!
I am actually scared for Kea now.
“I have been working with these men for the past three years trying to find something that will assist in nailing Mohato for the death of my sons. We finally found him and we have a strong case. Mohato has been holding a certain young woman by the name of Basetsana in the royal house basement. We have found her and put her in a safe house. She has turned state witness too. He has been working with your husband, Mrs Maphumulo. We also found that Mohato and Keano killed your sister, Mapabatso. We have three men on their payroll who are in safe houses as they too have turned state-witnesses. It is all over”, Mme Nthatisi says.
Basetsana is Mpumi’s mother. Why would they keep her in a basement? Shaka loves his kids. Why would he willingly take a mother away from a daughter? None of this makes sense.
Then Shaka killed Mapabatso after having sex with her? I cannot say that I am surprised. I did have my suspicions.
“Mme, I don’t know what you are on about and quite frankly, I have a problem with the fact that you are speaking ill of my husband in his house. I am going to have to ask you to leave”, I say.
She looks at me.
“Nosi, I don’t care about your husband. I want Mohato to suffer for what he did to my sons. I finally found a team of legal authorities who can help me and are not on Mohato’s payroll. I have found men under him who are willing to talk and tell us everything that he has done. If the two of you give me Mohato, I will let Keano go. Kearabetswe, I know that you don’t care about Mohato and you hate him as much as I do for what he did to my sons. Kenosi, you love your husband and you need him here to raise your kids with you. Mohato has nothing, not even kids. He is just a dog destroying families because he has no idea what it is like to have one. He takes children away from their parents because he has no idea what it is to have a child that is his own flesh and blood. Give me Mohato, that’s all I ask. Kenosi, help me like my husband and I helped you when you came back from that horrible place”, she says. I am reminded of a past I believed to have put behind me. This is not fair. She is asking me to pay for her kindness with betraying my husband’s trust.
I do not think Mme Nthatisi comprehends what she is asking of us. She is asking us to give her the king of Tholoana Kingdom so that the law can deal with him. She is asking us to give her the pope of the church so that the law can deal with him. He is the king and he is the pope; in other words, he is the law, the law is him. She is not going to win this battle no matter how many people she parades in here with who claim to be big guns in the legal system. This is Tholoana Kingdom. The king is above the law. Especially when he is the pope of all gangsters.
Kea is just crying. It seems as if she is actually considering this.
“Both of you ladies will be protected, that much we can promise you”, the detective says.
How is he going to protect us? How?! Mxm. Does he know who we are married to? These are not small time gangsters that he is used to. He is very delusional and for that reason, I do not trust him. For all we know, he could be part of the church as well. He could leave here and go tell our husbands that we are the weak link. I am not trying to die. I have kids to live for. The church has no problem taking a life to protect its organisation. Mpumi’s mother is proof of that. We aint shit compared to the church.
“You need to go now, please”, I say.
“If you do not cooperate with us and we find out that you have known all this time what your husbands have been getting up to, we will lock you up too as their accomplices. It is your choice. You are defending criminals – dangerous criminals. This will not last forever. All the riches you have gained from this, will be taken away. Walk away while you still can”, the detective says.
I am an advocate – my speciality is company law. Does Shaka understand what I stand to lose by being with him, knowing what he does and not reporting it to my fellow colleagues in law enforcement? I still need to shut my mouth and protect my husband.
“This is intimidation. Unless you are going to arrest us and charge us, please leave my house. There is a fine line between what is lawful and what is unlawful.” I say.
They leave. Mme Nthatisi looks at Kea who is now sitting on the couch and grabbing her stomach as if air has been pulled out of her body. “Kearabetswe, do it for Reahile. Surely, his death was not in vain. He deserves justice. This is not even about the throne, it is about doing right beside the man that you loved and the father of your children. They will never be Mohato’s children.” Mme Nthatisi says this then leaves.
I have no words.
…
Sis Nora arrived to stay with the kids so Kea and I went to the police station. We found Shaka and three other men waiting and frustrated. Shaka stands up to hug me immediately when he sees me. We kiss. Kea has still not said a word since Mme Nthatisi left.
“Can we talk?” I ask him.
He nods his head and pulls me outside.
I look around to see if anyone is watching me.
“What’s going on?” Shaka asks me.
“Mme Nthatisi got Mohato arrested”, I tell him.
“Yes, we know. That old woman is a problem”, he says.
“Shaka, she came to the house. I don’t think she knows about the church but she knows stuff”, I say.
“What do you mean?” him.
“Shaka did you and Mohato kill Mapabatso?” I ask him.
He looks away.
“I am not picking a fight with you. I am trying to tell you that Mme Nthatisi knows and whoever helped you on that day is in a safe house. They have turned state-witness and are going to talk about everything they know about Mohato and you”, I say.
“What?!” he is shocked, terribly shocked and angry.
“Basetsana was in the royal house basement. Is it your Basetsana? As in Mpumi’s mother?” I fire at him.
He does not answer me.
I married a monster.
“She knows. She too is now state-witness and is in a safe house”, I say.
He cannot believe his ears.
“She says she wants Mohato to pay for Reahile’s death. She says if we give her Mohato, you will have immunity”, I say.
He stares at me as if to say that I should not even think about it.
“Kea seems as if she is willing to take the bait. Reahile’s death really hurt her”, I say.
He kisses my forehead and says, “Go home. Take Kea and go home. I will see you later. Do not say anything to anyone”.
…
Kea is still not talking.
I get that she is traumatized, but I wish she could say something.
Sis Nora is helping me with the kids.
A call comes in from Shaka.
“Maphumulo”, I answer the phone.
“Please pack our bags. The kids are going on holiday with MaNgobese and MaNdlovu. They are the only ones I trust right now. They are coming to pick the kids up with a trusted driver of mine. Then pack for you and I. We are going away “, he says.
“Maphumulo, I don’t want to go anywhere without all three of my children, hhayi bo!” I express.
“Sthandwa sami, please trust me. I will explain everything to you. The kids need to go away a little bit with the mothers”, he says.
I sob over the phone.
“Baby, this is for our family. Let Sis Nora go home. She is on paid leave for the next couple of days”, he says.
He hangs up.
I do not like this one bit.
I look at Kea. I think about telling her what is going on but she is still out of it.
I go and pack as I have been instructed to.
“Mme Nthatisi is going to die” Kea creeps up on me says.
“Kea”, I acknowledge her in shock.
“And the people who snitched, they are going to die”, she continues.
“Don’t say things like that”, I tell her.
“It’s true. She is taking on the church. Do you have any idea what happens when you take on the church?” Kea.
I am silent.
This church is dangerous.
There must be something very wrong with whoever named this ring of illegal crap ‘church’ because it is blasphemous.
“The thing is, I want to help Mme Nthatisi”, she says.
Now Kea is trying to get us killed.
“Are you crazy?” I ask her.
“Nosi, my kids don’t have a father. The only link they have to their father is Mme Nthatisi, their paternal grandmother. If we lose her, it will be as if Reahile never existed. Their paternal lineage will be as if it never existed”, she says.
I sympathize with Kea, truly I do. I have no idea what it is to be in her shoes. However, what she wants to do is suicide.
“Kea, I need you to please calm down. I’m going to make us some tea then we will talk about this okay?” Me, shit scared but trying to calm this girl down.
A knock on my door startles both of us.
Kea hides herself under my bed immediately.
I go get the door, super scared. It is MaNgobese and MaNdlovu.
They get the kids and their stuff and are out in less than 15 minutes.

Kea comes out of the bedroom with something in her hand.
“What is that?” I ask her.
“I found it under your bed. Your house has been bugged.”

Chapter 26
Shaka and I are in this Tsakane house. Shaka brought us here and said this is where we will be staying until pope is out of prison. He told me that he could not get into detail, but I should get comfortable. He is always headed to a meeting or on the phone with someone. Twice, he came back covered in blood and clothes were torn. I did not ask any questions because I was not ready to hear the answers. He is using different phones every day. My phone has been confiscated. I believe all bishops are around here in Tsakane with their wives. I also understand that their kids are all on some holiday. I am just irritated.
I still have not spoken to my kids or Kea.
I am worried.
I woke up early to watch TV and all we have here is SABC and Etv. This church house is very humble.
In the past two weeks that I have been here, I have caught up on Skeem Saam, Generations, Muvhango, Isidingo, Rhythm City, Scandal and Uzalo.
Lord have mercy.
Now I am making breakfast for hubby and I, and I am watching…
Wait for it…
Days of our lives.
Yes, you can faint now.

“Mrs Maphumulo”, he walks in and says.
“Maphumulo, I miss my children”, I tell him.
“I know baby. But we will be with them soon”, he says.
I do not even have an update on how far we are with mission free pope from jail. I know absolutely zero and it is so frustrating.
I just carry on making breakfast.
“I can let you talk to Kea”, he says.
I look at him.
“Really?” I ask.
Talking to Kea was going to get me killed just two weeks ago when we first arrived here. What has changed?
“Yeah really. Just check up on her. I know you miss her”, he says.
That cannot be the reason for his change of heart. Something does not feel right here.
“I miss my kids too. I’d rather call them”, I say.
“Love, I can only let you talk to Kea”, he says.
Something about the way he says that bothers me a little bit.
I am a little excited that I will have a phone privilege, but I am worried about why it is specifically a call to Kea. Is this man before me my husband right now or is it bishop?
I still have not addressed the murder of Mapabatso because honestly, it has been easier to not have him talk about her. Perhaps it is an insecurity, but I am not ready to have my husband talk about a woman he slept with.
I do miss Kea.
I am worried about her.
“I’ll step out and give you space to talk to her if that will help”, he says.
I take the 5110 phone from him. Where he found it, I have no idea. I had no idea they still made these.
I dial Kea’s number.
He leaves the TV room. I guess he is giving me some privacy.
After two rings, Kea answers.
“Hello”.
“Kea… oh my God, you are alive. Are you okay?” Super frantic.
“I’m fine, Nosi. I’m safe. I’ve spoken to the police and I’ve turned state witness”, she says.
“Kea, are you sure about this?” I ask her, concerned. I must say, I admire her bravery.
“Yes, I’m sure. I have a lawyer helping me divorce Mohato”, she says.
I am quiet.
“I wish I could see you, friend”, I tell her.
“Me too, but we will have to make other plans to make that happen”, she says.
There is silence between us.
“Keep well okay”, I say.
“You too, gorgeous”, she says.
As I remove the phone from my ear I hear her say “Nosi”
“Yes friend”, me.
“Can we meet at a mall called Mall@Carnival in the next three hours?” Her.
“Friend, I cannot go anywhere. Shaka has me on lockdown”, I tell her.
“They are always going to secret meetings. They are usually around 11am. When he leaves, go to the nearest mall – if you are in Tsakane, it should be Tsakane Mall, and catch a meter taxi to Mall@Carnival. Please friend, I need to see you”, she says.
Is she asking me to do this behind my husband’s back? I am kinda new in this world. I do not have her particular wealth of experience. What if something happens to me? My man is considered a dangerous man. I can only imagine just how wanted he is.
However, Kea is my friend. A good friend at that. She needs me.
“Okay”, I say.
Sisters before misters, right?
…
At 10:30 Shaka left for his meeting.
I did as Kea told me.
I took some money so that I can shop a bit while I am at this mall. Kea and I meet at CNA for some odd reason.
We hug deeply when we see each other.
“Oh my goodness, brave one, how are you?” I ask her, still clinging to our hug.
“They took my kids”, she says.
I let go of the hug and look at her. She is in tears. Now I know why she called me here.
“I need the kids to be with you. You are the only one I trust. They are using my kids to scare me”, she says.
“But Kea I don’t know where your kids are. I don’t even know where my kids are”, I tell her.
“Nosi, your man is bishop. That man is powerful. With Mohato in jail, he is the one running the church now. Please appeal to him. I need my children to be okay”, she says, still in tears.
I nod.
“I can’t stay long. I have to go”, me.
“Keep well friend”, she says.
We turn around.
The doors are sealed.
Men in black take us.
Shit.
Bishop set me up to get to Kea.
…
I was taken back to my Tsakane house and I arrived upon an angry husband.
Good.
That makes two of us.
“You set me up!” I lash out.
“You go behind my back now? Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?! What if Kea was setting you up to go into hiding as well to turn on me?!” He barks at me.
I did not think of it that way. But still…
“I don’t give a fuck! Maybe something should have happened to me so that you can see and feel first-hand what you put other families through. Where are Kea’s children?!” Me. I am losing my mind right now.
“Have you forgotten who you are talking to?!” He yells at me.
“I don’t even know anymore. Are you my husband or are you bishop?!” I yell back.
It hurts him.
“This is bullshit. This is utter bullshit. I don’t know if this is in the name of pope or in the name of bishop or in the name of the fucken church, but it is bullshit. I want to go home. I want my kids. And you better find Kea’s kids and bring them to me. Until all this happens, don’t talk to me. I don’t negotiate with criminals.” I say as I walk away then slam the door of the bedroom and lock it.
…
At 4am, a door being kicked down wakes me up.
“We need to move”, he says in a panic.
“What?” I enquire. I am confused and I am sleepy.
“Get out of the bed. We need to move. The police are here”, he exclaims with irritation now.
I get out of bed as told.
I want to cry but the look on his face tells me that this is not the time.
“Open up!” Someone yells at the door.
We take absolutely nothing. I do not even have shoes on.
He breaks the trap door in the roof and pushes me up there first, then he follows. I land horribly on my thigh but right now, bishop does not care. We need to get out of here and he is not worried about me feeling some kind of pain in this criminal act that we are performing of running away from the cops.
After he has closed the trap door to ensure that the police delay to think to move up there to look for us, he crawls in the roof quietly and I crawl silently behind him.
The police are in the house now.
We can hear them.
“We are fucked”, I hear one of them say.
“We need to let Mohato Mohale go – again! Damn it!” Another says in frustration.
“How did they know we were coming? You think there are still more moles in our department?” One asks.
“The church is bigger than our department. You just never know. All our witnesses have disappeared. Our evidence is circumstantial at best. We needed the Maphumulo wife – she would lead us to the entire church organisation”, another says.
“What are the chances that she would betray her husband and speak?” A cop says.
“The Mohale wife caved. I don’t think these wives are happy. We will not need to work too hard to get them to talk”, another cop says.
While I am listening to all of this, Shaka has opened the trap door leading outside. He taps me to move. All the cops are in the house so we jump off the roof and start jogging.
My mom would be so ashamed. When did I become this woman?
We find a car waiting for us at the corner. We get inside the car and it drives off with us.
Now that the adrenaline is weighing down, I feel pain in my foot.
There is a glass stuck under my foot.
I pull it out and I bleed heavily.
I look at Shaka.
He is not bothered.
He just focuses on his phone.
A call comes in.
I take off the headscarf that I had been sleeping in and tie it tight around my foot to stop the excessive bleeding.
“Yes”, he answers the call.
“Pope is out”, the caller notifies him.
“So I can go back to my home?” He asks.
“Yes. But pope has called a meeting in Miami. Just get your kids and mothers”, the caller.
“Okay. I’m also coming to collect pope’s kids. They’ll stay with my wife and me for now.” He says then hangs up.
“To the airport please”, he tells our driver.

End of Extract

Kea is shaking her head. Fifi cannot believe her eyes and ears. The look that she’s giving Shaka right now!
“Baba! You killed my mother?” Nompumelelo enquires.
“Baba –
“Nompumelelo, we will deal with this later. Please.” Shaka cuts her off. This girl is having a panic attack and she’s being ignored. Have they learned nothing? She has motive to turn on all of us. She cannot be ignored. I’m keeping a close eye on her.
…

Episode 62 continued…
Part 2
Regodise continues, “This is just some of the things that have been done. This is just some things that I’ve been able to access and share with you. I know the royal house will probably hire Teboho Seete – their fixer – to spin this story and make it seem to be what it is not. You, powerful people of Tholoana Kingdom, overthrew king Tau for far less. Yes, we expected great things from Kearabetsoe Mohale – the daughter of Maphodile Tau-Lentsoe and a great grandchild of the Tau royal lineage. She did try to fight him for us – for her love for Reahile. Here is footage of that:

An Extract from My Worth Crowned You, Chapter 15
Kearabetsoe:
“Kearabetswe…”
“Kearabetswe…”
“Kearabetswe!”
With this, I feel ice-cold water and ice-cubes stinging my entire body. I feel cold water viciously splash across my face. I try to move as quickly as my heart is beating, but I cannot. My body hurts so badly. I am freezing cold. I cannot do anything. The only movement I respond to all of this with is the opening of my eyes.
I notice that I am tied up with rope and am placed in a bathtub filled with ice-cubes and cold water. There is blood everywhere. My body is covered in bruises and cuts. I am in the bathroom of the main bedroom of the royal house. I have not been here since it was re-built from being burned downed. I know this is it because it has been built to look exactly like the burned-down house.
“Rise and shine my gorgeous wife”, he says as I try to figure out what is going on and what has caused my splitting headache.
I think I remember.
I remember us getting to the Tholoana Kingdom border. I remember that Reahile and I were in one car. Queen-mother Nthatisi and Morena were in the car in front of us. I remember their car exploding. I remember another car bashing into the car that Reahile and I were inside of. I remember people pulling us out of the car. Reahile was not moving at all; the car that crashed into us, came at us from his side of the car. I remember people beating him up and taking him away in a black and window-tinted vehicle. I also remember being beaten up and injected with something.
“Kea, how are you feeling my love? These bastards, I told them not to hurt you too much. I told them the only problem is Reahile. But at least that has been dealt with. Now you and I can get back to making our marriage work.”
“Mohato, what are you talking about? What exactly is going on here?” I struggle to speak but I manage to get that out of my mouth.
He does not say anything.
“Mohato, where is Reahile?”
“Do not ask me about your boyfriend.”
We are both quiet.
Where is Riri?
“Mohato, I am feeling cold.”
He cradles me out of the water and places me on the carpet in the bathroom. He dries the water dripping off my body with a bath towel and then lotions me. His hands are so cold. I am in so much pain. I am so confused. What the hell is going on? Why am I tied up?
When Mohato is done lotioning my body, he asks me what I want to wear. I look at him and I begin to cry.
“Mohato, what are you doing?” I ask him.
He does not answer me. He walks out of the bathroom and comes back with a black Adidas tracksuit and Uggs. He does not even look at me. I carry on crying. He places the outfit that he has chosen for me on the side. He starts undressing himself.
“I do not want to sleep with you Mohato”.
“You are my wife. I do not need your permission.”
No. Dear God, please no… This is not happening again.
Before I know it, he is on top of me. He is moaning, groaning, and biting on me. I am just lying there, tied up in rope, and crying.
“You are as good as the last time that I had sex with you”.
Mohato is finally satisfied. He dresses me up and carries me over his shoulders. He places me on the bed and tells me that he will bring me my food shortly.
When Mohato leaves the bedroom, I try to wrestle with the rope that has been used to tie me up but it ends up hurting my hands more than letting lose, so I give up. I look around the room and look for something that I can use to at least get out of this rope. I cannot find so much as a nail-cutter. I need to think now… think Rabi, think… damn it. There is absolutely nothing here that is giving me a clue at the very least.
I hear a slight knock on the door and someone enters. It is my sister, Kgosikgadi. I do not understand. I am really confused. What is she doing here?
“Hi Kea.”
I just look at her. I do not say anything to her at all. She climbs on top of the bed that I am sitting on and sits next to me. She looks down – unable to face me or even speak to me.
“Kgadi, why are you here?” I ask her.
“Kea, they want to kill Reahile.” She says.
“Where is Reahile?” I ask.
She does not say anything.
“Kgosikgadi, please help me. Please. I am so confused. I have no idea what is going on here. Why am I even tied up? Where is Reahile?”
“Kea, you need to understand that what Reahile has done is treason and he will be dealt with accordingly. From what mama tells me, he might just receive the death penalty.”
My heart…
No…
“But why?” I am in tears. My voice cannot go any higher than whispers.
“You are Mohato’s wife, Kea. What Reahile did is just wrong. He threatened and disrespected the throne. He cannot just get away with it. According to our courts, he has kidnapped you. He forced you into staying with him and his mother assisted him with that.”
“But that is not what happened.”
“Yes it is”.
“Kgadi, that is not what happened.” I firmly say.
“Yes it is what happened. This family is planning on killing our parents if that is not the story that you will stick to when you go and testify against Reahile tomorrow.”
I just sit there and cry.
“He has children, Kgadi. They cannot do that to him. Kgadi, I will leave him alone. I will never see him again, I promise. But please, do not let them hurt him.” I beg her.
“And you have a husband. He should have taken into consideration the people that are affected by the choices that he makes before he just took you from the royal house. You had a good life Kearabetswe, why would you want to dumb it down to normal with Reahile? Even you can be a little bit more ambitious than that.”
“I am not testifying against Reahile.”
Kgadi slaps me. She looks at me with disgust and hatred.
“I am not asking you to stick to this story. I am telling you.”
The door opens again, this time, it is Mohato bringing me food.
Kgosikgadi walks out of the bedroom and Mohato sits where she was sitting. He tries to feed me but I look away. He forcefully turns my face back in his direction and I head-butt him. His nose bleeds. He gets so angry that he throws the entire plate of food on the ground, swears at me and storms into the in-suite bathroom that I was taking an ice-cold bath in.
The food is all on the ground. There is a fork directly next to the bed, and a knife not too far from where I am. I use my foot to pull the knife towards me and I use my hands to push it under the pillow that I am sitting on. He comes out of the bathroom and stares at me. His mixed-race skin tone has now turned red.
“You are my wife, Kearabetswe. You are not leaving this bedroom ever again until you understand that and until you can stomach that.”
I do not say anything.
“This house is guarded by trusted guards, workers, your family and mine. You are not going anywhere.”
I just look at him.
He walks out of the bedroom.
I grab the knife and try to hold it just right and begin to cut the rope. It is quite a struggle but it is a struggle that I must win. I keep on cutting and eventually the rope begins to feel slightly lighter.
I hear footsteps approaching my bedroom and place the knife under the pillow again. I face downwards. The footsteps march into the bedroom without even knocking. It is Mme Mathabo.
“Look at you, the wife to my son who slept with his brother.”
“I did not sleep with Reahile”.
“Yeah right”.
She sits next to me.
“Tell me, what exactly did you think you would achieve?”
“I thought I would have you out of my life permanently.”
“I am not going anywhere, Kearabetswe Mohale.”
“That is why I left. But clearly you don’t want me to go anywhere neither.”
She looks at me. She does not say anything.
“Where is Reahile?”
“I did not come here to talk about Reahile. I came here to ask you what your opinion is on the colour of beige for Ntombi and Mohato’s wedding.”
I just look at her.
“Where is Reahile?”
She looks at me. She realises that I am not going to let her carry on with her wedding conversation unless she tells me what I need to hear.
“In the chambers. He is being prepared for his trial tomorrow. Hopefully by the time the sun sets tomorrow, he will be dead.”
The chambers? Oh no. People are tortured in there. It is punishment reserved for the ultimate act of treason. My poor Riri.
“Can we talk about the wedding now?”
I nod.
I cry as she speaks. She is not bothered about my tears and I am equally not moved by the words coming out of her mouth. I need to let loose and save Riri.
When Mme Mathabo is over my tears and silence, she leaves the room. I grab the knife again and cut the rope. The rope does not necessarily snap but it is loose enough for me to free my hands. I need to be smart now. I need to remember everything I witnessed as Mohato’s wife.
I first run to the safe. It is not locked. I open it and take the R400 000 that I find in there and the gun that is in there. He usually keeps R500 000 in the safe; he must have recently used the R100 000 for something important and unexpected. I come out to see if there is anyone in the bedroom yet or if anyone is approaching the room. Nothing.
I go back to the closet and see a few of my things. I grab a big handbag and a backpack. I shove the money in the backpack and the gun in my handbag.
I walk into Mohato’s walk-in closet and take the five pepper-sprays that I find in there. I put them in my handbag. I also find a bag of acid. This man is weird. However, I take it anyway.
I tiptoe out of the walk-in closet and stumble upon a guard waiting there for me, gun pointed at me.
I look at him.
“Put it down.” He says.
I know he will not kill me. That will never be Mohato’s order.
“No.” I say.
“Now!” He yells.
I put the bags down and walk back to the bed. The gun is still pointed at me. He puts the gun down (big mistake) and attempts to tie me up again. I take the gun and point it at him. I realise that if I shoot him, it will make a noise and everyone in the house will know that I am not tied up anymore. He has his hands up and is shocked.
I grab the knife under the pillow and stab his shoulder. I tell him that if he makes so much as a whim of noise, I will aim for his heart. He stares at me. He is terrified. Good.
“You need to help me.”
He nods in panic.
“Where are Mohato and the queen mother?”
“In the chambers with Reahile.”
“Distract all the guards. Get them out so that I can go to the chambers.”
“Mofomahadi…”
“NOW!” I say.
He says something in his walkie-talkie thingy.
Then he tells me that all is clear. I do not remove the knife from his shoulder. I just grab the bags and leave the room.
I head down the stairs and all the way into the basement. I then open the trap-door that leads me to the stairs that lead to the chambers. The smoke is heavy. The door is slightly open. The key is hanging on the door. I take the keys and place them in my handbag. I walk in and follow the voices. I see Mohato’s phone on the table. I take it. I send a text to two people, one of them being a major risk – but he is the only one in my family that I trust. I send Kamo and Gugu a text that reads:
“I need your help. Trapped in the chambers at the royal house. Go downstairs to the basement. Go down the trap door. The chambers are there, below the basement.”
Message Sent.
I send one more message to Skhumbuzo.
“Mohato is going to kill me. Talk to Gugu, she knows how to get to the chambers that I am trapped in, please help me.”
Message sent.
I place the phone back on the table and walk towards the arguing again.
I eavesdrop on the conversation inspired by nothing but pure instinct and curiosity to do so.
Mohato: “Yes, I killed ntate. He needed to die. That man was an animal. He wanted to kill my mother. He wanted to kill my mother because of your mother; he had to die.”
Reahile (weak and barely speaking as loud as Mohato): “You didn’t have to kill him. We all knew that he wasn’t your father and we still kept your dirty secret. There was absolutely no reason for you to kill him. He loved and accepted you as his own. He loved you more than he even loved us, his sons.”
Mohato: “You are not his son neither. You and Morena are not that bastard’s sons. He was unable to have children Reahile. He was a sick bastard that was unable to have children. Your mother fulfilled her duty and slept with your biological father without ntate knowing. That is why ntate did not know that you and Morena are not his sons. But when my mother slept with another man and claimed that I was his child, your mother went out of her way to expose my mother as a whore – isn’t it?”
Reahile: “Mohato, I do not understand what you are saying.”
Mme Mathabo: “What he is saying is that your mother thought that if she kept kgosi’s infertility a secret, she would get away with being the perfect wife. She thought that she was better than me.”
Mohato: “And when ntate found out who my actual father was, he killed him. He found out because your mother told him. Your father is still alive. Mine is dead. I deserve that thrown. And Kearabetswe is MY WIFE. How dare you think that you can just take her from me.”
There is silence.
I think Reahile is very broken. I would be broken too if I had to find out so late in my life that my paternity has been a lie all this time.
Reahile (sobbing): “Who is my father?”
Mme Mathabo: “Your father is Richard – kgosi’s brother. The same brother who believes that he was robbed off his title as the king of this place. Is it not amazing how the two of you have so much in common?”
I hear Reahile crying. My heart sinks so deep. I almost charge in there to protect him and fight these two demons, but I have to play this smart. I need to make sure that he gets out of here.
I go around to the other side of the chambers. I will enter through the other door. I know all the weird corners of this place. It is very interesting how this is the only part of the house that never really burned down to the ground.
I open the door slowly and enter the chambers. They are still arguing but I cannot hear the conversation from here. I hear a million men run into the chambers though and I hear them yelling at the top of their voices, “Mofomahadi is gone. We have no idea where she is.”
Mohato and Mme Mathabo immediately rush out with the armed men and do not even notice that the key is missing from the door of the chambers. They just shut it behind them. I quickly run in and lock the door from inside. I run around locking all the doors in the chambers and then I finally run to Reahile and kneel down before him, resting my hands on his thighs.
He is in tears. He cannot stop crying. He is beaten to a pulp. He is tied up in rope; his feet and his hands. His face is covered with blood but I can still trace his tears. His upper body is draped in blood and his legs are not moving at all.
I untie his legs. I struggle gravely. My goodness, such days I wish I was a girl scout. I find a broken glass next to him. I pick it up and use it to cut the rope instead, praying that this glass was not broken against his head or body at all. He keeps on crying. The ropes are finally off and I hug him briefly. He hangs on to me for dear life and then he says, “I cannot feel my legs”.
Dear God, I pray that this man is not paralysed.
“My love, I need you to do something for me. We do not have much time. We have to get out of here. We need to get you medical care outside of Tholoana Kingdom as soon as possible.”
“How are we going to do that?” Reahile, speaking as pain stabs him deeper.
“I will help you. I have contacted Gugu and my brother. I know that they will try to help us.”
He reaches for his pocket. He pulls out a cellphone.
“Mohato has never been the brightest smartie in the box”.
I take the phone from him. I should have stolen water as well. He looks so dehydrated. I dial Gugu’s number. She answers after two rings…
“Reahile…”
“Gugs, it’s me. Zala…”
“Zala, I am in Tholoana. I am outside of your house. We knew something was wrong when the news reported that you had been in an accident and no one knows where you, the queen-mother and her sons are.”
“Zala, make sure that nobody sees you. Mohato knows you and he will know that you know something. Bring a car to the back. I am going to try get Reahile out of here. I want you to get him to a hospital in South Africa immediately. I will follow him. Please Zala, he is in really bad shape.”
“Okay Zala. Bring him out, we are coming.”
I take the phone and place it in my pocket.
Reahile’s eyes are closing and his breathing is becoming slower.
“Baby, I need you to hold on a little while longer for me okay. Please my baby.”
He mumbles something but I cannot make out what it is. Nor do I have the patience to try. I need to get him out of here immediately. I feel him hurt and hear him groan as I get him up from his chair. I ask him to hang onto me, beg him to trust me. We slowly walk to the staircase. He trips and falls. He moans. I help him up, throw his hand over my shoulder and slowly help him up the stairs. We finally reach the top of the stairs and he falls, rolling all the way down to the bottom. I am a little frustrated but I go down and help him up again.
When we get to the door (the back door of the chambers), I open it and we step into the outer part of the chambers. We see the late king’s picture and he stands and stares at it.
“Help me, ntate”, he speaks to the picture. I let him have his moment.
We start walking again. We exit through the door that leads to the outside. I find Skhumbuzo and Zethembe waiting. They do not hesitate to take Reahile from me and place him in a car. I hear Gugu yell, “Go! Go! Go!”
They have disappeared before I know it. Gugu leaves with them. I run back into the chambers and see Mohato pointing a gun at Kamo just as I walk in.
“Mohato, what are you….”
BANG!
He shoots Kamo in the his leg.
“You are one stupid woman do you know that?”
I remember the acid I stole but I let those bags leave with Reahile and Gugu and company.
“So you are killing my family now?”
“Where is Reahile?”
“I don’t know. I came in here with the intention to look for him. He was not here when I got in.”
I look at Kamo crying in pain on the floor.
“Your brother is the one who told us you were in here. Except, he was coming down to help you. How many times are you going to cross me Kearabetswe? After everything that I have done for you?”
“Mohato, please… let Kamo go. Please.”
He shoots him again – in his arm this time. I cry. I scream.
I hear gunshots coming in from behind me and they hit Mohato in the shoulder. I turn around. It is Skhumbuzo. He holds my hand and pulls me out of the room and away from the situation. His gun pointing at Mohato on the floor. I do not know where his guards are but I am happy that they are not here. He probably told them he wants to finish me off and no one should witness that.
“We cannot leave my brother, Skhu.” I plead.
I run towards Kamo and drag him out. Skhu picks him up and carries him over his shoulder. His gun is in my hands now and I am pointing it at Mohato. I am feeling all kinds of scared and brave at the same time; the power of the gun.
We get out of the chambers and finally out of the house. We run into a car and it drives off; Skhumbuzo is in the driving seat and I am in the backseat with Kamo bleeding on my lap.
Where are Morena and the queen-mother?
End of Extract

Regodise wanted the kingdom to turn on us. But I think she wanted us to also turn on each other. Mofomahadi and morena have dealt with the traumas of their marriage. Did she need to put it our there for their sons to see and the world to judge? This is low! Especially for her. She’s clearly not the woman we all thought she was and she was definitely full of shit. She’s taken intimate parts of mofomahadi’s life and bared them naked to the world. She has nothing on the church! Nothing! She has one or two videos that were supposed to make us shake. But she embarrassed our royal family more than anything and I don’t see this being enough for Tholoana Kingdom to want the royal couple out.

Regodise then continues and says, “It got to a point where loving and being loyal to Mohato Mohale was her only option. Now, all her love and loyalty is reserved for nobody else but her sons and this love and loyalty has blinded the intentions that she initially had. It happens to the best of us. I too married Onaleruna Mohale and I ended up being a criminal. I would have never been a good queen to you. And ethical queen. Therefore, I admit to the role that I played in enabling crime, corruption and violence in this country and if I’m still alive by the time you watch this, I will hand myself over to the police for being a conspiracy to murder snd defeating the ends of justice. Hold me accountable. That’s what real and truthful adults and elders do. Hold me accountable like you held king Tau accountable. Hold the Mohales accountable. Leave your homes right now and go burn down that royal house right now – the route of all the rot of those country. I’ve given you the tools. It’s up to you what you do with those tools. This is the last yoh are hearing from me. I ask the world… please help our community. We are fighting powerful leaders who we know you are backing and are a friend to. But our people are suffering. It’s our children that you are trafficking. It’s our children that you are turning into sex slaves. It’s our fathers that you are murdering. We ask that you hear our prayers. It’s not going to be easy. People are going to die. But in every revolution, casualties are necessary.”

Another video plays now.
An Extract from Nosi & The Church, Chapter 28
Kenosi
I woke up at 5am to get breakfast going while the big kids bath and get ready for school. Sis’Nora is here. She has ironed their uniform for them and polished their school shoes. When breakfast is almost ready, I bath Luhle.
Today, my family and I are going to be normal. We are home in Tholoana Kingdom. Ntuthuko and Mpumi are going to a nicer private school: today is their first day of their second year in day-schooling. Luhle is also headed to kindergarten. She is almost a year now. Shaka wanted us to wait until she was at least three years old before we send her to kindergarten. Clearly, he doesn’t know that kindergartens are trained to take babies at three months. Luhle will not be spending her days with someone’s retired grandmother who will be hitting her all day. Day care has significantly improved over the years. She will be fine. The kindergarten has nurses and paediatricians on-site.
Shaka wakes up and we shower together. We still find each other incredibly sexy but the morning has to go on so a kiss in the shower will do then we get ready for breakfast and to take the kids to school.
Breakfast is nice. Luhle is just loud. She is learning new words every day and now we cannot get her to shut up.
This is normal.
I like normal.

When breakfast is over, Shaka and I take our three kids to school.
Our drive back, he kisses me and says:
“Why did you go and see Mabutho last week?”
How does he even know about that?
So he was quiet all this time and waiting for the perfect opportunity to just blurt it out?
“I needed closure”, I say.
“Did you get it?” He asks.
“Yes, I did”, I say.
“I need you to let that chapter of your life go. I know you have an obsession with normal and that’s something I’ll never be able to give you. But I’m not going to be competing with Mabutho for a seat at the normal table just for you”, he says.
I am quiet.
“I hurt too – like you hurt when you found out about Basetsana. However, I let Basetsana go because you both can’t be crowned queen in my heart. Mabutho and I… we can’t both be crowned king in your heart. It’s one or the other”, he says.
“I’m over Mabutho. I only want you. I don’t want Mabutho”, I say.
“I love you, Kenosi. I’ll do anything for you – even if it’s returning you to Mabutho if you feel your life is incomplete without him”, he says.
My heart sinks.
How can he say that?
“I want you. Only you. I love you”, I say.
He is silent.
We drive in silence.
…
We arrive at a Mercedes Benz dealership. I look at him. He takes a deep breath. He really is down today.
“Mrs Maphumulo, I love you. No matter how much I give you, I know I’ll never be perfect. I know I can give you the world if you asked for it, but it wouldn’t change the fact that I could never give you normal. I’m an extreme guy who is followed by extreme drama. That’s just who I am. It honestly breaks me that I’ll never give you the one thing that you want the most – the gift of normal”, he says. I can see him tearing up.
“Mr Maphumulo, I love you. You have given me many more gifts that are beyond my expectations. You have given me three beautiful kids. You have protected me. You have given me magical love. You have given me a second chance. Who you are and what you are to me may not be normal, but it’s beautiful. It’s enough for me,” I say.

I think he took my “normal” speech and made it bigger than it was meant to be. I love this man. I would never trade him in for anything. I tell him this.
“Let’s get out the car”, he says.
I do as he says.
Three men run to him. They give us glasses filled with champagne. I am then led to a car covered with a black cloth and a red ribbon. There is an envelope on the ribbon. Shaka indicates for me to grab it. I give him my glass of champagne and grab the envelope. I open it and it reads:
“Mrs Maphumulo
Thank you for choosing me.
Thank you for loving me.
And thank you for doing this love and life thing with me despite my imperfections. You are my home. You are my safe place. You are the love of my life.
Happy anniversary, my love”.
Shit it is our anniversary. No, it’s not. I would have remembered. Do I need to have a re-look at my marriage certificate?
I look at him.
There are tears in my eyes.

“Today is the anniversary of the day I first met you at baby boom. That day an angel touched my heart and life. My life was never the same again.” He says.
I hug him.
This man is more than romantic.
He passionately kisses me.
“I know you love your car, but I thought I’d gift you a real Mercedes Benz experience.” He says.
My car is revealed.
It is a Mercedes Benz G63.
It is black.
And its number plates read “Nosi M”.
I cannot believe my eyes.
“Congratulations Mrs Maphumulo”, one of the sales people says.
I look at Shaka.
I am still frozen.
I cry.
He holds me.
“Thank you”, I say.
He kisses my forehead.
“Not just for the car, but for everything… thank you”, I say.
He just holds me tighter.
…
It is my car – he said.
But he is now driving it.
We are not driving home.
We are headed to my mom’s house.
I am so annoyed.
When we arrive, my entire family is excited about my new car. I am just annoyed that we are here.
“Why are we here?” I ask, irritated as hell.
He does not answer me.
We get out of the car, greet everyone, and make our way to the TV room where the entire Ramphora family is: including my father – well my step-father.
Now I am really pissed off. Shaka can see it.
We all sit down and we are served tea.
We all look at each other. No one really knows what to say.
“Why are we here?!” I break the silence.
“I don’t like the tension between you and your family. I called this meeting so we can address it and find a way forward”, he says.
Nyakallo’s eyeballs pop out.
This is not going to end well.
My mother wants to run away but the moment is trapping her.
“My love, why do hate your family so much? Normal people argue with their husbands to do things for their families. Normal people talk about their families. You don’t even mention them, it’s like they don’t exist. What happened?” Shaka.
Does Shaka have any idea what he is doing? He is really opening a complex issue that he will not be able to contain. He is taking this normal thing way too far now.
“You want the truth?” I ask.
He nods his head.
“Mkhwenyana, I appreciate what you are trying to do, but honestly, it is not your place”, my mom says.
“With all due respect, mah, it is my place. My wife is affected by whatever is going on here and that means I’m affected by whatever is going on here. My children are affected by what’s going on here”, Shaka says.
“Who does this Zulu think he is? You are not a Ramphora. Even Kenosi is no longer a Ramphora. So none of what happens in the Ramphora home is any of your business”, my mother yells, crossing a terrible line.
“Don’t disrespect my husband. Don’t you dare disrespect my husband, Motlalepula. You better recognize who you are talking to.” I reprimand my mother.
“What?! I must bow down to a Zulu?! Me? Motlalepula Ramphora bow down to a Zulu?!” My mother begins causing a scene.
“You bowed down to a Zulu when he brought in a truck full of cows for the Ramphora kraal, didn’t you? You bowed down to a Zulu when he brought in gifts to ask you to give me to him, didn’t you? Now that you must reveal the kind of mother that you are, you can’t bow down to a Zulu anymore?” I reply.
“Kenosi, I will klap you! I brought you into this world and I will take you out if you have forgotten who I am. I will klap you”, she threatens me.
“I should kill you first. After what you did? Letting that dirty old thing rape Nyakallo and Mapabatso? Our father died then you married a paedophile and you fed his hunger with your kids”, I lash out, completely losing it.
“My kids are nothing like you. They knew what they had to do for us to stay comfortable. They understood what it is to be a woman”, she actually thinks this is a decent justification.
“They were fourteen and seventeen. How does that even make sense to you?” I say.
She is quiet. I become emotional.
“I don’t think that this meeting is a good idea. Some of us are trying to forget because honestly, that is the only way we can forgive our mother. This meeting will not fix anything. It will only re-open old wounds”, Nyakallo says, crying.
“Kenosi is crazy. Why is she speaking for you? Is she really upset about an experience that you went through that had nothing to do with her?” My mother shouts at the top of her lungs, talking to Nyakallo about me in front of me.
“What about me? Did you ever tell our family where I was when you insisted that I was at boarding school? Did you tell them that you were getting paid monthly while I was trafficked at the age of twelve by your husband and his associates?” The entire room gasps.
Shaka looks at me in utter disbelief.
“You know, I think you truly believe that being poor in Tholoana is amazing. It’s not. You don’t know the sight of poverty because of all the sacrifices that I made and I’m sorry if that made me a bad mother. I did what I had to do to give my kids a good life. Your husband knows all about it. Isn’t that so, bishop?” My mom says, looking at Shaka.
“You were trafficked by the church he is now bishop of”, my mom says.
I look at Shaka.
I look at Motlalepula.
The elders in the room are in disbelief. My stepfather is quiet and looking like an aram skepsel.
I look at Shaka and say, “I was twelve years old when I was taken to fend for myself. I met nice people. Some paid good money to have underage sex with me. Money that I did not see, but was rather given to Motlalepula for the good life that she now has. Only one nice man thought I could have a future. That was Mohato’s father. He was the king at the time. He put me through school and I ended up okay. My mother had no idea where I was until she started seeing my names in newspapers and magazines because I became the best at what I did, not what she hoped for me to be. She was getting paid for pimping out her own children. As you can see today, she has no regrets. I don’t have a family. And I’d appreciate it if we never came back here again”.
“You think all that you are would have been possible if we were poor?” She asks.
“I wish God punishes you with poverty, Motlalepula, for what you did to us. You are evil. I hate you. When you are down and poor one day, I’ll sell you to sex to survive like you did to us”, I say.
Then I walk out of the house.

Chapter 29
I needed some air.
I needed some space.
I needed something that would help me breathe okay again.
My chest is stiff. It is adding on weight to my heart. I am crying, but nothing is being lifted off my chest.
I have found a park that I am sitting at now. I am watching the sunset.
A Jeep Wrangler parks next to my G63. It is my husband. I unlock the doors of my car. As soon as he has locked the doors of his car, he comes into the front passenger seat.
He rests his head on the headrest. He holds my hand. I feel my heart taking a deep breath of its own. A thunderstorm is about to take place in the area of my heart and soul. This thunderstorm… I can feel that it is about to remove the weight off my heart, piece-by-piece.
Shaka Maphumulo pulls my head towards his chest. The man who rescued me at Baby Boom rescues me right now from a childhood that has haunted me until I had to force myself to forget the smell and the pain that all those years ago brought upon my life.
The smell… the pain… the experience…
They overcome me.
They become me.
I become them.
The thunderstorm… it takes place. Everything explodes inside of me and pours out into tears, landing in puddles on my husband’s t-shirt by the second.
“Nosi, you need to get help. You need therapy”, he says.
A whole Zulu man from eMtubatuba telling me that I need help.
I just cry.
“This shit is going to fuck you over if you let it manifest. Trying to forget is not dealing with it. I know what the church can do. I know you spent a good number of years in hell”, he says.

I finally stop crying. He is still holding me. There is a terrible silence between us.
“Mama woke me up at 3am that morning.” I begin.
“The time of the peak of the evil”, he says.
That is symbolic too? Hmmm…
“She told me that I was going on holiday with ntate Tsietsi for a few days, but I’d be back soon”, I continue.
“She dressed me up in short pants, flip flops, and a crop top. It was freezing. It was in the middle of winter. I told her I was cold. She told me the car is warm. She said I wasn’t allowed to be overdressed otherwise I wouldn’t be allowed to work with the other children”, I start sobbing again.
He is now crying. I think he did not realise just how much damage he is causing to the kids that he was part of sending away.
“Ntate Tsietsi walked me to his van and we drove to some warehouse. When I got there, the man who he gave me to was in disbelief. After they argued, the man blind-folded me then put me in a van. The van smelled of children younger than me. And we could hear live chicken panicking and pricking us along the way.”
He coughs to this as if something is choking him.
“I was so scared. I couldn’t even sleep. I cried so hard. But the children around me were just sniffing, not really crying as loud as I was. When I screamed, the chickens would go crazy too and make a noise.
We arrived somewhere, still blindfolded, and we were put into another car. In that car, I smelled a lot of blood.
We finally arrived wherever we were being taken. We were only un-blindfolded once we were in a house”.
He coughs.
He is brushing my face and back.

“The first few days, I was just put in a factory. We would work until our hands and feet hurt. They wouldn’t feed us until we had made 100 of whatever we had to make that day. Some days we made clothes, other days we made shoes, other days we made hats, other days we made furniture. For every 100, we got food. For every 150, we got water. I tried to work hard so I could get both. Eventually, they stopped taking me to the factory. I started being taken to old men with the older girls. The first day they made me watch porn. The second day, I had to watch some girls have sex with three older men. Then my turn finally came”, I pause.

“I was so young, Shaka. I didn’t even know what sex was. You know how sensitive people are in Tholoana when talking about sex. I cannot even count the amount of men they gave me to. All I remember them emphasizing was that they were paying my mom and Ntate Tsietsi a lot of money so I had better make sure I’m worth it”, I say.
“Love, you need to see someone. This thing has made you be okay with bullshit and that’s why you stayed with Mabutho even when you shouldn’t have. That’s why you were not freaked out with what my dad did to you. After what the church put you through, no man could ever put you through worse. My mom died, MaTango rejected me, Basetsana betrayed me, and Mimi died. I truly believed that rejection was something I attracted. I went into situations expecting rejection and that’s why the church is something I am loyal to because it’s the one thing that never rejected me. I needed help so that I didn’t feel as if the church was everything. Now, I’m listening to you talk and I’m realising for the first time what every scream and every cry meant… not just for the victim, but for their families. I can’t sit here and judge your mother. I don’t think any of this was easy for her. But I will support you. And I will get you help. Before you end up raising our children with all this pain, resentment, and anger”, he says.
“There was a fourth sister you know. I came right after her. Her name was Neo. She was sent away with me. She died in the factories. I witnessed my own sister die”, I say.
He wipes his tears. He holds my hand.
“My mother is not who you think she is. The most important thing in her life is money and that’s why anything and everything is justifiable for her. I keep my distance from her because I can never be her. I can never be that kind of mother to Mpumi and Luhle. I have absolutely nothing to learn from Motlalepula. I don’t know what it took for Nyakallo to forgive Motlalepula, but I don’t have it in me”, I say.
“I get that you hate your mom. But why do you hate Nyakallo? Are you upset that she made peace with your mother?” He asks me.
“Nyakallo said I was lying about everything for a very long time. She said she made all the sacrifices while I was in boarding school. And when she found out that I was telling the truth after she found out how Neo died, she never apologised for everything she accused me of”, I say.
He is silent.
“How did Mohale find you?” He asks me.
“I was one of the selected girls to go dine with him one night. He picked up that I spoke Sesotho. When he asked me where I was from, I told him I was from Tholoana and he wanted to help me”, I explain.
He nods his head.
“I’m sorry, Kenosi. For all of this, I’m sorry”, he says.
“I’ll heal. I’ll get help. But please don’t ever take me back to Motlalepula”, I say.
He hugs me.
…
We get home and the kids are excited to see us. Shaka knows the kind of day that I have been having so he takes them out for ice-cream in the new car.
I decide to make them lasagne, some salads, and cook custard for dessert.

As I finish off dinner and get ready to shower, the gate buzzer goes off. I answer it.
“Ma’am, a lady called Nyakallo is at the gate”, the security guard says.
I suddenly shake.
“Ma’am?” The guard.
“You can let her in”, I say.
I pace around my TV room and wonder why she is here and what she has come to do.
She finally knocks on the door.
I open for her.
She is standing at my door, crying.
I let her in.
“Mama killed Tsietsi. She is in prison. She needs our help, Nosi”, says Nyakallo.
End of Extract

Help us. Please. We need you. I’ve had television sets delivered and connected to every house even in the homelands that never had access. The whole world has heard this. Dear world, heal Tholoana Kingdom.”

The TV goes blank.
This room is filled with silence. Confusion. Anger. Hurt. Betrayal. A thick silence that no one can currently break. Nompumelelo runs out first. I don’t trust this one. She’s a loose nut.

“I know we all need to think about and fight about what we have just heard and seen. I’m giving you all thirty minutes please. Be back in here in thirty minutes because we need to defuse this situation.” Teboho says.
She sounds extremely professional. But none of us are there. Maybe after thirty minutes… we will be in a better place.