Vol. 4 Streets Paved with Gold

“The Wisdom of Solomon” poses the question as to whether a strict interpretation of the law is necessarily in the best interests of the victim of a crime. A baby is kidnapped shortly after birth. Fifteen years later her biological parents are discovered. Should the missing girl be returned to her true family who are strangers, or should she remain with the couple who stole her?
“Relativity” is a humorous story about polygamy and relatives. You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family.
“The Eagle” is set during the uncertain times leading up to the first democratic election. A young newspaper reporter meets an elderly mystic, a writer and an artist. A clash of cultures ensues.
The story “Justice” is set during the eighties when opposition to the status quo was becoming more and more intense. People had to choose between supporting the traditionalists or the activists. Sometimes, members of the same family chose different sides.
“Southern Cross” is the group of stars in the southern hemisphere, sometimes used in navigation by ships and by aircraft. The story is set during the Second World War.
“Protest” is set during the final days of the Apartheid era. A British couple immigrates to South Africa shortly after the Second World War. They are successful and hugely patriotic about their new country. But, there is a fly in the ointment. The country is going through a difficult period of change and unwittingly they are caught up in the process.
“Marriage à la Mode 1” is a humorous tale about being caught up in the bureaucrats’ red tape. Nomvula loses her identity documents. When she applies for new ones, she discovers that officially she is married to an illegal immigrant she has never met. She now has to extricate herself from the tangle.
“Marriage à la Mode 2” is a serious story about a man who cannot marry his girlfriend because of the laws of the day banning mixed-race marriages. Instead, she poses as his servant. Come the day when the law changes, he still treats her like a servant.
“Hot Chocolate” is the name of a group of jazz musicians in the township. The story relates to the stresses and strains of fame and money at a young age. History may be repeating itself when a young girl decides to follow her aunt’s example and become a singer.
“The Bird That Made Milk” is a story in the style of a Xhosa fable.
“A Bargain” is a ghost story, supposedly true, told to the writer by a close relative. It has been expanded and dramatized. Just be careful when buying that bargain of a lifetime. You might get more than you expected, for example a resident ghost.
“Fervour” is about the religious sects popular with the working class. They meet in the open and are led by charismatic preachers.
“Devil’s Peak” is the writer’s preferred explanation of the cloud that covers Table Mountain (Cape Town) when the South-Easter wind blows. Forget all that scientific stuff about barometric pressure, temperature and dew point.
“The Co-Operative” follows the trials and the successes of peasant women who survive by tilling the soil.
‘Malawi Gardener” is about xenophobia.
“Can You Smell the Rain?” is a story about the People of the Little Carts, the poorest of the poor, invisible and marginalized. They travel around the countryside in their carts looking for temporary work. A farmer’s young son decides to see the outside world. He comes from a hard-working but inward-looking society and has never met the People of the Little Carts before. When he does, the experience changes him.