Khumalo
uses this rich backdrop for a story that is both human and humane. (Review by
Margaret von Klemperer, courtesy of The Witness)
For his new novel, The Longest March, Fred Khumalo has taken an almost forgotten piece
of South African history and woven a tale from it – a tale which is also a plea
for tolerance and acceptance in our bitter contemporary society.
The history is that of a long march of
1899, the eve of the Anglo Boer war. The newspapers of the time dubbed it
“Marwick’s March”, as it was ostensibly led by a Mr Marwick. The march took 7,000
Zulu mineworkers from Johannesburg back to their home province. Walking, it
took them 10 days. Of course, the miners had their own leaders, but their names
are largely forgotten by history, giving Khumalo space for his fiction.
There are three main characters. Nduku is
thoughtful but often conflicted. As a child in Cetshwayo’s court he was
apprenticed to his herbalist father, but later converted to Christianity. His
girlfriend is Philippa, a strong-minded light-skinned woman of mixed race, who
can, and does, pass for white. And then there is Xhawulengweni, a big powerful
man, feared on the mines and in the new city of Johannesburg. He is a gangster,
leading a powerful band of thieves who have their own plans for the marchers.
But Xhawulengweni has another reason for
being on the march. He and Nkuku have history and Xhawulegweni has a desperate
need for revenge. As the march proceeds across the Transvaal border and into
Natal, Khumalo slowly reveals the back story of his characters, and a picture
of the times they lived in. He describes Johannesburg on the eve of war as “a
cesspool of clashing civilisations, churning and churning”, and shows what life
was like in the embryonic City of Gold.
Khumalo uses this rich backdrop for a story
that is both human and humane. He has a delightful touch, dealing with brutal
subjects with humour and has created a novel that is a love story as well as a
plea for tolerance and kindness whether dealing with race, homosexuality or
just the general day-to-day business of life. - Margaret von Klemperer
The
Longest March is published in paperback by Umuzi. ISBN
9781415210185. Recommended Price R230.00
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