Whitethorn

by Bryce Courtenay

  In truth, it was nothing of the sort. I had spent the better part of my life finding evidence, thinking about it and working on how I would present it. I had taken years to compile my evidence and Gawie Grobler had been given a relatively short time to complete his. Therefore I had evidence and witnesses at my disposal that my learned friend did not know existed or, in the case of Pissy Vermaak and Fonnie du Preez, would have been unable to locate. He had only the police enquiry to work with and anything his clients may have told him. Both these sources proved to be fairly limited: Lieutenant Van Niekerk’s enquiry had been restricted by the need to dispose of the body in a hurry, and the Van Schalkwyk family limited by their stubborn recalcitrance and stupidity. I had also enjoyed a great deal of luck. The discovery of the canned-fruit jar with its pickled contents was fortuitous to say the least. While he would have found the evidence of mutilation in Lieutenant Van Niekerk’s murder enquiry records, he could never have expected the ‘keepsake of hate’, the physical evidence, to turn up. If I had finally triumphed, it had been a case of dogged persistence rather than a brilliant display of advocacy.

  I had succeeded in obtaining justice for my friend Mattress and this gave me a great deal of satisfaction. It had been a long and sometimes weary road and, in a funny way, it meant that I could get on with the rest of my life. I also confess to having been proud of one aspect of the case. I had succeeded in obtaining a verdict without having to put Mevrou on the witness stand or bring Meneer Prinsloo into the proceedings. To have wreaked revenge for all the humiliation she had caused me as a child by demolishing her in court would have been to detract from the singular reason I was there in the first place. Pissy, who had inadvertently been the cause of the tragedy that brought about Mattress’s death, was ironically the one who had enabled me to obtain justice for his murder. Life and death work in mysterious ways. He had kept his end of the bargain, and together with the tragic Frikkie Botha, their evidence had been the critical element in the case for the prosecution. In turn, I had avoided any adverse publicity or police attention he may have received concerning the Lonely Hunter club. Now you may think that I should have exposed Meneer Prinsloo for the vile creature he was, but I reasoned that this was not in Pissy Vermaak’s immediate interest. It would be another court case for another time and one of Pissy’s choosing, when I would make myself available pro bono if he wanted me to act for him and all the other victims, from The Boys Farm and elsewhere, who suffered and had their lives destroyed because of the monster Prinsloo.

  At the conclusion of the case, I made my way over to Gawie, though in some trepidation. What I wanted to say to him was that he’d been unfortunate as the evidence at my disposal meant that I would have had to have been totally incompetent to lose the case. But, of course, I didn’t want him to think I was patronising him. So I shook his hand and said, ‘Perhaps we can get together soon, maybe talk about old times?’

  He grinned. ‘Lunch, so I can eat humble pie?’

  I laughed. ‘Gawie, this time it was me with the pound note concealed up my bum.’

  Quick as a flash he replied, ‘Ja, and it bought you a green sucker!’

  I laughed again and held out my hand. Gawie was still the Afrikaner Genius. ‘No hard feelings, I really would like to get together.’

  ‘I’d like that, Voetsek,’ he said, taking my outstretched hand. ‘We can catch up on the news on each other’s shit squares.’

  There was only one further matter I needed to attend to and this was to take place on the forecourt of the High Court building where all my friends waited for me to emerge: Pirrou; Professor Mustafa; Professor Shaun Rack; Pissy; Mr Naidoo; Stompie the Pepsi-Cola vendor; Lew Fisher of Polliack’s; Lofty van der Merwe, who was surprisingly still sober at this time of the day, though how he’d found his way to Pretoria was anyone’s guess; Doctor Van Heerden and Mevrou Van Heerden, formerly Mevrou Booysens of the red-and-green-sucker-and-ten-toppings-on-a-one-legged-ice-cream-at-the-Impala-Café-fame; my loyal friend throughout, Lieutenant Jan van Niekerk and his ‘To thine own self be true’ brother, the school principal; and, finally, my beloved ‘smelling of roses’ Marie.

  They cheered as I came out onto the forecourt and there commenced all-round congratulations and slaps on the back. People of every race in South Africa but one surrounded me, applauding the fact that justice had been served and the murder of a humble Zulu pig boy avenged. The only representative not present in this spontaneous cheering committee was a member of the African race.

  After the unnecessary fuss had died down and I’d thanked my friends, I turned to face two people who stood waiting shyly several feet away. One of them was a woman who appeared to be in her late forties, who was barefoot and wore a faded cotton dress. Beside her stood a tall young African man, about my age, in a second-hand suit jacket and trousers that were too short and from which protruded a pair of magnificent platform feet.

  ‘May I introduce you all to Mrs Malokoane and her son, Mokiti “Joe Louis” Malokoane, from Zululand,’ I announced proudly. Love had come full circle.

  Glossary

  Afrikaans – language

  Afrikaner – one person

  Afrikaners – the people

  Amabantu – Bantu people of South Africa

  Amazulu – Zulu people

  Askari – policeman or soldier

  assegaai – spear

  baasskap – leadership, domination

  bakkies – utes, small trucks

  bansela – variation of bonsella, a free gift

  Bantustans – the homelands created by the Nationalist Government of South Africa

  baraza – public meeting

  barbel – mud-dwelling catfish

  biltong – beef or game jerky, sun-cured beef

  Blut und Boden – ‘blood and soil’. A phrase used by Hitler to mean that people of German descent (blood) have the right to live on German soil. The same phrase was used to fuel patriotism and nationalism among Ossewabrandwag members in South Africa.

  bobbejane – baboons

  Boer/Boere – Afrikaners

  boer/boere – farmers of Dutch and French descent

  boeremense – country people

  Boerevolk/Volk – Afrikaners

  boerewors – farm sausage

  boet – brother, younger or older

  boetie – brother, usually younger

  boma – an enclosure

  bonsella – a free gift

  boom – marijuana

  braai – abbreviation of braaivleis

  braaivleis – a barbecue

  Broederbond – Brotherhood

  buk – bend down

  charras – South African slang for someone of Indian descent

  chimboose (Swahili) – kitchen (slang)

  dagga – marijuana

  Dominee – preacher or the minister of a church

  domkop – stupid person

  donder – thunder, to beat someone up

  dorp – village or small town

  dwaal – confused

  Edelagbares – Your Honours

  eina! – ouch!

  Engelsman – Englishman

  fitina – intrigue, tribal rows

  foksterriër – fox terrier

  ganja – marijuana

  gat – arse

  githathi – sacred stones used in Kikuyu rituals

  goeie môre – good morning

  Habari yako? Jamaa endelaya mzuri? (Swahili) – I hope that you and your family are well

  Here – God or Lord, used as in ‘God, man!’

  hou vas – hold tight

  igwal (isiZulu) – a coward

  ikhaya (isiZulu) – dwelling, house

  in sy gat – in his arse

  Induna (isiZulu) – big boss, headman

  Injabulo, Baas (isiZulu) – a pleasure, boss

  inyama (isiZulu) – meat

  Itungati – Mau Mau forest fighters

  izinyawo ezinkulu zika Mattress – Mattress’s big feet

>   Jambo, Bwana – hello, Boss

  jankers – punishment, detention (military slang)

  japies – simpletons

  Juffrou – Miss (an address, a sign of respect)

  jy – you

  kaffir – a derogatory term commonly used at this time to mean ‘nigger’

  kaffirboetie – a derogatory name for someone who befriends and is supportive of black people

  kahle (Zulu) – it is good or well done

  kaptein – captain

  Karoo – a very dry, arid region covering a large part of central South Africa

  kêrel – young man, chap, fellow, bloke

  klaar – finished with

  Kleinbaas – small boss. A semi-mark of respect used by Africans when referring to or talking to young white boys.

  Kleinbasie – as above but used for smaller or younger boys

  kleinhuisie – small house, outside lavatory

  kloofs – ravines or gorges

  knopkierie – club with a long shaft

  koeksisters – a traditional Afrikaner sweet made of plaited dough, fried in oil then soaked with sugar syrup

  kom gou – come quickly

  kom hier – come here

  krans – cliff, precipice, rock face, crag, high rock

  ku salamu (Swahili) – a greeting

  kuke – a derogatory name for black person and Mau Mau

  laager – a camp defended by a circular formation of wagons

  lekker – nice or good

  maak – make

  maak gou – hurry up

  maats – mates, friends

  magtig – powerful, potent, authorise

  Magtig! – Oh Lord!, Good Heavens!

  makhulu (Zulu) – big

  Malokoane – a dance group leader playing traditional flute-type instrument

  maroela – Afrikaans spelling of marula

  marula – a much-loved tree found in the veld, one of Africa’s botanical treasures

  meerschaum – pipe

  melktert – milktart, sweet tart akin to a custard tart

  Meneer – Mister (Mr), used alone it means ‘sir’

  Glossary

  Mevrou – Missus (Mrs), a sign of respect

  middag – afternoon

  mielie – corn on the cob

  mieliemeel – ground corn/maize

  mieliepap – porridge made from ground corn

  Miesies (Mies) – Missus or Madam, used by black or coloured people when addressing a white woman

  mina (isiZulu) – I

  musiek – music

  muti/umuthi (isiZulu) – traditional medicine

  my – me

  Nagmaal – Holy Communion

  ndio (Swahili) – yes

  nee – no

  Ngai – God

  ngiyabonga (isiZulu) – thank you

  nooi – sweetheart or young lady

  om te braai – to barbecue

  Ossewabrandwag – Ox-Wagon Fireguard. The Ossewabrandwag (OB) was a strong body originally founded by Afrikaners fuelled by strong nationalism for the purposes of maintaining their cultural practices and traditions. Driven by the intense desire to disassociate themselves from Britain and ultimately gain their independence, members of the OB actively opposed and attempted to prevent the participation of South African soldiers in World War II – these and other similar activities turning the OB into a militant, right-wing organisation.

  ou – old

  ouma – grandmother

  ousis – older sister

  ouvrou – affectionate name for wife

  panga – a large and heavy-bladed knife (machete) used in farm work

  pasella – a free gift, gratuity

  piel – penis

  platanna – literally ‘Flat Anna’: a spur-toed frog, dark green in colour with a yellow belly

  regte – real, as in ‘real man’

  riempie chair – a chair with a seat made of interwoven narrow strips of leather

  rondavel – a hut built in the round

  Rooinek – red neck

  sawubona (isiZulu) – literally ‘I see you’, a greeting

  s’bona – shortened version of sawubona, a greeting

  shamba – plots cultivated by each family

  shaya (isiZulu) – hit, beat, smack

  sjambok – a thick black rubbery cane, a rod that is four feet in length

  skattebol – little treasure or treasure ball

  skelm – rascal

  slaap – sleep

  slimmetjie – clever child, used sarcastically when referring to a child wise beyond his years

  stadig – slow/slow down

  sterkte – strength

  stoep – veranda

  stom – lips are sealed, dumb

  Stormjaers – storm troopers

  surrogaat – surrogate

  tante – aunt

  tickey – South African coin, threepence (pre-1961)

  tiekiedraai – twirling-type of Afrikaner dance

  toke – marijuana cigarette

  totsiens – goodbye

  uhuru – freedom

  ukubonga (isiZulu) – thanks

  umbulelo (isiXhosa) – thanks

  umchamo (isiZulu) – urinate

  umfana (isiZulu) – small African boy

  veels geluk – congratulations

  veld – field

  verdom – damn, an exclamation

  verdomde – damned, an exclamation

  verkramp – ultra-conservative or unenlightened

  verneuk – to cheat

  vierkleur – literally means four colours: the glorious flag of the Republic of the Transvaal

  Volk/Boerevolk – Afrikaners

  wamana – of forty

  ware Rooinek/ware Boer – real thing, a genuine Rooinek or Boer

  Wragtig! – well, I’ll be damned! (with an exclamation mark)

  Wragtig – truly, indeed (with no exclamation mark)

  Acknowledgements

  My first debt of thanks must go to Celia Jarvis, who has done the research required for my past five books and to whom I dedicate this one. No request for information I made was ever too hard; no deadline, no matter how impossible, not met. Often she would work throughout the night so that I could have the information I needed on my desk in the morning. Simply, thank you – I know there have been times when it hasn’t been easy.

  I need to especially thank Marilyn Seaton McIntosh of Cape Town, South Africa, who acted as my researcher in that country. She too did more, more quickly than I could have hoped and always with great good humour and diligence. She was always conscientious in her guardianship of the rights, correct nomenclature and cultural portrayal of the different ethnic groups in her nation, and was quick to point out any aspects in my work she thought were inaccurate or unfair.

  My researchers in Kenya were Tim Noad and Bumble Dawson-Darner, both of whom went to considerable trouble on my behalf and supplied me with detail and local colour I might not otherwise have known. I thank them both.

  If a novel could be likened to a pie, then the crust is experience, the gravy the imagination, and the meat and potatoes the information other people so generously supply. I thank all of the following people for their help, information and advice, always generously given: Professor Richard Bauman, Professor of Law and Classical Studies, University of New South Wales; Sheila Bauman; Dr Jodie Braddock; Tony Crosby; Janine De Saxe; Adam Courtenay; Benita Courtenay; Clare Forster; Kerry Freeman; Christine Gee; Alex Hamill; Dr Ross Hayes; Rosali Hicks; Alan Jacobs; Christine Lenton; Dr Irwin Light; Sylvia Manning; Jon Mayled; Annette Stackman; and Graham Walker.

  It is a rare book indeed that doesn’t need the attention of a good editor and I certainly have never written one. Jody Lee, new to the role of editing one of my novels, gave me unstintingly of her talent, patience, opinion and plain commonsense. I am enormously grateful for the care and attention as well as the calmness, diligence and the many valuable insights she brought to the
task.

  Always in the background are the talented people who bring a book to fruition. To my publishers, Penguin, and those people within the organisation who labour on my behalf, my heartfelt thanks. Those to whom I especially owe my gratitude are Bob Sessions and Clare Forster, my personal publishers; Julie Gibbs; Susan McLeish; Saskia Adams; Anne Rogan; Ian Sibley; Lyn McGaurr; Sarah Dawson; Nicci Dodanwela; Kate Dunlop; Tammie Gay; Mary Balestriere; Deborah Brash; Cathy Larsen; Tony Palmer; Beverley Waldron; Carmen De La Rue; Gabrielle Coyne; Dan Ruffino; and Sally Bateman.

  List of Sources

  Anderson, David, Histories of the Hanged: Britain’s Dirty War in Kenya and the End of the Empire, Weidenfeld & Nicholson, New York, 2005

  Barnett, Donald L., Mau Mau From Within: Autobiography and Analysis of Kenya’s Peasant Revolt, MacGibbon, London, 1924

  Brookes, Edgar Harry, The History of Native Policy in South Africa from 1830 to the Present Day, N.P., Capetown, 1924

  Bunting, Brian, The Rise of the South African Reich (revised edition), IDAF, London

  Elkins, Caroline, Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain’s Gulag in Kenya, Henry Holt & Co., New York, 2005

  Hewett, Peter, Kenya Cowboy: A Police Officer’s Account of the Mau Mau

  Mayled, Jon, South Africa: For the children of Soweto (manuscript), UK, 1990–2000

  Libraries: Mitchell Library, NSW; National Library of South Africa, Cape Town; Mr Christopher Hunt – Imperial War Museum, Department of Printed Books, UK.

  Newspapers: The Cape Times – South Africa; The Argus – South Africa; The Star – South Africa; Die Vaderland – South Africa; Die Burger – South Africa.