Sheep magazine Archive 2: issues 10-17

16
Over an hour of deliberations we kids had come up with a theory
that the wheels had been taken by some of the black people who
lived in Cato Manor. Cato Manor could be seen from the end of our
road, it was a black township in theory but in reality was a ghettoshacksville
for the black workers of Durban … and all ills in the
white community bordering it could be blamed on them without the
slightest whiff of evidence. A group of us were still hanging around
the car when Mr Van came wandering up the road, his face all red
and looking shocked, his car, all black and shiny but no wheels. He
stomped about a bit, we watched … he was inconsolable.
There must have been about twenty kids now following Mr Van as
he knocked on doors up and down Manor View Road. ‘My wheels
have been stolen by the bleks, get your gun and lets go down to
Cato Manor and get them back’, repeated Mr Van to each man
who answered the door. Eventually there were around 30 armed
men bumping bellies with manly enthusiasm, Mr Van now seemed
concerned at the hornet’s nest he had disturbed and was trying to
calm them down. We kids stood by and watched as an agitated
group of our fathers and neighbours got pumped up by Mr Van’s
new suggestion.
SHEEP IN THE ROAD : NUMBER 13