Matter of life & death
Noah protects his gangster secret by stabbing nosey Tbose.
Joining a gang isn’t always for the thrill. High school kid Noah (Austin Mothapo) pledged to a Polokwane gang to protect himself while he was living at an orphanage before being reunited with his mother
Mokgadi (Pebetsi Matlaila) in 2017. “You know what they say about gangs: it’s for life. The only way out is death,” says Austin seriously. “You do what you are told, like it or not.” That’s a problem on Wednesday 21 November when Noah is told to help rob his stepdad Leeto’s (Eric Macheru) family supermarket. “He doesn’t think twice – he knows there’s no arguing. He jots down a step-by-step plan in his journal,” says the actor, revealing that the plan falls apart on Monday 26 November when the police arrive mid-robbery. “They escape but in the chaos, Noah drops his journal covered in his fingerprints.”
ORGANISED CRIME
While Noah tries to act like nothing has happened on Tuesday 27 November, his step-uncle Tbose (Cornet Mamabolo) sees what’s going on. No stranger to bad behaviour, “Tbose raises his concerns about Noah being jumpy everytime someone mentions the robbery, but no one listens. The Maputlas give Noah the benefit of the doubt,” adds Austin. The family are focused on help- ing the police catch the criminals and don’t give Tbose’s claims any further thought. “The Maputlas were apprehensive about letting Noah move in last year because he isn’t their blood, he isn’t Leeto’s son and they’ve always looked at him differently. They’ve tried to be kind to him, but if they knew the truth, that he planned the break-in, they would throw him out. This puts Leeto in a very difficult position,” adds Austin. “Leeto loves Mokgadi and he treats Noah as his own. It would be tough on them all.”
BELOW THE BELT
Tbose is relentless and visits the police on Friday 30 November for an update – and that’s when he makes a discovery of his own. “He sees Noah’s journal at the police station. He’s seen Noah with it before. Instead of telling anyone, Tbose goes home and confronts Noah,” says Austin. The boy admits that it’s his book and he was an accomplice, but also that he was forced to, hoping that Tbose will understand and stop asking questions. “He badgers Noah, telling him that he is going to tell the family everything,” says Austin. Noah grabs the closest thing – a kitchen knife – and stabs Tbose in the stomach before fleeing to his gang. Already down on their luck, the Maputlas rush Tbose to hospital, hoping that he will survive. What else can go wrong for them?