The six men were sitting under an acacia tree at the far end of the Shoshong cemetery. “Father, you have no choice,” the youngest said. “Your people need jobs! Half the village is out of work.” He pumped his fist to emphasize the point. “There will be two hundred new jobs at the mine. Well-paying jobs. Shoshong will start growing again and be a place where children want to stay, not get out of as soon as possible.”
“That is true, Julius, my son.”
“Kgosi, you must remember what happened last time.” It was the man who had spoken at the kgotla. “I and many others lost our homes. The ones we were promised were nearly a year late, so we had to live with my daughter-in-law.” From the look on his face, it was clear what he thought of her. “And then they were so badly built that we couldn’t stay in them, and even the cows wouldn’t go in. It was a disaster for the village.”
The chief nodded, eyes closed.
“That is true, my friend.”
Julius jumped in. “We can insist on the conditions the people talked about—money for moving paid at once, and we can start building the new houses right away. There’s no risk. The real risk is that the mine may change its mind!”
The chief looked at his son and decided not to respond. He closed his eyes once again.
“If you accept this offer, Kgosi,” another elder said, “the whole of Shoshong will change. We will lose our traditions. We will see drugs and drunkenness more than we have now.” He spat in the dirt.
“It may happen.”
“This is ridiculous, Father. There’s chaos now because there are no jobs. We already see more crime because people need to eat. More money and more jobs help the village.”
For a long time the chief said nothing. Then he lifted his cane and brought it down hard onto the ground. “Enough!” he said. “Enough!”
He stood up and looked at the group. “Thank you for your opinions. I will give my decision at a kgotla on Saturday afternoon.”
Julius jumped to his feet. “Father, I’ve spoken to the management at the mine. They say there’ll be trouble if you don’t accept the offer. The young people need jobs. They’ll be very angry if you don’t agree.”
The old man turned toward his son. “And why are you talking to the mine management? That is not your role. It is mine. And why did you not tell me? That weakens my position, and I do not like that.” He cleared his throat. “And what will they do for you if we accept? A new car? A big house? Do not speak to them again.” He turned and walked away.
Julius stared after him, his face hot. He saw the looks on the faces of the elders; they were pleased to see him put down by his father. He felt that they despised him. He turned and walked away without a word of farewell. Then he pulled out his cell phone and punched in a number that he’d recently memorized.