Hunger Eats a Man by Nkosinathi Sithole

acute by the fact that it is close at hand. It is impossible to imagine it cannot happen to you if it happened to a person you know.
    Before the noise has completely subsided, Nomsa reads another story, which is as bad as the previous one, if not worse: “This is about a young man who was found having sex with his mother!” Nomsa allows the women to utter their anger and disbelief, and then continues, “Hmn! I can’t believe this. The woman to whom this was done is a helpless disabled woman!”
    The noise that follows is not the horror and disbelief of before. It looks as if the women have come to a resolution and Nomsa demands, “What is going on, women of the struggle? Why is everyone standing up? I am not finished here and I want you to listen!”
    MaDuma is at the centre of the voices that are speaking at the same time. She turns toward Nomsa and says, “We think it’s no use lamenting these violations without action. Instead of recounting these evil deeds and in the process hurting ourselves even more, we think it’s better to pay a visit to these two men you have just spoken about.”
    This is followed by many shouts of “Yes” and the noise of women beating the tables.
    Nomsa is both gratified and frightened by what is happening.It is good that the women have understood the gravity of their predicament. But taking the law into their own hands is problematic. It involves violence, and violence has bad repercussions. As the leader, she will be held responsible for anything silly the women may do.
    “No! Women, don’t! Taking the law into our own hands will make things worse!” For the first time, as the leader of the Grinding Stone, Nomsa feels the pain of being negated by the women she is leading.
    But the women leave from the back door without caring whether she consents or not. Outside it is MaDuma who has taken on the leadership and Nomsa marvels at how well she sings the slogans.
    “Down with animals, down!”
    “Down!”
    “Down with men, down!”
    “Down!”
    “Down with dogs, down!”
    “Down!”
    “Forward with women, forward!”
    “Forward!”
    “Forward the struggle, forward!”
    “Forward!”

11
    The Grinding Stone has left the hall toyi-toying and singing. They are joined on the way by more women and men who like action. Before they reach Shiyabazali it is decided that five strong and able-bodied women should run to the Ntshangase home and make sure that Muntukabani is there and does not run away before the whole group arrives. If he is not there the crowd will go to Dlamini’s place.
    As the women nominate those they trust, a name is suddenly created for the five women as the Special Five. MaDuma leads the Special Five, and in no time they reach the Ntshangase home. It is, according to MaDuma, big but without a plan. It looks as if it was meant to be a hall or crèche, anything but a house.
    MaDuma and MaShandu enter the Ntshangase homestead, leaving the other three women outside to check that their prey does not try to outwit them by leaving through the back doors and over the fences. When the two women are on the veranda, they wait and listen, hoping to make out if Muntukabani is inside or not. MaDuma holds the tip of her forefinger to her mouth as she tiptoes closer to the door. She hears the man’s voice speaking inside and cocks her ears. She also hears the woman who is mute struggling to communicate with her son, but in vain.
    “You see?” It is a man’s voice.
    MaDuma’s ear almost touches the door now.
    “I told you that I won’t beg you! I told you that if you don’t want to give me, she will.”
    The words and sounds do not tell MaDuma enough, so she decides to go and peep at the window in which one of the six panes is broken. She slowly pushes the curtain aside. It takes a while before she grasps what is going on and, when she does, she closes her mouth with the palm of her right hand.
    MaShandu opens her mouth without making any sound and asks what MaDuma has