BOOK:
Tshepo (Hope)
AUTHOR:
Teboho Vincent Mokhele
REVIEWER:
Pule Lechesa
PUBLISHER:
Smile Publishing
YEAR:
2010
PAGES:
128
TSHEPO is an anecdotal
auto-biography which focuses on the meteoric rise and fall of the once
flamboyant and respected South African Police Services’ (SAPS) Captain Teboho
Vincent Mokhele of Moakaneng in Hoopstad.
This captivating book is clearly an
attempt by the author to reveal how the living GOD and TRADITIONAL DOCTORS can
see one through any daunting, intricate situation, as well as illustrating the
aphorism that :“When days are dark friends are few.”
It derives its core interest and
flavour from the hardly talked about racial discrimination in the police force,
betrayal, excessive alcohol abuse, lovers’ tiff, and a chain of criminal cases
that Mokhele finds himself embroiled in and eventually acquitted of one of
them.
After reading this book the mind of
an avid, omnivorous reader might well go to the must-read book churned out by
the late Thomas Mofolo’s mentor-cum-former teacher Everrit Lechesa Segoete
(1853-1923), called Monono ke mohodi ke mouwane – Riches are
like a mist, a mere vapour). The storyline of both books are ONE in nature. The
main protagonist Mokhele’s life in TSHEPO is just like that of Khitsane
in Monono ke mohodi ke mouwane; both are beset with
innumerable chain of misfortunes.
To wit, Khitsane’s riches
disappeared like the vapour after the sunshine. Hitherto, he used to trade with
clothes to make a living and he unfortunately lost all the wealth he had
amassed over the years. The literary pundits have pointed out that there is a
strong mystical element and is based on the personal experience of Mr Segoete
when he was still young.
I must confess that this book is
somehow confusing at the beginning as despite being an auto-biographical work, the
author is not employing the first person narrative. Additional confusion is
produced by the fact that the name on the spine and jacket of the book is TV
Mokhele whilst in the book he refers to himself as Teboho Makoko.
It is made clear in the preface of
the book that this is an autobiographic book: (Bukeng ena mongodi o ngola ka
tsa bophelo ba hae ho tloha bonyaneng ho-fihlela moo a leng teng boemong ba
hona jwale.) (This book is based on the author’s true life story
starting from his teething stages to date)
This comes as no surprise as Okam
once wrote in 1991 in Emenyonu:
“Literature is at once and the same history’s major bequest to mankind and the
principal corrective of history. This is because all literature begins as an
experience and end as fiction. Accordingly without experience… there would be
no literature.”
Makoko grew up disillusioned in a
large family without knowing his father and was brought up by an alcoholic
single parent who treated him like a household drudge. He recalls with sadness
how community members lost trust in his mom who was a school teacher. This is
because she was hitting the bottle on a regular basis. Makoko paints this
picture: “Batho bane ba se ba sa batle ha ba ruta bana ba bona.’’
There is no denying that the author
has an impressive narrative style even though this might be flawed by the suggestion
that he is economic with the truth and crucial information. For example,
consider how he closes the chapter of his suffering on page 128.
