WHAT happens when a wealthy man with three wives and 12 children dies?
In the cities, the wealthy man most probably would have left a will behind, but in the rural areas, a tug-of-war for his estate might follow, with the wives and children coming to blows and resulting in bloodshed.
This is the setting of Lebogane Mhlongo’s novel, Blood Brothers: The Hatred. Set in the rural Tzaneen, in Limpopo, the book tackles isithembu, polygamy, as well as the generational hatred it breeds if not handled properly by the head of the household.
Lebogane, of Tzaneen, said the novel is partly based on real-life events, derived from her own experiences growing up in a polygamous setting.
“Writing the book was partly therapy for me,” she said. “I also wanted to give a personal perspective on what really happens in polygamous marriages, how it affects the wives as well as siblings from various households who are half brothers and sisters. While the world might admire the man with many wives and his wealth, not everyone thinks about these women and their children, who are born of this set-up. No one ever thinks about the deep-seated hatred, jealousy and the entitlement some siblings might have because they are born of Ndlunkulu, the first wife.”
Blood Brothers: The Hatred follows the story of two brothers Nyiko and Franz who go head-to-head after the death of their wealthy father, Daniel Mathebula. Nyiko opts to give up his birthright to the inheritance and relocates to Jo’burg to start a new life. But Franz, despite having inherited all their father’s wealth, is still feeling threatened by Nyiko and his siblings, who have also decided not to challenge him for the estate. He will not rest until Nyiko and his siblings are dead.
Soon, Franz has squandered all his father’s wealth in cattle and properties, and together with his mother, the first wife Francine, now decides to target his brothers one by one, so he could inherit what they have worked long and hard for all their lives.
Lebogane published the book earlier this year but had to request PUBLISH’D AFRIKA to revise it, thanks to glaring grammatical errors made by her previous publisher. The revised edition was released early this month. It also tackles themes such as witchcraft, infidelity, greed and envy. It is a riveting work of fiction based partly on real-life events.
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