Black diamond - BookWyrm

207 pages

English language

Published 2009 by Penguin, E.P. Dutton.

ISBN:: 978-0-14-302619-8
OCLC Number:: 475485603

(1 review)

"Kristin Uys is a tough Roodepoort magistrate who lives alone with her cat. She is on a one-woman crusade to wipe out prostitution in the town for reasons that have personal significance for her. Although she is unable to convict the Visagie Brothers, Stevo and Shortie, on charges of running a brothel, she manages to nail Stevo for contempt of court and gives him a summary six-month sentence. From Diepkloof Prison, the outraged Stevo orchestrates his revenge against the magistrate, aided and abetted by his rather inept brother Shortie and his erstwhile nanny, Aunt Magda, who believes mass action will force the powers that be to release Stevo. Kristin receives menacing phone calls and her home is invaded and vandalised. Even her cat is threatened. The chief magistrate insists on assigning a bodyguard to protect her. To Kristin's consternation, security guard Don Mateza moves into her home and trails her …

"Kristin Uys is a tough Roodepoort magistrate who lives alone with her cat. She is on a one-woman crusade to wipe out prostitution in the town for reasons that have personal significance for her. Although she is unable to convict the Visagie Brothers, Stevo and Shortie, on charges of running a brothel, she manages to nail Stevo for contempt of court and gives him a summary six-month sentence. From Diepkloof Prison, the outraged Stevo orchestrates his revenge against the magistrate, aided and abetted by his rather inept brother Shortie and his erstwhile nanny, Aunt Magda, who believes mass action will force the powers that be to release Stevo. Kristin receives menacing phone calls and her home is invaded and vandalised. Even her cat is threatened. The chief magistrate insists on assigning a bodyguard to protect her. To Kristin's consternation, security guard Don Mateza moves into her home and trails her everywhere. Nor does this suit Don's long-time girlfriend Tumi, former model and successful businesswoman, who is intent on turning Don into a Black Diamond sooner rather than later. And Don soon finds that his new assignment has unexpected complications which Tumi simply does not understand. In Black Diamond, Zakes Mda tackles every conceivable South African stereotype, skilfully (and with the lightest touch) turning them upside down and exposing their ironies, often hilariously. This is a clever, quirky novel that captures the essence of contemporary life in Gauteng and will resonate with all South Africans"--P. [4] of cover.

1 edition

Stephen Hayes reviewed Black diamond by Zakes Mda

None

5 stars

Don Mateza works for a security company in Johannesburg, and his ambitious girlfriend Tumi, who runs a modelling agency, is grooming him to become a "Black Diamond", one of the nouveau riche of the new South Africa. Don is asked to be the bodyguard of an uptight white female magistrate, who has been threatened by a petty criminal she has sentenced to prison, and there is the hope of promotion is he does the job well. This does not satisfy Tumi, however, who thinks it demeaning, and Don has to spend too much time away from her. The magistrate, Kristin, did not ask for protection, and sees having a bodyguard as a sign of weakness.

In this scenario [a:Zakes Mda|55103|Zakes Mda|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1267085560p2/55103.jpg] weaves a plot of shifting loyalties and the conflicting values that characterise the "new" South Africa, though it was already ten years old in the time the story is …

Don Mateza works for a security company in Johannesburg, and his ambitious girlfriend Tumi, who runs a modelling agency, is grooming him to become a "Black Diamond", one of the nouveau riche of the new South Africa. Don is asked to be the bodyguard of an uptight white female magistrate, who has been threatened by a petty criminal she has sentenced to prison, and there is the hope of promotion is he does the job well. This does not satisfy Tumi, however, who thinks it demeaning, and Don has to spend too much time away from her. The magistrate, Kristin, did not ask for protection, and sees having a bodyguard as a sign of weakness.

In this scenario [a:Zakes Mda|55103|Zakes Mda|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1267085560p2/55103.jpg] weaves a plot of shifting loyalties and the conflicting values that characterise the "new" South Africa, though it was already ten years old in the time the story is set, and is another fifteen years older now.

I had only recently finished reading Mda's memoir [b:Sometimes there is a Void|11801992|Sometimes there is a Void – Memoirs of an Outsider|Zakes Mda|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1309183538s/11801992.jpg|16755105] and so was aware that a lot of the book is based on his own real-life experiences. It is social satire, and the story is rather sad, but Mda also sees the funny side of it.

It also seemed to complement another book I had recently read, [b:Darkness Suspended|42242780|Darkness Suspended|Jurie Schoeman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1539297366s/42242780.jpg|65848919], though the tone in that one is much more serious, and lacks Mda's humour. More on that on my blog here Black Diamond: yuppie life in the new South Africa | Khanya

I give it five stars, but perhaps that is because it is set close to home, and if I were living on another continent I might have given it fewer. Though I don't move in the kind of social circles described in the book, it sounds pretty authentic to me.