Heart of a Strong Woman. Xoliswa Nduneni-Ngema

fantasies. But in the case of Mbongeni’s father, Zwelikhethabantu, the old man had defied the first wife and proceeded to take a second wife. It was never to be a happy polygamous setting. Having been born in the township, and of parents whose upbringing hadn’t been touched by polygamy, I always assumed that this institution was a sad cry from the past; that it did not exist anymore. Which was why I was shocked by uMkhulu uVukayibambe’s suggestion that Mbongeni, my Mbongeni, should even consider what I’d always thought of as a repugnant practice. Ma Hadebe was relieved that her son did not nurse any polygamous dreams. But she still warned me: ‘Stay with him at all times. Never trust him, never leave him alone.’

      Years later those chilling words would come back to haunt me.