Young Blood

Sifiso Mzobe

Sifiso Mzobe is South Africa's answer to Irvine Welsh or Alan Bissett. He takes the lives of young men in Umlozi, one of Durban's roughest townships and, in beautiful, sympathetic prose, he makes us understand what it is that drives young men like Sipho, Vusi and Musa into a life of crime. And he makes us understand the dreadful consequences if they are not able to break free and take their lives into their own hands.

Extract

In the lounge I flipped through the channels, with the volume high to drown out Musa's snores. In the fridge there was orange juice, a tray of takeaway pasta and beers. I drank a beer dumpy in one gulp, but it tasted funny. It was the setting that was not right. Beer and weed were daily bread to us, but it just felt out of place in broad daylight. The combo went down well under the pitch black skies of night. I settled back on the sofa with a glass of cold water.

Parallels