The Water Man's Daughter (33 page)

Z
EMBE STOPS READING
. T
HE SORROW OF
T
OSH’S
death is replaced momentarily with pride – Nomsulwa will make the water run. But Sipho is reading over her shoulder, and Zembe’s feeling of success evaporates in his hot breath on her neck.

“How is it that we never connected her to the recovered pipes?” he asks with an edge to his voice.

“We had no evidence –”

“Well, that didn’t stop you in the Matthews case, now did it?”

“The funeral is today. I don’t have time to rehash a case that is closed. You got your pipes, deal with the witch hunt for the
PCF
another day.”

“We’re not done with her, or her gang. I’ll be expecting your full cooperation in the future on this.”

Sipho walks out without giving Zembe a chance to respond. She finishes reading the story, puts on her own black jacket, and prepares herself for church.

T
HE PASTOR AT THE
B
APTIST
N
AZARETH
C
HURCH
lets Tosh’s father lead the service. His wife and remaining son scream their eulogy as if screaming will keep the tears at bay. The crowd of friends and officers returns the cry to the speakers. They toss the grief back and forth, reducing its size and power each time. Zembe stays tucked at the back of the room on her knees in fervent prayer, begging for forgiveness.

I learned a great deal about writing, story, and the process of putting a book together from the friendship of Louise Dennys, Ric Young, Ann Marie MacDonald, Alisa Palmer, Naomi Klein, Avi Lewis, Patricia Rozema, Lesley Barber, Paula Todd, Anne Greene, and Jane Saks.

Michael Helm, Anne Greene, Harriet Sachs, Clayton Ruby, Louise Dennys, Karen Connelly, Karen Wookey, Paula Todd, and Jane Saks read early drafts of this book. Their feedback and patience was invaluable. My agent, Jackie Kaiser, took me in and found a home for this book against impossible odds. Grateful thanks to my editor, Lara Hinchberger, and to Ellen Seligman and Kendra Ward, for all their help and support.

The stories and events in this book were inspired by research done in South Africa in 2003 and 2004. That research, and my time there, could not have been as rich and rewarding without the staff at Schools for International Training, Zed McGladdery, Shane Duffy and Nomawethu Fonya, and the people who took me in during my stay in Cape Town and Johannesburg, Yolisa Cuku, Litha Cuku, Alutta Cuku, Mira Cuku, Virginia Setshedi, Nomfundo Setshedi, Relebogile Setshedi, and Tracey Fared. Many women involved in the anti-privatization movement talked to me about their experiences, including Mama Dalina, Hameeda Deedat, Linah Gcumisa, Bongani Lubisi, Zodwa Madiba, Zanele Mahamba, Elizabeth Mokgatle, Eunice Mthembu, Florence Nkwashu, Maniera Peters, Sindiswa Titi, and Nonhlanhla Vilakazi. Victor Lakay and Alvin Anthony helped shape my research. The Zulu translations in this book were completed with the help of Mpume Nkosi and Hlonipha Mokoena. Mistakes or liberties taken are entirely my own.

This project has taken many years and, so, it is the product of many years of support and love from my family and friends. My sister, Kate Ruby-Sachs, encouraged me from the beginning. My parents and grandparents, Geoffrey and Pamela Sachs, gave me the freedom and the confidence to pursue the writing pipe dream. I owe a debt of gratitude to those listed above, as well as to Jane Sachs, Andreas Agas, Georgia Sachs-Agas, Romie Sachs-Devere, Simon Sachs, Danette MacKay, Charlotte Sachs, Adrienne Sachs, Tony Sachs, Joyce Cohen, Bailey Cohen-Krichevsky, Vilma DaSilva, Rachel Sutherland, Betty Orr, Nancy Goodman, Brent Knazen, Frank Addario, Heidi Rubin, Marial Addario, Katie McKenna, Christin Baker, Deb Mell, Brian Blair, Nicole Schmidt, Jackie Pye, Liana Buccieri, Chad Kampe, Montana Burnett, Nicole Bashor, Olivia St. Clair, Nicole Naghi, Jackie Tate, Rick Salter, Liora Salter, Prerna Tomar, Jacoba Rozema-Barber, Caitlin Snow, Alex Leo, Betsy Ware-Fippinger, Regan Doody, Jean Friedman-Rudovsky, Shireen Tawil, Christopher Kaminstein, Daniel Naymark, Joanna Lambert, Stuart McLean, Max Mishler, Ron Murphy, Ashley Peoples, Sarah Polley, Moran Sadeh, Brian Shiller, Stacy Zosky, Mandy Machin, Harvey Strosberg, Jay and Jordana Strosberg, Sharon Bedard, Jorge Soni, Ariel Lewiton-Lown, Kathleen Trotter, and my friends and colleagues at Avaaz.