In this novel by celebrated South African writer Zakes Mda, Kristin Uys,
a tough magistrate who lives alone with her cat in the Roodepoort
district of Johannesburg, goes on a one-woman crusade to wipe out
prostitution in her town. Her reasons are personal, and her zeal is
fierce. Her main targets are the Visagie Brothers, Stevo and Shortie,
who run a brothel, and although she fails to take down the entire
establishment, she manages to nail Stevo for contempt of court, serving
him a six-month sentence. From Diepkloof Prison, the outraged Stevo
orchestrates his revenge against the magistrate, aided and abetted by
the rather inept Shortie and his former nanny, Aunt Magda.
Kristin receives menacing phone calls and her home is invaded and
vandalized--even her cat isn't spared the threats--and the chief
magistrate has no choice but to assign a bodyguard to protect her. To
Kristin's consternation, security guard Don Mateza moves into her home
and trails her everywhere. This new arrangement doesn't suit Don's
longtime girlfriend Tumi, a former model and successful businesswoman,
who is intent on turning Don into a Black Diamond--a member of the
wealthy new black South African middle class. And Don soon finds that
his new assignment has unexpected complications that Tumi simply does
not understand.
In Black Diamond, Mda tackles every conceivable South African
stereotype, skillfully turning them upside down and exposing their
ironies--often hilariously. This is a clever, quirky novel, in which Mda
captures the essence of contemporary life in a fast-changing urban
world.
