The City is Mine

by Niq Mhlongo

Mangi and his fiancée, Aza, have been living together in Linden for the past eight years. One day while cleaning their bedroom, Mangi discovers Aza’s secret. The uncovering of Aza's lie is the catalyst to the unravelling of their already tumultuous relationship. When Aza eventually ends their relationship, Mangi is left destitute.
Mangi searches for meaning as he makes his way through the streets of Joburg in The City Is Mine. 

248 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 26, 2024

About the author

Mhlongo was born in Midway-Chiawelo, Soweto, the seventh of nine children, and raised in Soweto. His father, who died when Mhlongo was a teenager, worked as a post-office sweeper. Mhlongo was sent to Limpopo Province, the province his mother came from, to finish high school. Initially failing his matriculation exam in October 1990,[1] Mhlongo completed his matric at Malenga High School in 1991. He studied African literature and political studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, gaining a BA in 1996. In 1997 he enrolled to study law there, transferring to the University of Cape Town the following year. In 2000 he discontinued university study to write his first novel, Dog Eat Dog.[2]

He has been called, "one of the most high-spirited and irreverent new voices of South Africa's post-apartheid literary scene".[1]

Mhlongo has presented his work at key African cultural venues, including the Caine Prize Workshop and the Zanzibar International Film Festival, and was a 2008 International Writing Program fellow at the University of Iowa.[3] His work has been translated into Spanish and Italian.

Reviews

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mangi isicefe 🙄

[Johanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was fascinated by the premise of this book and very interested to see how the story of Mangi would unfold. Unfortunately, it quickly dissolves into an aimless and seemingly unconvincing tale full of plot holes.
The read became more tedious for me as I found the protagonist to be increasingly unlikeable, superficial and with zero intention of true introspection and/or engaging at a deeper level with any of the other characters. The relationships just stayed too much at the surface and the storyline lacked coherence, from my point of view.

[Jemima Mphirima · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book offers a poignant exploration of life in Johannesburg's CBD, delving into the struggles of ordinary individuals facing harsh realities, including homelessness in a city that once symbolised hope. The protagonist, Mangi, embarks on an eight-year relationship with a woman beyond his reach, shedding light on the challenges men encounter in abusive dynamics. While the characters are well-crafted, the plot suffers from insufficient development and notable gaps, with superfluous sexual scenes detracting from its depth. Overall, it may not rank among Niq Mhlongo's finest works, despite its insightful commentary on urban life.

[Anschen Conradie · Rating 5 out of 5]

#TheCityIsMine – Niq Mhlongo
#Kwela

Possessive pronouns are indications of claims to ownership. Granted, it is not necessarily synonymous with unrestricted or uncontested ownership. You need only watch two toddlers yelling “mine!” regarding an object that has caught their temporary fancy whilst not belonging to either of them to realize this. In this context “mine” could thus be referring to de facto or de jure ownership, or merely to legal possession or the exercising of a putative right in respect of the object in question.

Mangi’s relationship with Johannesburg seemed less complicated than his relationship with his fiancée, Aza. Hailing from rural Limpopo, he claimed the city as inseparable from himself as a limb: “Besides, Joburg was now part of me and I was part of the city. Once you live in this city, it touches you more than hands can ever do.” (73) The discovery of Aza’s betrayal results in him being evacuated from what he has regarded as the City of Gold, and introduces him to the dark side of Jozi, leaving Linden for a car seat, a cemetery, and a shelter under a bridge. As his reality becomes increasingly hostile, so does his beloved city: “In the process of thinking, my memory of a clean Joburg was shattered.” (141) until he is left with the devastating realization that “Here in the city we are just visitors, my brother. You can’t invest in this shit-hole of a city called Johannesburg.” (170)

His journey is reminiscent of the ouroboros principle of an eternal cycle of destruction and re-creation: “Surviving means being born and reborn over and over again.” (82) and his core values metamorphize in a similar cyclic pattern. He justifies the stealing of money, but balks at the thought of stealing shoes from praying men at a mosque, and refuses to accept Aza’s deception, but survives on the streets as a direct result of his own continued dishonesty. The city becomes his metaphor for life, “…elusive, mysterious and above all, a place of utter alienation.” (114)

The author employs tantalizing opening sentences for the chapters, such as “Shock has a habit of digging holes in our memory.” (Chapter two); The morning air inside the house was thick with betrayal.” (Chapter three), and “It was over before it even started.” (Chapter eight) to ensure reader engagement and Mangi’s increased isolation and desperation are evocatively mirrored by his environment. His unreliability as first-person narrator is skilfully and gradually exposed, blurring the distinction between fiction and reality parallel to Mangi’s diminished ability to distinguish between the city and its people.

Johannesburg becomes a character, admired, feared and detested in equal measures, never to be forgotten. NB-Uitgewers/Publishers

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #Uitdieperdsebek

[Ana Costa · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌆 I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. It’s not just a pretty cover!

😳 What if all that shimmers isn’t gold?
🥺What if the one thing in the universe you thought makes you happy turns out to be the most abhorrent thing that holds you back from achieving fulfilment? 
💔 What if hope isn’t enough? 

📖 There were many “what ifs” swirling in my mind when I read  Mhlongo’s latest book, The City Is Mine.  I picked up this novel with no expectations or inkling as to what it’s about and allowed the story to take me by the hand and lead me down its corridors, into and out of nooks and through alleyways. 
It started as a meander and if I was uncertain where it was leading, it all changed by page 66, when Mangi, the MC, made his first decision: a point of no return. “Turn around, go back. Are you crazy, Mangi?” My heart sank as I realised the enormity of the MC’s action. The story pulls you down a path you’re reluctant to go, but intrigue compels and you can’t refuse.

🎩 This is where Mhlongo's brilliance shines: he is a master at crafting an effortless tale that lulls the reader into a sense of the expected and the mundane. Yet, the unexpected and blunt force of one impactful turn in the story propels the reader into a whirlwind of events that surprise, horrify, bemuse, and, most importantly, challenge. The City Is Mine repeatedly forces the reader to question their own life and confront previously ignored notions and preconceived judgments. 

🧚‍♀️ My key takeaway from The City Is Mine is its transformative power. This brilliantly written tale is an unexpected eye-opener. Once you read It, your perspective on wealth, relationships, mental health, homelessness, crime, and love will be forever altered.  

[Paige Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I didn’t see that coming - I finished it in pretty much one day.

The city is mine by Niq Mhlongo is a compelling read that delves into how, thanks to a lack of generational wealth and the mighty beast that is Jozi, easy it is to fall through the cracks of society.

In parts terrifying, I was so worried really bad things were going to happen to Mangi (despite him not always being his best self), so I turned on with open fingers in front of my eyes. This is a dark and gritty read with sunlight at its corners. As much a love letter to Jozi as it is a hate letter.

I don’t know the author well, but I wondered how much of the end was autobiographical?

[Readingjoburg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read The City is Mine in the last quarter of 2024, and it still occupies my mind as I wonder about where Mangi is now. I know the city of Johannesburg that Mangi traverses, perhaps not as well as he does, or perhaps not the "roads" he finds himself on. And I know the city he travels to. All of which meant the book resonated with me. The City is Mine is another great addition to the literature of Johannesburg -- this messy, complicated place.

[Rosemary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the energy of the narrative voice - until I didn't.
Story started off strongly, and I liked the descriptions of Joburg. Then, as others have pointed out, things start to unravel at the plot progresses...
Surely this could have benefited from another edit??

[Leticia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very gritty and brilliant read.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyed this unreliable narrator and darker, twisted version of the “i love my city and this is my life & me walking around in it” story

[serayah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story of a phenomenally flawed man's mission to reclaim a city that held the power to make all his dreams come true. A discussion on class and the experiences of the lower class people Mangi encounters on his journey in the harsh, unyielding city of Joburg.