Searching for Simphiwe

by Sifiso Mzobe

Detectives in pursuit of criminals, a brother desperate to find his wunga-addicted sibling, a search for abducted girls, a quest to be reunited with a long-lost lover – these are just some of the searches that form the basis of the stories in this collection. On a more metaphysical level there are characters seeking some form of faith or purpose. Entertaining tales that keep the reader enthralled with tension and suspense, while reflecting the realities of contemporary South Africa.

224 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2020

About the author

Sifiso Mzobe was born in Umlazi Township, Durban.

His debut novel, Young Blood, won the Sunday Times Fiction Prize and the Herman Charles Bosman Prize for Literature in 2011.

Reviews

[Omphile Raleie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review up on my website:

https://bookamoso.co.za/2021/04/27/bo...

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished this searchingforsimphiwe from @mzobesifiso on 01 April. Loved all 11 short stories. Very contemporary with a local flavour. From Lady Justice, which highlights police corruption on the one hand while putting a spotlight on the pitiful salaries these important civil servants take home to Christmas Sacrifice. The title story, Searching for Simphiwe, is about a promising young teenager who fell in with the wrong crowd and met a gruesome end. It's tough being a parent and tougher for a parent whose child is running the streets with a rowdy crowd.

There are heartwarming stories like Never Forgotten which had a happy ending. During this #nationallockdown I cannot get enough of happy endings. Life is topsy turvy right now and the incessant worrying about keeping up with the curriculum, running out of supplies both at home and in the shops and panicking at every cough and sneeze and and a sore head. A happy ending here and there is most welcome. Detectives Zandile & Gloria make several appearances in the other short stories, since Lady Justice, which shows the amount of planning and consideration put into curating this collection.

A simple, in terms of diction, but well curated collection with stories meticulously placed creating a continuous thread from story 1 to story 11. Each story is the right fit, thematically and by locality.

@sifisomzobe deserves all the awards he won for his debut novel, Young Blood, and Umlazi #kasilamakasi is well presented in #searchingforsimphiwe

@nbpublishers keeps on serving the people. Is it available as an ebook too?

#positivestoriesinthetimeofCoVid

[Lumumba Mthembu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Instead of a novel called Durban December, we get a collection of short stories which resembles a disassembled novel. I’m disappointed. Looking forward to your next full-length feature novel, Mr Mzobe

[Maniki_021 · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Not to be biased, but you can often tell when a book is written by a South African author. This was one of those cases—they often have this ordinary, bland, and uninteresting quality. I really wanted to love these short stories, but I just couldn’t.

[Tiah]

~The portraits started missing ears, then hair, chin, mouth, nose, eyes until the last drawing was just an outline of his head. He had drawn his own disappearance into drugs.~

~It feels like she is rubbing these stories out of her grandmother's hair.~

~I thought of how our friend's mom had displayed the resilience of a rock. She squared up to hardships like rocks do to wicked weather.~

~Like everyone, I dream of being rich too. But being a housewife is definitely not my dream. Being a good detective and progressing in my profession is my dream...I can't discard everything I've worked so hard for just like that.~

~We all know violence against women is most often perpetrated by someone they know.~

[Jayne Bauling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story rules in this collection of short fiction reflecting the realities of South African life. Each story is fast-paced and utterly engaging, from the heart-breaking The Worst That Could Happen to the tense and gripping Philasande and the Missing Girls.
Four of the stories feature Detective Zandile Cele, who is a wonderful character, feisty, passionate about her job, and sometimes a bit of a hothead.
Storytelling at its well-written best.
Note: versions of several of these stories were originally published by FunDza Literacy Trust on their mobi platform.

[Karina Szczurek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stuff. Really enjoyed these stories. Local is lekker!

[Lester Walbrugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kwaai. Mzobe picked me up and hurled me along at a breathless pace in every single one of these stories. He hardly lets up the suspense. You are in the back of the car with detective Zandile, you gun for her when she stands up to her abusive mother and her good for nothing siblings, and feel for her when she isn’t strong enough to carry it through. Mzobe’s control and brevity is enviable. These are all pure story, with the occasional sentence that is true and perfect, and which begs to be read twice in appreciation.
The collection could equally have been titled ‘Hustle’ since this is what most of the people are doing in these stories.
Mostly through no fault of theirs, they have come to a crossroads and are left with no alternative: young fathers and desperate sons, and detectives juggling family life, lovers, and a thankless and underpaid job. They walk the streets, chase criminals, and get chased by police, and the movement in ‘Heist’, my favourite of the lot, is fast and gory and cinematic.
There’s also the dying patriarch and his last wish. What would a man who has everything wish for? And then there is also a sweet story of finding a long lost love, set against the backdrop of forced removals in Cato Manor, Durban’s District Six.

A fine collection.

[Unathi Mayekiso · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always said I don’t like short stories because they end before you connect. But with this book and these stories, I think I connected with each and every story from the first sentence. The writing is superb and the back home of the stories, which is the realities of South Africans is beautifully portrayed. Somehow I’m feeling proud. Great book!

[Sbonelo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an excellent depiction of Township life in South Africa. As someone who grew up in the township, these characters feel like real people, people from the township, people I know. The stories feel familiar.