Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Glossary and translation
- Images from production
- Ulwembu: the play script
- Prologue: Our story
- Scene 1 Behind the police station
- Scene 2 The police station, captain's office
- Scene 3 The school yard
- Scene 4 Portia's house
- Scene 5 Behind Emmanuel's sphaza shop
- Scene 6 Behind Emmanuel's sphaza shop
- Scene 7 The police station
- Scene 8 Emmanuel's sphaza shop
- Scene 9 Outside Emmanuel's sphaza shop
- Scene 10 Outside Emmanuel's sphaza shop
- Scene 11 Portia's house
- Scene 12 Bongani's house
- Scene 13 Outside Emmanuel's sphaza shop
- Scene 14 Outside Emmanuel's sphaza shop
- Scene 15 Bongani's house
- Scene 16 Outside Emmanuel's sphaza shop
- Scene 17 Sipho's room
- Scene 18 Emmanuel's sphaza shop
- Scene 19 Captain's office
- Scene 20 Behind the police station
- Scene 21 Bongani's house
- Scene 22 Portia's house
- Scene 23 Captain's office
- Scene 24 Emmanuel's sphaza shop
- Scene 25 On the street
- Epilogue: Our story
- Notes
- The Authors
Scene 7 - The police station
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 May 2019
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Glossary and translation
- Images from production
- Ulwembu: the play script
- Prologue: Our story
- Scene 1 Behind the police station
- Scene 2 The police station, captain's office
- Scene 3 The school yard
- Scene 4 Portia's house
- Scene 5 Behind Emmanuel's sphaza shop
- Scene 6 Behind Emmanuel's sphaza shop
- Scene 7 The police station
- Scene 8 Emmanuel's sphaza shop
- Scene 9 Outside Emmanuel's sphaza shop
- Scene 10 Outside Emmanuel's sphaza shop
- Scene 11 Portia's house
- Scene 12 Bongani's house
- Scene 13 Outside Emmanuel's sphaza shop
- Scene 14 Outside Emmanuel's sphaza shop
- Scene 15 Bongani's house
- Scene 16 Outside Emmanuel's sphaza shop
- Scene 17 Sipho's room
- Scene 18 Emmanuel's sphaza shop
- Scene 19 Captain's office
- Scene 20 Behind the police station
- Scene 21 Bongani's house
- Scene 22 Portia's house
- Scene 23 Captain's office
- Scene 24 Emmanuel's sphaza shop
- Scene 25 On the street
- Epilogue: Our story
- Notes
- The Authors
Summary
PORTIA is once again attending a briefing in the CAPTAIN's office.
CAPTAIN: Lieutenant Mthembu.
PORTIA: Captain.
CAPTAIN: Do you have any headlines for me yet?
PORTIA: Nothing worth hanging on a lamppost, Captain. My guys are working towards a bust …
CAPTAIN: I'm doing a press briefing at the end of this week. I'm going to need them to work harder.
PORTIA: We are moving as fast as we can.
CAPTAIN: May I ask why you and your team keep wasting your time with the small fish … the skhotheni at the bottom, eh? Don't you think it's time you started clamping down on the big boys at the top?
PORTIA: It's only through the runners and dealers at the bottom that we are able to find out who and where the big boys are hiding. These guys are almost impossible to get to.
CAPTAIN: What about intelligence?
PORTIA: Intelligence is working on it but, like I said, it's a slow process.
CAPTAIN: The public are losing confidence in us. You just have to listen to any radio show or read any newspaper to hear what the word on the street is.
PORTIA: I didn't enter this profession to win a popularity contest, Captain.
CAPTAIN: They're saying we can't be trusted … that we are all corrupt … that the dealers have bribed us to keep out of their way. The communities are tired of being robbed.
PORTIA: So am I, Captain.
CAPTAIN: It seems you and your team needs to look at revising your strategies.
PORTIA: The more I deal with this problem, Captain, the more I feel the way we police these issues needs to be revised all together.
CAPTAIN: Do you have any suggestions?
PORTIA: We are understaffed and underqualified. We need training, specialised teams. This isn't something we can solve as a single police station … we need help from the top … help from the community. Government need to step in. [Pause.] From my experience down on the ground, arresting these users just seems to be making it worse.
She exits.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- UlwembuEmpatheatre and the Big Brotherhood, pp. 19 - 20Publisher: Wits University PressPrint publication year: 2018