Lion of Soweto

Chapter 38

Fetching a wife material for Bandele is an uphill task for Molefi. He goes about musing over the right woman that'll fit into his boss's queer lifestyle. The more he thinks about it, the more befuddling the issue becomes. Bandele ought to have chosen one from the scores of ladies that attended his birthday bash.

To underscore the importance the Soweto Lion attaches to this wife-hunting issue, he stops inviting ladies to the castle. Resident females parade around the castle, but Bandele refuses them entry. For a week the Polemann landlord keeps away from women, reading newspapers and watching TV, his newfound hobbies, things that surprise his aides. The world is coming to an end.

Digging into the heart of the matter, the three ladies Molefi will select must be someone like Dineo whose beauty and good diction Bandele fell flat for. But the young lady blew up the opportunity with her arrogant manners and obsessive tendencies.

Molefi sits on the desk ruminating over the task at hand. Suddenly, the boss appears finicky. Listing three decent ladies is daunting. Where does one find a girl with a nice physique, well-spoken and morally upright, yet able to manage a mansion this big? Bringing those to hang out with him is easy; selecting the one to marry is tough as tungsten.

Yet again, the issue of retaining his job sneaks through. Bandele's new partner will bring her group of loyalists. An arrogant woman won't blink twice before firing all aides. Will he now return to the labour market when Omphile's kids are expecting bumper Christmas gifts and have started listing items for Easter? No way. Telling them he's no longer employed will be bad news.

"Hmm."A gasp escapes Molefi. He'll rather work hard and pick a well-behaved lady who'll show mercy to everyone around. "I wonder why he wants ladies who speak good English." Molefi grabs the computer mouse, opens up the LCP, CLL and RPL. Three hundred and fifty-eight ladies in all. "Arrgh!"

He switches off his phone.

Using Microsoft Excel, Molefi filters out those that attend the university. That leaves him with seventy-three profiles. "Good enough. At least I'm getting somewhere."

For reasons best known to him, he cancels out those studying social science courses. "Those will be too smart for us."

Ladies doing science-related courses don't qualify for a look-in. "Those will be too career-focused or socially awkward."

Safiya, one of the eligible ladies, studies accounting at UJ and lives five streets away. Her only snag is having a slim figure. The message she gets from Molefi draws raised brows.

"Hello, Safiya?"

"Yes, please."

"This is Molefi from the Polemann Castle. Bandele is ready for marriage and you're one of those considered."

"Considered for —?"

"I want to advise you to eat up and add some flesh. He doesn't like slim ladies so —"

"What are you talking about? I don't know your Bandele. Please check the number again."

"Are you not Safiya Abdul?"

"That's right."

"Haven't you been here at Polemann Castle?"

"Hell No!"

"You mean that..."

The lady drops the call, leaving Molefi wondering how her details got to his records. Did Pono and his boys bring details of some random ladies? Those lads must have been submitting names just to make up the numbers. Thank God he called beforehand. Molefi deletes Safiya's profile.