UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI

MASTER OF ARTS (LITERATURE)

C50/87322/2016

JULIUS MUHURI M.

LECTURER: DR. TOM ODHIAMBO

CLT 525: POPULAR LITERATURE

Culture of lying: Reflection of post-apartheid South Africa in Dog Eat Dog

by Niq Mhlongo

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Abstract

This paper examines how Dog Eat Dog by Niq Mhlongo reflects on post-apartheid South

Africa. A country torn between racial tensions, violence and identity crises of blacks and

whites. It explores how culture of lying is entrenched to black culture as a mean of survival.

It discusses how lies are used in the plot to develop a story that reflect difficult situation and

life for blacks in South Africa even after achieving their independence. The discussion in this

paper is based on the close textual reading.

This paper will rely on formalism theory of literary criticism and New historicism literary

theories to expound on issues discussed in the text. The synopsis of the text: Dingamanzi

Makhedama Njomane is a young black student at the University of Witwatersrand in 1994,

when South Africa undergoes Post-Apartheid transition. Dingz hails from Soweto a

poverty-stricken blacks neighborhoods. He is from a poor family his mother single-handedly

supports nine children on a pension. Struggling with money, partying with his friends,

picking up girls, skipping lectures, making up elaborate excuses for missing exams is the

story of his life. A bright, articulate guy, Dingz and his circle of friends sit around drinking

and discussing current affairs, which were then in South Africa, Aids, racism, politics and

history while being kidnapped by taxi-drivers, contracting gonorrhea or trying to fake a death

certificate.

He drinks and fools around, and misappropriates money from his family, and manages to

have a pretty good time most of the time. He enjoys youthful liberties without worrying too

much about the consequences except, of course, that he lives in Soweto.

Dingz doesnt take his university education seriously, for one thing and his bad temper does

not help things either though occasionally his cutting ahead of the queue and bribing the

proper person does bring results. And he does understand at least the local criminal hierarchy,
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paying off those who can and would do him harm. Dingzs is still in a world where excuses

seem easier than taking responsibility like avoiding using a condom in the heat of the

moment, getting a death certificate to be excused from taking an exam.

Dingzs life is a reflection of how unsettled and uncertain South African conditions were in

the transition to a post-Apartheid world. Racism barely figures in the novel, but there are

some clashes of cultures like how other black students from other African countries taking

advantage of the higher South African educational standards instead of local students. Most

of all, however, Dingz, like many youths, is trying to get a handle on how South Africa

works.

Culture of lying in Dog Eats Dog

According to Magak Kelphyr on his MA Thesis, Depiction of south Africa social reality in

the fog of the seasons end (1991) he states that Apartheid is a political ideology that leads not

only to political marginalization of blacks but also social economical alienation. He explores

how blacks were economically, socially and politically exploited by the minority government

of the whites. This exploitation brought about identity crises to blacks and as a mean of

survival they adopted lies and violence to counter the increasingly segregation tendencies.

The apartheid regime in South Africa discriminated Africans in skin color. This

discrimination led to alienation and oppression of native blacks in south Africa who were left

to be ravaged by poverty and diseases/ moral decadence. The blacks were secluded in one

areas in cities and they were closely monitored and harassed by the minority government.

This issues became part of literary concern to most southern Africa writers in protest against

apartheid.

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In 1913 the government of south Africa passed a land Act which prohibited blacks from

buying land outside the reserved area. This act confined Africans into an area for easier

exploitation. This narrates the existence of Soweto the largest slum in the world. It is in

Soweto that dog eat dog is partly set and university of Witwatersrand and reflects life of

blacks in the city.

In 1922 Native Urban Act, was passed by the white government. It controlled the flow of

African into the urban centers. This act was aimed to tame the number of African living in the

city as numbers of poverty ravaged citizen flowed for greener pastures in cities. Africans

were supposed to be authorized and given permit to leave in cities and town. In dog eat dog

Dingz flashes back when their house in Soweto was raided by violent police officers every

Tuesday and Saturdays evening in pretenses of searching illegal migrants and illegal beer.

I began to think about our life in Soweto in those days. At midnight every Tuesday

and Friday the white policemen would knock rudely on our kitchen and sitting-dining-

room doors. Without search warrants, they would rummage through our house for so

called illegal immigrants from the homelands and any other illegal stuff.. after

opening the doors, they would count us in their attempt to control African birth rate,

or influx from rural areas, or whatever the reason was (40)

Dingz in this excerpt satirizes the whole idea of police search. The influx of blacks to Soweto

is a clear indication of neglect of government to blacks but instead of it curing the problem

results to treating the symptoms by arresting illegal immigrant who devices methods to cheat

around and live in the city. Dingz uncle who had walked in the city for greener pastures in

city of gold he was given seventy-two hours to find job and a written permission by his

employer in order to live in the city. He didnt find the job and therefore lived in the city

illegally. My uncle had been surviving the police raids by hiding under a big steel bath

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which we would turn over with him underneath it when we heard terrifying knock of the

police at the door Niq Mhlongo narrates.

The artifice developed by Dingz uncle to survive at city is deceptive and a lie in its nature.

Blacks are forced by circumstances to live a lie life in order to survive. In hiding under big

steel bath to escape being arrested by merciless white administration.

Unfortunately, the uncle was unlucky when police unannounced change their routine and

appeared one Saturday. The uncle had nowhere to hide cause the steel bath was full of

soaking clothes. The police arrested him and Dingz say he only saw him after ten year later.

If black were unable to device a good lie in time of apartheid their survival in the city was

crude. This kind of oppressive mechanism was also applied by colonialist to most African

states. In Life and times of a bank robber by John Kiggia, he narrates how colonial police

went around city arresting people who had no work permits or passbooks. He survived by

living in building site where watchman had warned him to sleep with one eye open. He

elucidates how his uncle unwillingly chased him from his house fearing of him being arrested

and taken to approved school. He results to joining other many Kenyan who spent nights at

bushes to escape arrests. The control of native migration to cities was a political strategy by

colonizers to estrange natives and impoverishing them for easier manipulations.

After three applications for bursaries at university Dingz gets similar replies with only

changes of date. He feels that nobody reads the letter and anger flames him to confront Dr.

Jane Winterburn the chairperson of the university bursary committee. He knew that the

secretaries will deny him a chance to enter her officer if he talked the truth of reasons he

wanted to see their boss. He therefore lies to himself that using the chairperson first name

would give him easier access to her office. Its only when he walked to the office ignoring the

snaking que that he gets an outburst from a colored secretary. He became agitated and

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threatens them, he knows the country is in mid of transition and therefore utilizes racial

connotations which everyone in the country especially white are scared of. It is a blackmail

he uses several times to intimidate white and he says it not only him who has learnt this art

since even in parliament black escaped relevant questions compelling whites to apologies for

their atrocities during apartheid even if they had a noble complain. Dr. Winterburn takes

Dingz documents and examines them. In the affidavit it showed that twelve-member family

lived into crammed four roomed matchbox house in Soweto. Prior to that Ding had told her

that his father passed away and his mother is a pensioner and single handedly supports nine

members of his family. The story is a fact but in the affidavit it included a lie as mean of

survival to obtain the bursary. When she asked him how they survived with three hundred

and fifty pension he lied that the water and electricity has been cut off for not being paid for

two years.

I was not ashamed that I lied. Living in this south Africa of ours you have to master

the art of lying in order to survive. As she looked at me I hid my hands under the edge

of the table so that she couldnt see my gold plated pulsar watch, which I had bought

previous year at American Swiss (15)

It is clear that Dingz application for bursary cannot be taken seriously without a pinch of salty

to aggravate his serious need of bursary. He has known that lies are the only medium for

blacks in south Africa to survive.

When the protagonist father died he did not attend school for three days to grief. When he

went to school the Big Punisher was to discipline him for his truancy. He had a genuine

reason and when he tried to tell him he never allowed him to finish. He told him he was not

taking any stupid reasons and listed reason he considered stupid. my mother was delivering

my baby brother so I had to help spread her legs. My philanderous fathers dick was swollen

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from the syphilis he caught over the libidinal weekend so he sent me out to buy him some VD

pills. My sister broke virginity the day before yesterday and her punana was leaking blood, so

I had to help my lazy mother was her sheets and cook for the family, my brother was

castrated by a mob over the weekend after being accused of sleeping with a jailbait

These excuses were lame according to big punisher but it seems children in south Africa had

their innocent observation of their society and mastered it to frame their lies within factual

situations and frameworks but in their own imaginations or children perspective of

innocence. The stupid answers are what impoverished black do every day.

According to Chris Wanjala in his article fossilized black martyrs he says Violence among

the oppressed emanates from state violence in sense that when the oppressed people fail to hit

at the oppressor they turn onto themselves and hurt each other Wanjala was attempting to

explain the cause of violence to oppressed people against each other. He feels that their need

for revenge through violent mean to an oppressor is always heavy but when it cannot

materialize, the oppressed people turn violence against each other. Big punisher sardonic

tendencies to school children is indication of oppressed turning their agitation to each other.

He enjoys inflicting pain to children which Dingz says big punisher had an orgasm every

time he inflicted pain later on Dingz assaults him in revenge of his violence without

consideration of situations. This make violence a life circle amongst the blacks to ease their

agonies.

The violence by African against each other is flourishing in Soweto, Dingz witnessed taxi

marshal harassing an old woman. He had been a victim when he paid fare and the conductor

refused to return his change. In course of demanding his change the taxi crew hijacked him

with intentions of beating him up until he fled and run on grave site for his life.

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some were helping my pursuers to locate me. Some were whistling loudly, enjoying the

spectacle as I ran for my life. Some even splashed me with dirty water This kind of violence

indicates a society with dismal regard of human being. The violence meted against them had

made the perceive violence as part of their culture and seems to enjoy it.

This kind of violence and lies are also expressed by the police. after Dingz withdraws money

from an Atm and walks to a store where he is aided by a colleague to defraud the store. He

takes can of beer on road side, two police officers appear. In spite of being caught red handed

he denied. He says that Im holding an open beer bottle that I was drinking when I was in

the bar, sir, but I am not drinking it now. And if that a crime I dont know

This outright denial even when he has evidence on hand shows a man from a culture where

lies have been cultivated from inside. He beliefs only lies can set him free. Police continues

to interrogate him and questions; what are you doing at wits? He asked sprinkling my face

with saliva. Law I lied, why? I thought they would leave me then. They arrest him but on

the way he manages to compromise them by offering some money. He can record them in the

tape to use it against them. When they release him he reveals he had recorded them. They

beat him up and destroy his recorder and harshly manhandles him for only to release him

later. The incidence reveals that trying to be factual as black man can be terrible in South

Africa.

When Dingz and Theks are going home and Theks decides to buy a shoe for her cousin,

Dingz realizes that the shoe is fake and Theks was being played by the vendor who was only

determined for her finical gains. As Theks was thinking, I examined the shoe. It was

different from other Nike shoes I knew. The logo on this particular shoe pointed in the

opposite direction. Suspiciously I looked again the logo started with letter M instead of the

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usual N lies in South Africa post-apartheid nation had transformed to fakeness and it

required a close scrutiny to discover them.

When Dingz fails to sit for exam since he was unprepared he went to school clinic feigning

sickness. The doctor fails to provide him with medical certificate so that he can be given

exam deferment. Dr. Hewson refused his coaxing and said it was against ethics of her

profession. This bring a different perception of white who seem not to lie. But not all white

dont lie Nikki and Paul, Theks friend who are white dont sit exam but they get their

deferment easily because they consult their family doctors and get medical certificates. Their

certificates a not genuine as Nikki reveals to Dingz that she failed to sit for exam because her

dog had an accident.

Dingz in attempt to find a genuine reason why he never sat for exam tells Prof that he blacked

out because of death of a cousin; I understand prof, but my blackout was as result of

shocking news that I received about death of my cousin. You know I was very close with the

deceased. I lied Dingz realizes he has made a grave mistake when Prof demands a copy of

death certificate he seeks assistance from Dunga who promises to meet him so that they can

organize on what to do next. When he meets him, Dunga wondered why he never consulted

him before he lied about death of cousin. He tells him he could have easily obtained a

medical certificate from his doctors friends. Dunga protests that Theks brother lost job from

document given by one of Dunga friends. He however, defend himself by saying;

Thembas granny had asked him what disease he wanted her to write on the letter. He

told her to write chicken pox, but he had forgotten that a fortnight ago earlier he had

cited same disease on his sblivana! His boss became suspicious because no one can

have chicken pox twice.

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Lying is an expensive behaviour which requires good memory and track of lies in order to

remain undetected. Dunga sees Theks brother as stupid in his failure to cover up his lies well.

He justifies the culture of lies by black by telling Dingz

dont you know that the only language that whites understand in this country is lies.

You havent read Africa my music by Professor Mphahlehe, he says exactly what I

am saying; that you must lie to whites in order to survive in this country because the

whites themselves already lives in the web of a big lie

This justifies the black unsympathetic ways of lying. They feel the segregation and alienation

of African by apartheid regime was uncalled and their opulence living was their sweat and

therefore lived a lie life and black also needs to get into the bigger web of lies to get their

rights.

Dunga advises Dingz that an undertaker at Orlando east will find in his register whether there

is anyone who died recently with surname Njomane. They were lucky to find the surname

and they went looking for the family. When they reach they lie to an old woman, mama

what we are doing is this, we are busy registering the names of the orphans in this township

so that they can receive monthly grants from the government The old woman reluctantly

agrees with them without argument and goes ahead to search for the death certificate which

she does not find. She is aware of lies are peddled by government and society and so she is

not much hopeful that their mission will be fruitful or not.

After failing to get the certificate Dingz goes to Department of Home Affairs to try his luck

there. After waiting for hours without que proceeding he decides to pose as a lawyer and

successful obtains the record he wanted. He photocopies the death certificate and takes it to

the professor who takes it and gives him the deferment.

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Through lies we see a post-apartheid south Africa, issues of concern to black society are

revealed the writers discuss issues of violence, AIDS, Police brutality racial tensions and

filthy conditions of Soweto society.

These lies are not only lived by blacks but as well as whites. Blacks justifies their action

seemingly due their feeling that the whites are living a lie life that consist of a big web and

therefore blacks in south Africa also requires lies to exist in post-apartheid south Africa.

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Works cited

Mhlongo, Niq Dog Eat Dog, cape town: kwela books 2004

Kiggia Peter. life and times of a bank robber. Nairobi Heinemann 1988

Magak Kelphyr. Alex La Gumas depiction of south Africa social reality in the fog of the

seasons end. Diss UON . 1991

Indagasi, Henery. Alex La Guma Nairobi; memo rum paper. department of literature. UON

1986

Wa Thiongo, Ngg. writers in politics. Nairobi Heinemann. 1981

Eagleton, Terry. Marxism and literary criticism: the major statements. Publisher inc: 1980

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