Page 43 - The Circle of Life

time explains a lot. We Africans are respectful people and negotiating lobola is a

serious matter. He had other things on his mind.

* Lobola for my overseas readers is a traditional custom whereby the man pays

the family of his fiancée for her hand in marriage normally in cattle and not
crocodiles. If she then leaves him the cattle must be returned and this started

many tribal wars which we dealt with in the rural areas. The girl may also
abscond with the man and having not paid lobola her father will lay a charge of

kidnapping and rape against him. We used to sit for many hours under a tree
patiently discussing this with the two families before making any arrest. No

women are allowed at such meetings and the men always wanted to talk to the
sergeant about such matters. I often felt like Solomon in deciding such matters.

Servamus et Servimus.

The new crew attended a bar fight (complaint) and arrested a few aggressive
drunks an hour later and loaded them in the back with the crocodile who got

obnoxious with the intrusion (understandably says I). Soon a battle royal was
going on between the two groups which annoyed the puzzled policemen enough

to spray them with tear-gas for "f fighting and lying about a f crocodile or other
monster which f attacked them in the dark. Obviously a case of f delirium

tremens which they, Constables So and So by the grace of General Johan
Coetzee blah blah blah certainly know how to fix and they can f thank them later

for their fatherly interest." They did not the ungrateful disguised communists.

Soon afterwards they parked at their Station and opened the door to have their
prisoners hosed down with the fire hose first for the duty sergeant did not allow
dirty prisoners in his cells. As one said in shock afterwards “A f enormous

crocodile came out first and made f him run for his f life with the crocodile f

chasing him in circles and then into a tree.” I must say here we took our
handcuffs back before we left so the beast could indeed walk or run if not
exactly in the same direction of the constable. His crew jumped on the vehicles

roof and it took the Chaplain or an angry sergeant for there are two versions, to

get him down again with solemn promises that the beast is not around. That was
hours later. The drunks also ran away and were never heard of again but left a
few articles of clothes behind which we gave to an orphanage. The gossip said it

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