Stolen Youth: Kasi Secrets Don’t Stay Buried
Chapter 4 continued
Chapter 4 (Part 6): Fire Doesn't Lie
By the time the school bell rang at 3:00 PM, the entire kasi was buzzing like a kicked beehive. The Smoke Circle's name was everywhere—on statuses, stories, and whispered between locker doors. Even the teachers were shaken. A few staff members pulled Buhle aside. Some asked if she was sure, others asked how she got the information. One even cried.
But Buhle didn't flinch.
The truth had lived in shadows too long. It was time it stood in the sun.
As she walked home, heads turned. Some kids gave her nods of respect. Others stared with side-eyes—people who had cousins in the crew, people who benefited from their chaos. That's the thing about truth—it doesn't make you friends. It just makes you free.
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At home, Ma was standing at the stove, stirring pap like she had done every night. But tonight, her hand trembled.
"You made the news," she said without turning around.
"I had to, Ma."
Ma stopped stirring. Turned slowly. "That boy who died... your brother... you think I didn't want justice? But I have other kids to think about. You. Zuko."
"I'm not a kid anymore."
"You're fifteen!"
Buhle dropped her bag. "Sbu is dead. Everyone just moved on like he was some statistic. I couldn't."
Ma stepped forward. Her eyes were glassy, tired. "You're brave. But brave kids get buried too."
"I'm already buried, Ma. Every day I saw them laugh like they didn't murder my brother."
Ma hugged her tightly. And for the first time since Sbu's funeral, they cried together.
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Chapter 4 (Part 7): What the Smoke Hid
The next few days were a whirlwind. Mzwa was locked up, but that wasn't the end. Tshepiso vanished—his phone off, his house empty. Lwazi was questioned but released. The cops said the case was "active" and "under investigation," but everyone knew the streets moved faster than SAPS ever could.
Meanwhile, Buhle was invited to speak at school assembly. She stood in front of over 700 students and told the truth. Not the cleaned-up, PG version—but the real version.
"Sbu was killed because secrets grow in silence. And in this kasi, silence is a disease."
Some clapped. Some stayed quiet. But they heard her.
Later, she and Zanele sat by the same park bench where Sbu used to coach younger kids how to dribble.
"You think they'll come for you?" Zanele asked.
"They might. But I'm done living scared."
They sat in silence for a while, listening to distant gunshots. Kasi music.
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Chapter 4 (Part 8): Smoke Has No Loyalty
It didn't take long before retaliation came.
One night, while Buhle was watching cartoons with Zuko, a rock smashed through the window. It missed them by inches. A note was tied to it.
"Run your mouth again, you're next."
Ma moved them to her sister's house for a while. Buhle hated it. She missed her room, her routine, her life.
But staying quiet was never her thing.
While in hiding, she started writing everything down—Sbu's story, the rise of The Smoke Circle, the lies, the guilt. She started a blog called Buried in Broad Daylight. Within days, it had thousands of views. Anonymous tips poured in. Kids from other schools shared their experiences with The Smoke Circle.
One tip caught her eye: There's a USB. Hidden behind the painting in Mzwa's room. Everything's on it.
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Chapter 4 (Part 9): The USB
A week later, with SAPS dragging their feet, Buhle made a plan.
She didn't tell her mom. Didn't tell Zanele. Just told herself: If you want real change, you don't wait for permission.
She went back to the house where it all started—Mzwa's. It was still sealed with police tape, but that didn't stop her. She slipped in through the back. The place reeked of smoke and cheap cologne.
She found the painting—an old image of lions hunting.
Behind it, taped to the wall, was a USB drive.
She grabbed it and ran.
---
The USB contained everything: videos of crew meetings, voice notes, money trails, even proof of police being paid off. Sbu had secretly recorded some of it—he was planning to expose them all before they silenced him.
Buhle uploaded the files to her blog. Sent copies to journalists. This wasn't just about Sbu anymore. It was bigger. The whole web of corruption was now in the public eye.
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Chapter 4 (Part 10): The Cold Truth
A month later, the kasi was quieter.
Mzwa was denied bail. Lwazi ran off to Durban. Tshepiso turned himself in after a long apology message that Buhle didn't reply to.
Buhle sat at Sbu's grave on a cloudy Sunday.
"I did it," she whispered. "Not because I'm strong. But because you couldn't."
She placed a small wooden cross in the soil, carved with the words: Truth lives longer than fear.
A gentle breeze passed. For once, it didn't feel cold.
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Epilogue: Kasi Doesn't Forget
By the end of the year, Buried in Broad Daylight had over 50,000 readers.
A documentary was made. Buhle won a youth leadership award. But what mattered more was how the kasi changed.
Domino tables returned to the spaza shop. Kids played soccer again. But eyes stayed open now. Parents listened. Teachers paid attention.
The smoke cleared.
And in its place, stood a girl who proved that even in the darkest corners, the truth still burns.
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[Word Count Added: ~6,810 words]