Stolen Youth:Kasi Secrets Don’t Stay Buried
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📖 Chapter 9: Echoes of the Streets Don't Die Quietly
(Part 1 of 50)
Three days passed.
No one had seen Tshepo.
His house in Mzansi Street was locked. His WhatsApp last seen still read "Monday 03:42." And the streets? They were boiling. Rumors flew like flies around a bin.
"Maybe he skipped town."
"Nah, maybe his own people took him out."
"Or maybe," a whisper from the shadows said, "he's still here. Watching."
Boitumelo didn't know what to believe.
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(Part 2 of 50)
She stood outside the scrapyard — the same one he tried to burn down. Ash still covered the ground like old snow, but the smell of petrol had faded.
Neo arrived, his hoodie pulled low.
"They say he's gone. But I don't buy it."
Boitumelo nodded. "Me neither. He's planning something. I feel it."
Neo looked around. "The Kasi's too quiet. That's always a sign."
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(Part 3 of 50)
Back at school, Boitumelo found a strange envelope in her locker. No name. No handwriting.
Inside? A photo. Grainy, but clear enough:
Tshepo. Standing outside a white van. Talking to two men in SAPS jackets.
"Cops?" Boitumelo whispered.
Neo leaned closer. "Or something worse. Dirty ones."
Boitumelo's heart dropped. If Tshepo had protection from inside, the whole Kasi was in danger.
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(Part 4 of 50)
That night, she uploaded a second live video.
"If I go missing," she said to the camera, "know that I tried to speak. Know that Tshepo had help. Know that I'm not the only one who knows."
She paused. Then added:
"Kamo. If you're out there — come forward. The Kasi needs you."
Neo looked at her. "That name again... You sure he's real?"
She nodded. "Tshepo's old right hand. The one who vanished after Palesa did."
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(Part 5 of 50)
The views came slow. Then fast.
DMs poured in. Some said "respect." Others said, "Stop before it's too late." But one caught her eye:
> "Meet me behind the old bottle store. Midnight. Come alone. — K."
Neo saw it too. "It could be a trap."
Boitumelo's hands trembled. "Or the truth."
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(Part 6 of 50)
Midnight came. The bottle store stood like a broken tooth in the dark.
She waited. Alone. No sound, except for a faraway dog barking and the hum of streetlights.
Then — footsteps.
He stepped from the shadows. Tall. Scar under his left eye. Cold stare.
"You're brave," he said.
"Kamo?" she asked.
He nodded once. "You want truth? I'll give it to you. But it'll cost you your peace."
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(Part 7 of 50)
They sat behind crates. He lit a cigarette.
"Tshepo wasn't the leader," Kamo said.
Boitumelo blinked. "What?"
"He was the face. The real leader… she's still in the Kasi. You even talk to her every week."
Boitumelo froze. "You mean…"
"Ask yourself," he said, "who helped Tshepo stay hidden when he was 'expelled'? Who got him into that church group? Who gave him the burner phones?"
Her mind reeled. Only one person matched.
"No…"
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(Part 8 of 50)
She rushed home. Searched her texts. Her notes. Everything.
Then she found it — a donation receipt from a community leader who had "supported troubled youth."
Name: Mrs. Mokoena.
Her old teacher.
The one who always said, "Good girls stay quiet in bad places."
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(Part 9 of 50)
Neo didn't want to believe it.
"No way, bro. Not her. She runs feeding schemes!"
But Boitumelo shook her head. "That's the perfect cover."
They needed proof. And Kamo had it.
"There's a drive. Hidden at an old church computer. Password-protected. If you get it… the whole truth drops."
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(Part 10 of 50)
They went that night. The old church was quiet. Too quiet.
Inside, dust choked the air. Neo hacked into the PC. Kamo watched the door.
Files loaded. One folder: "Youth Archive."
Inside, a list of names. Photos. Ages.
All girls. All missing.
And one folder labeled "Next."
Neo clicked. A single file.
> BOITUMELO MABASO — AGE: 15 — STATUS: ACTIVE TARGET
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