Rural Dust is a gripping novel that combines features of a traditional thriller with a touch of a psychological thriller, and borrows from African Traditional Medicine, which is then blended with Christian imagery and a dream motif to craft a fine fictional representation of the New South Africa characterised by corruption, lies, deception and disillusionment. This is Duma’s debut novel, in which he brings to bear his experience in local governance in KwaZulu-Natal to explore the intricate relationship between political power and money, and how powerful persons can subvert social justice for their own selfish ends. Themba is the protagonist who is born and grows up under difficult circumstances. He tries to escape his circumstances and almost always finds himself tripping over and drowning in the potholes of life and particularly the web of deceit and betrayal set up by his nemesis, the Mayor. The villain, the Mayor, wages both a physical and a psychological fight against Themba. Yet the Mayor is a villain who causes harm to everyone who crosses his path: his comrades, his party, municipal employees and, inadvertently, the community. He publicly professes to be a priest and hides behind the clerical collar and the robe, which is intended to deceive others into believing that he is celibate.
By Scelo Duma