{"id":609,"date":"2026-01-22T06:12:49","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T06:12:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/?p=609"},"modified":"2026-01-22T06:12:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T06:12:49","slug":"the-cane-of-wealth-novel-chapter-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/the-cane-of-wealth-novel-chapter-1\/","title":{"rendered":"THE CANE OF WEALTH Novel Chapter 1"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
THE CANE OF WEALTH<\/div>\n
VOLUME 1<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
From the dusty streets of Ivory Park there exist a notorious gangster by the name Mandla Mabaso. They call him Bra Mindlos. He is famous for all kinds of crimes. His family owns a series of car dealership named Mabaso Customs. He comes from a well of family, their wealth is the kind that is passed from one generation to the next but that wasn\u2019t enough for Mindlos. It\u2019s the thing about wealth, once you have it, greed takes over and people want more and more until they find themselves tight to things they don\u2019t know.<\/div>\n
Mandla wasn\u2019t satisfied with the five car dealerships owned by his family. He wanted more and that\u2019s when he earned himself the name Bra Mindlos. He ventured into car hijacking. From hijacking he was smuggling diamonds, and lately there are rumours that he is now involved in human trafficking.<\/div>\n
Mandla comes from a family of four. His late father Mpendulo Mabaso died in a horrific car accident that claimed him, his wife and his son. Mandla\u2019s brother was in the same car with their parents when they died. Unfortunately Mandla was left an orphan with no sibling as Bongane Mabaso was his only brother. Bongane was younger than him. From his brother\u2019s bloodline, Bongane only fathered a young boy aged 13 by the name Jabulani Mabaso.<\/div>\n
Mandla is also a father. He was once married and lived a normal life before greed consumed him. Back then he was married to Nosipho Mabaso who gave him Zenzele Mabaso as their only child.<\/div>\n
Nosipho was a wonderful mother and wife but when she started hearing voices in her home and seeing her husband become something she wasn\u2019t prepared or ready to deal with, she packed her bags and left the Mabaso mansion. Mandla was left with Zenzele and Jabulani to raise as his own. And that\u2019s how they have lived, a family of three Mabaso men living their best life.<\/div>\n
Mandla \u2013 59<\/div>\n
Zenzele \u2013 34<\/div>\n
Jabulani \u2013 13<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u201cMakoti?\u201d Mandla smiles expectantly as he sees Precious walk in his study. He is expecting amazing news from his son\u2019s girlfriend. Precious and Zenzele have been dating for a couple of months. There is no marriage on the books but because of Zenzele\u2019s recent eye sight problems, Mandla wants them married as soon as possible. But before that he gave Precious a very serious task that she seems to be failing at and he is seconds to loosing shit with this pale starved looking girl,<\/div>\n
Precious\u2019 face is written disappointment once again but Mandla has hope. His son cannot be infertile. He refuse to believe that. Zenzele just doesn\u2019t want to nut in these who8res he buys for him.<\/div>\n
\u201cAnd? Khuluma makoti\u201d (\u2026\u2026speak up daughter in law) he is already pissed but he manages to tame his tone,<\/div>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s negative baba\u201d Precious puts a negative pregnancy test on the table. It\u2019s the fifth one if not the tenth. Mandla asked her one thing, one thing only and that was to fall pregnant with his son\u2019s child before he pays lobola for her but Precious is failing at such a simple task\u2026\u2026<\/div>\n
\u201cWHO NAMED YOU PRECIOUS?!\u201d he bangs the table,<\/div>\n
\u201cHMM? THEY SHOULD HAVE NAMED YOU DISAPPOINTMENT BECAUSE WOW! I\u2019M NOT SURE IF IT\u2019S YOUR BOREHOLE WOMB THAT WON\u2019T CONTAIN HIS SPERM OR ITS ZENZELE\u2019S WEAK AS8S NEEDLE DI8CK THAT REFUSE TO NUT IN YOU BUT I\u2019M DONE WITH THE BOTH OF YOU!\u201d the two are driving him insane!<\/div>\n
\u201cBaba please, give me another chance\u201d Precious begs,<\/div>\n
\u201cThere is no chance here! You failed to give me a grandchild and I\u2019m running out of time. Get off my face I\u2019ll go find my son a willing who8re with a ready womb!\u201d he continues to hit on the poor table like it owes him answers,<\/div>\n
Precious jumps out of fear but doesn\u2019t walk out,<\/div>\n
\u201cThe fuck you waiting for in my office?!\u201d he growls<\/div>\n
\u201cI need another chance Baba. Zen and I love each other\u201d Precious pleads,<\/div>\n
\u201cLove is not going to give me a grandchild. You two can love each other but I\u2019m going to find myself a woman who\u2019ll drop damn babies like it\u2019s hot. GET OUT!\u201d he barks the last part and Precious runs out of the room with tears streaming down her face.<\/div>\n
\u201cBloody toothpick failing to give me grandchild! No wonder she can\u2019t fall pregnant, she is too thin maan!\u201d he continues to roar on his own as he stands off his chair. Beside his desk he grabs his cane. He doesn\u2019t need a cane for support but you\u2019ll never find Mandla without his cane.<\/div>\n
He stands on his cane as he dials his assistant. The phone rings once before it\u2019s answered.<\/div>\n
\u2018Bra Mindlos\u2019 Funani is quick to answer,<\/div>\n
\u2018In my office!\u2019 he growls. His mood is already spoiled for the whole day and anyone who messes with him will feel the heat.<\/div>\n
Funani comes in almost running. His office is just beside Mandla\u2019s office at home.<\/div>\n
\u201cBra Mindlos\u201d Funani bows in respect as he stands couple of feet away from Mandla,<\/div>\n
\u201cWho is on top of the list from my runners?\u201d Mandla asks. By runners he means his employees. The ones that smuggle diamonds for him mostly.<\/div>\n
\u201cMbatha hasn\u2019t made payment for two months\u201d Funani say,<\/div>\n
\u201cHow much does he owe me?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201c50k boss\u201d Funani<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat do I know about Mbatha?\u201d he knows nothing about Mbatha but Funani as his assistant should have something to tell him.<\/div>\n
\u201cWell Mbatha is a husband and father. He smuggles diamonds for you and runs his tavern with his wife\u201d Funani,<\/div>\n
\u201cDoes he have a daughter?\u201d Mandla asks,<\/div>\n
\u201cHe does. He is actually a father of one. His daughter Ntwenhle Mbatha is his only child\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAnd how old is this Ntwenhle?\u201d asks Mandla,<\/div>\n
\u201cI\u2026\u2026.uhm\u2026.Sir I\u2019m not sure\u201d Funani stutters,<\/div>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t pay you to stutter fool! I pay you to be my brains. Find out everything about this Ntwenhle and tell Boli to get the car ready. We are going to collect my debt from Mbatha. LEAVE!\u201d<\/div>\n
Funani runs out of the room.<\/div>\n
Mandla is right behind him walking with his cane as he also leaves the study.<\/div>\n
He heads straight to the useless son of his. The one that he needs only a son from.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Zenzele sits in his bedroom on a chair facing the window. That\u2019s his favourite chair since he can\u2019t see anymore. No one knows what happened to him. No doctor is able to tell what happened to him. Zenzele grew up a smart boy and was actually his father\u2019s perfect son until he woke up and couldn\u2019t see couple of months ago. He lost his sight in a way that is unexplainable. And his sight brought another darkness in him that drifted him from his father. Since he lost his eye sight Zenzele became his own man away from his father\u2019s escapades and that pisses Mandla more than him being blind.<\/div>\n
\u201cZen\u201d Mandla walks in his room and stands by the door,<\/div>\n
Zenzele doesn\u2019t even flinch. He stares out of the window like someone who can see,<\/div>\n
\u201cSon I don\u2019t know if you\u2019re not getting Precious pregnant on purpose to piss me off but I know you\u2019re not infertile Zenzele. You\u2019ll give me that child whether you like it or not. Since you and Precious are toying with me, I\u2019m getting you a wife today and you\u2019ll get her pregnant. Do you hear me?\u201d<\/div>\n
Silence. Zenzele lost his sight, his humour, his friends and apparently his voice when it only comes to his father because he speaks just fine with Jabu and Precious.<\/div>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll have you ra8ped Zenzele if I have to so stop testing me! If you fail to knock up this one I\u2019m getting you, I\u2019m going to tie you on the bed and I\u2019ll have who8res take turns on you and give more than one of your bastards children!\u201d<\/div>\n
Zenzele chuckles,<\/div>\n
\u201cYOU THINK I\u2019M FUNNY ZENZELE!\u201d he roars. Zenzele knows how to get under his skin.<\/div>\n
Another silence.<\/div>\n
\u201cWhen I come back you better be ready to school that di8ck of yours. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s gone blind as well and doesn\u2019t know what pu8ssy looks like but you\u2019ll give me a son Zenzele. Dark or blue that scrotum of yours will produce a son for me. I\u2019m getting you a Mbatha wife!\u201d and he walks out, leaving Zenzele with a frown on his face.<\/div>\n
–<\/div>\n
–<\/div>\n
NTWENHLE MBATHA<\/div>\n
Most people say education is the key to success but I beg to differ. Success is what you make of yourself. I know people who didn\u2019t go to school and are doing far great than those that went to school. I Ntwenhle Mbatha I\u2019m inspired by the hustlers. The risk takers who shaped their lives and still made a success out of it.<\/div>\n
One day I\u2019ll own a restaurant. My own restaurant. From my step mother\u2019s backroom cooking food for her drunk customers I know I\u2019ll make more of myself one day.<\/div>\n
Today is not busy. The drunkards in the shebeen are the local stingy guys. Those who complain that my R30 plate of pap, braai meat and chakalaka is too expensive. I won\u2019t bother myself with cooking because I end up dishing the food to my family and neighbours when they don\u2019t buy.<\/div>\n
Tuesdays are always slow. They are days from hell but I\u2019m going to use my day productively. I\u2019ll go do my hair and spoil myself after washing this pots.<\/div>\n
\u201cNTWE!\u201d I hear Thabiso\u2019s loud voice call me before I even see him.<\/div>\n
The voice gets louder with every step he takes closer to my backroom kitchen and I frown when I realise that he is actually running.<\/div>\n
\u201cNtwe mfana!\u201d he pants barging in my restaurant. Where are his manners? My restaurant might be a backroom kitchen for now but it\u2019s still a restaurant and I expect manners and bonjour behaviour inside it,<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong? Why you running like a dog in my place of employment\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWe are in shit!\u201d he finally breathes,<\/div>\n
\u201cShit yani Thabiso?\u201d I ask. Let me tell you about Thabiso. He is my best friend and neighbour. We literally grew up together as we are the same age and both crazy and convinced each other we don\u2019t need school after matric. While I ventured into my own restaurant career Thabiso bought a taxi and became a local taxi driver.<\/div>\n
\u201cNdaba is looking for us!\u201d he say and I feel sweat run down my butt cracks.<\/div>\n
\u201cNdaba?\u201d the name tumbles out of my mouth with my beating heart.<\/div>\n
\u201cNtwana I\u2019m running away. I\u2019m going down to Free State to my aunts. He won\u2019t find me there. I thought I let you know that we have a hit on our heads\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHow the hell did he find us!\u201d I don\u2019t even know why I\u2019m shouting at Thabiso,<\/div>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know Ntwe but you know the rank don\u2019t lie. Amajita at the taxi rank told me that Ndaba is looking for me and you soo\u2026..\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSthabi we are dead\u201d my voice trembles,<\/div>\n
\u201cGo stay with your uncle in KZN. If we stay here we are both dead\u201d Natal? I\u2019m not ready to go stay in Hlabisa but I have no choice. The further I\u2019m away from Ndaba and his minions, the safer I\u2019ll be.<\/div>\n
\u201cThank you for warning me ntwana, let me go pack up. You\u2019ll drop me at the taxi rank, right?\u201d I know he is not leaving his taxi behind,<\/div>\n
\u201cSho. Be ready in an hour Ntwe\u201d an hour is enough.<\/div>\n
I look at my kitchen as Thabiso runs out. I should cry, this is my hard work and I\u2019m saying goodbye to it because of my stupid stupid mistakes with Thabiso. I didn\u2019t start this kitchen from inheritance money. Thabiso didn\u2019t buy his taxi from inheritance money. We both did something stupid and it has now caught up with us.<\/div>\n
\u201cGoodbye Ntwe\u2019s kitchen\u201d I mutter my last words to my hard work before I rush to the house.<\/div>\n
My home is in the same yard as my parent\u2019s tavern and my kitchen. The good thing is that my parents are always in the tavern and I\u2019m an only child at home so I have enough time on my hands to pack up my necessities and sneak out of here.<\/div>\n
I\u2019ll call them and tell them I\u2019m at my uncle\u2019s house when I arrive in KZN. I know if I tell them now they\u2019ll delay me and want me to leave tomorrow. Unfortunately I don\u2019t have time to explain. Ndaba doesn\u2019t give second chances to nobodies who stole from him.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
As I literally throw my clothes in my suitcase I\u2019m drawn to a Mabaso black range rover pulling in my yard.<\/div>\n
For a moment I stop everything and freeze. Mabaso? And there walks out the one and only Mandla Mabaso. The streets say he is Ndaba\u2019s boss. Right now I know I\u2019m dead. There is no running for me if Ndaba sent his boss to come collect. Two of Mandla\u2019s body guards stands by the gate wearing black from head to toe with unnecessary sunglasses.<\/div>\n
The cane man that is feared all over Ivory Park walks to the tavern and I recite an internal prayer. I pray he doesn\u2019t kill my innocent father and step mother.<\/div>\n
As I drop on my bed I make peace with whatever fate lies for me but I ask that my parents be spared from my mistakes.<\/div>\n
I produce my cell phone from my pants pocket and text my ntwana.<\/div>\n
*Bra Mindlos is already here. I am late. Go on and run ntwana and please look after my parents when the dust settles*<\/div>\n
I know Thabiso is a very good friend. My parents won\u2019t go to bed hungry if he is still alive.<\/div>\n
Maybe I should write my father a letter and explain how I got entangled with the most notorious gangster of Ivory Park while I wait for my fate. Or maybe I shouldn\u2019t. The less he know, the safer he\u2019ll be. I trust Aunty Joyce to take care of him. She is a wonderful step mother. We may have not seen eye to eye when she first came into my life but she grew on me and I wish I had the time to tell her that she\u2026\u2026\u2026.. my door burst open mid my internal thoughts train and my step mother walks in.<\/div>\n
\u201cAunty Joy?\u201d she looks happy if I\u2019m not mistaken,<\/div>\n
\u201cAunty Joy?\u201d I call again,<\/div>\n
\u201cMy baby you\u2019re getting married\u201d she turns purple as she grins,<\/div>\n
\u201cI am?\u201d I\u2019m no marriage material mina,<\/div>\n
\u201cYou are. Mandla is here asking for your hand in marriage\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWHAT?!\u201d as I scream she starts to ululate. I stare at her shocked, looking at her change colours before me. My step mother is a face creamer. She ruined her face with cream and she still continue to use it. Sometimes she is pink, sometimes she is yellow and sometimes she is purple. Her cheeks always differ with her face. They are always red and looks like they are aching. Her creaming face changes colours with her mood. Today as she dances around my room she is purple.<\/div>\n
\u201cGet out of those pants Ntwenhle and put on some dress!\u201d she barks after her mini dance.<\/div>\n
I\u2019m still shocked at Bra Mindlos wanting to marry me but you know what, being married to the most feared gangster sounds better than dying.<\/div>\n
\u201cDo you want me to put make on you?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo thank you\u201d I\u2019m quick to decline that offer. My lovely step mother is not only a face creamer but she is also the one line eyebrow drawer make up kind. She is old, I understand that but her make up skills are way way into the 80s. Who still draws one line on their eyebrows and puts on different colour shade eye shadows? I\u2019m fine with my bush eyebrows, cornrows and my jojo tank that won\u2019t go away no matter what I drink.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
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200+ Comments<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE CANE OF WEALTH VOLUME 1 From the dusty streets of Ivory Park there exist a notorious gangster by the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-cane-of-wealth-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=609"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":623,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609\/revisions\/623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}