CURRICULUM GRADE 10 -12 DIRECTORATE

NCS (CAPS)

ENGLISH HOME LANGUAGE

GRADE 11
LEARNER SUPPORT DOCUMENT
TSOTSI

JUST IN TIME (JIT) PROGRAMME

MARCH 2024
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PURPOSE AND RATIONALE

In the novel "Tsotsi" by Athol Fugard, there are important themes like redemption, understanding
who we are, and what it means to be human. This guide is here to help you, the learners, to really
get into the heart of the story. We want to give you the tools you need to help you understand the
characters and the important ideas in the book. First, to make sure you know what's happening
in the story and who the main characters are. Then, to help you learn about the time and place
the story is set in – South Africa during apartheid – and how that affected the people who lived
there. We're here to make sure you get the most out of reading "Tsotsi"!

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JIT RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT TEAM – MAY 2024

TEAM NAME SCHOOL DISTRICT

Clive Mottian DCES Umlazi
Morgan Moodley Savannah Park Secondary Umlazi
GRADE 12 POETRY
Meloshnee Pillay Mountview Secondary Pinetown
Kumreshni Pather Kharwastan Secondary Umlazi
GRADE 11 POETRY
Devindree Pillay Mountview Secondary Pinetown

GRADE 10 POETRY Kasturie Govender Asoka Secondary Umlazi

Monica Ramraj Queensburgh Girls’ High Umlazi

GRADE 12 NOVEL
“LIFE OF PI” Dillon Naidoo Marburg Secondary Ugu
Nayan Morar Ladysmith Secondary Uthukhela
GRADE 11 NOVEL
“TSOTSI” Adhithi Maharaj Westham Secondary Pinetown
Tilly Maharaj Scottsburgh High Ugu
GRADE 11 NOVEL
“THINGS FALL APART” Nongcebo Qwabe Canaan College Umlazi
Abigail Scott Amanzimtoti High Umlazi
GRADE 10 DRAMA
“ ROMEO AND JULIET” Nonkululeko Gumede Maritzburg College Umngungundlovu
Vembuli Sewmangal Dundee High School Umzinyathi
GRADE 10 DRAMA
“LIGHTHOUSE Simi Moodley Clairwood HighSchool Umlazi
KEEPER’S WIFE”
Yoga Moodley Ganges Secondary Umlazi
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CONTENTS PAGE
TOPIC SUB-HEADINGS PAGE
1 Rationale 2

2 Acknowledgements The JIT Team 3

3 Content page 4

4 Author Introduction to Athol Fugard 6

5 Historical context The Apartheid Era and Era of the Pass Laws 6

6 Title Definition 7

7 Plot Summary 8

8 Characters Basic Character Analysis 9

9 Themes Summary of Main Themes 14

10 Symbols & motifs Identification of Symbols and Motifs 17

11 Word bank Vocabulary Enrichment 18

12 Enrichment activities Exercises: Find the words, crossword & 19

contextual

References Acknowledgement of sources

Images https://www.creativefabrica.com/product/south-
africa-country-outline-with-flag/

Ai generated images https://gencraft.com/generate

Plot, characters https://www.litcharts.com/lit/tsotsi

Contextual EC NOVEMBER GRADE 11 PAPER 2

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TSOTSI
- Athol Fugard
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 South African playwright, novelist, and director.

 Known for his works addressing apartheid and
its aftermath in South Africa.
 Fugard's works often focus on human
relationships, oppression, and social justice.
 Characters struggle with issues of identity,
morality, and reconciliation.

The Author: Athol Fugard

A HISTORICAL CONTEXT / SETTING

APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA

Inequality Migrant Labour Group Areas

Violence
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Tsotsi takes place against the backdrop of apartheid South

Africa. The migrant labour system, the pass laws and land
dispossession were some of the harsh realities of apartheid.
Poverty, inequality, and social unrest, provide the backdrop
against which the characters grapple with themes of identity,
redemption, and the search for humanity amidst the brutality
of their environment.

TITLE: TSOTSI

 Slang that refers to a thug/gangster/criminal

 Connotations of violence, lawlessness, social disruption
 Symbolizes poverty, crime, legacy of Apartheid.
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Chapter 12
 Tsotsi goes to church to seek
redemption- meets Isaiah. Chapter 11
Chapter 1  Watches Miriam feed the baby -  Finds Boston passed out at a
realises that mothers really love bar.
 The murder of Gumboot
Dlamini by Tsotsi and the gang.
their children.  Carries him to his room.
 He goes back to church and on his  Boston’s backstory –
return hears the bulldozers -runs to expelled from teacher’s
save the baby but both he and the college, sold fake
baby are crushed in his attempt. passbooks, joined the gang.
Chapter 2
 He dies with a beautiful smile.  Tsotsi questions him about
 Boston questions Tsotsi
the changes he is
 Tsotsi brutally beats experiencing.
Boston.
 Boston tells him to seek God.

Chapter 3
TSOTSI-PLOT Chapter 10
 Young woman thrusts  The gang is
shoebox into Tsotsi’s disbanded.
hands  Miriam offers to
 Tsotsi discovers baby in take the baby but
the box Tsotsi refuses.
 He names the baby
David.
 Leaves the baby in
Chapter 4 the ruins.
 Memory triggers of a  Goes in search of
yellow dog Boston.

Chapter 9
 Tsotsi experiences
Chapter 5
Flashbacks
 Gumboot is buried  Mother’s arrest
 Boston awakes from his  Father’s return
unconscious state
 Kicking of the dog
 Butcher and Die Aap
 Birth of stillborn
are concerned about the
pups
future of the gang.
 Joining Petah’s
 Tsotsi decides that they
gang of street
head for the city.
children

Chapter 7 Chapter 8
Chapter 6
 Tsotsi realizes that he has a choice –  Tsotsi finds the baby
 Morris Tshablala’s backstory covered in ants- cleans
does not have to kill the victim.
 Lost his legs in the mines when
 Able to choose to let him live. him.
a beam fell.  Finds Miriam – takes
 Cannot get a job. her to the room.
 Has to resort to begging to  Forces her to feed the
survive. baby.
 She feeds and cleans the
baby.
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MAIN CHARACTERS

I am David Madondo
 I am 10 years old.
 My mum’s name is Tondi. She was taken by the police.
 A horrible man (Father) kicked our pregnant dog to death.
 I am running away from this horror.

 Vulnerable, confused, lost, humane, compassionate.

I am Tsotsi / David Madondo

 A criminal/gangster/ street thug!
 Lawless, Violent, Killer, merciless and unapologetic
 ASK NO QUESTIONS AND I WILL NOT BEAT YOU UP!!!
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I am Butcher
 Butcher is my name and killing is my game!!!
 No conscience, no compassion, definitely no mercy just a cold-blooded
killer. Grrrrrrr.

Ek is die Aap!
 I am big and strong.
 Tsotsi is my leader. I do as he says.
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I am Walter ‘Boston’ Nzuza

 I have a drinking problem.
 I was expelled from a teacher’s training college – accused of rape,
 Joined a life of crime – forging documents, before being chosen as part of
the gang.

I am Gumboot Dlamini
 I am a mine worker. I collected my pay packet.
 I have been saving my money, next week I will be going home to my wife.
 I was murdered by Butcher on the train. Die Aap held me down and Butcher stabbed
me with a bicycle spoke. And then he – Tsotsi - whispered an obscenity about my
mother!
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I am Morris Tshabalala
 I am a crippled amputee – lost my legs- accident in the mines- poverty-
stricken and jobless- I want to live!

I am Miriam Ngidi
 I am Miriam Ngidi, single mum.
 Caught in the struggle of poverty.
 I will help Tsotsi take care of the baby. It is the humane thing to do.
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Do you know who I am?

Match each description with the correct character from the novel "Tsotsi."

Boston Butcher Tsotsi Die Aap Isaiah Miriam

Gumboot Dhlamini Morris Tshabalala

a. The protagonist and leader of a gang of township criminals who undergoes a transformation
after finding a baby. _____________________

b. A member of Tsotsi's gang who questions Tsotsi about his past and suggests he has a soul.
______________________

c. A cold-blooded killer and designated hitman of Tsotsi's gang. ____________________

d. Another member of Tsotsi's gang, known for his loyalty and obedience.
_____________________

e. A young woman who helps care for the baby and shows kindness to Tsotsi.
__________________

f. A beggar whom Tsotsi stalks in the city but ultimately spares. _________________________

g. One of the gang's victims, brutally murdered on a train. __________________

h. The church gardener who offers Tsotsi some tea and explains about God.
_____________________
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THEMES

1. Redemption – Can be achieved by

the most corrupt if one is willing to
change.

Tsotsi Tsotsi
 Hardened Encounter with the baby & memories of the past.
 Grappling with
criminal his capacity for
empathy and
compassion

2. Survival

 Grapples with his past

 Life as a gangster
 Encounters with the  Memories of the past – arrest of  Violence
baby his mother, father kicking yellow  Robbery
dog, joining street gang -prompt  Murderer
him to confront his own identity
and the consequences of his  Seeks to understand who he
action. truly is beyond his life as a
gangster.
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3. Apartheid & Racism

 Apartheid
 Poverty
 Inequality
 Pass laws.
 Land dispossession.
 Absence of parental
figure
 Migrant Labour System

4. Parents & Children

 DAVID MADONDO- the child

experiences abandonment -
separated from parent –
because of apartheid.
 He learns the importance of
human connection
 Finds his capacity for
kindness.
 MIRIAM + THE BABY
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5. Truth

 Confronts his past.

 Seeks to atone for his crimes.
 Searches for meaning in his
life.
 Goes in search of God –
encounters Isaiah at the
church.
 Accepts invitation to attend
worship.
 Acknowledging the harm he
has caused and making
amends.
 Striving to make peace within
himself and those he has
wronged.

6. Migrant Labour System

 Labourers from the rural areas/

homelands were recruited/
moved to work in the mines.
 Cheap labour that impacted on
family structure away from
wives and children.
 Gumboot Dlamini is a migrant
worker – worked for a year –
saved money – going home in a
week.
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Symbols & Motifs

DAVID (THE BABY) TSOTSI’S NAME

Innocence Tsotsi's identity as a

Triggers – the gangster
change Loss of his true self.
Human connection Dehumanised

THE TOWNSHIP FLASHBACKS AND MEMORIES

TTTT

 Poverty  Facing the past-

 Violence mother’s arrest,
 killing of the dog
 Apartheid
 Joining the gang

THE DOG RUINS AND BULLDOZERS

Represents Tsotsi’s past

of abandonment and Destruction and
Loss. change.
A crippled apartheid S.A Apartheid S.A
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WORD BANK
Township A term used to describe the racially segregated areas where black
South Africans were forced to live during apartheid.
Apartheid The system of institutionalized racial segregation and
discrimination that existed in South Africa from 1948 to the early
1990s.
Gangster A member of a group of violent criminals, especially in an urban
setting.
Thug A violent or criminal person, often associated with street crime.
Redemption The action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil.
Empathy The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
Compassion Sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of
others.
Identity The characteristics, beliefs, and expressions that make a person
or group unique.
Morality Principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or
good and bad behaviour
Reconciliation The restoration of friendly relations; the action of making one view
or belief compatible with another.
Inequality The state of not being equal, especially in status, rights, or
opportunities.

Oppression Prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control.

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TSOTSI CROSSWORD
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Across
3. Tsotsi’s friend who can’t think for himself but is loyal to him.
5. The character who never misses a strike and is a ruthless killer in Tsotsi’s gang.
8. What does Tsotsi have a fear of?
9. Who said, “You must have a soul, Tsotsi. Everybody’s got a soul.”
12. Character that introduces Tsotsi to God.
13. What symbolizes life and brings the community together for a common act.
14. The first object that Tsotsi looks at every morning.
15. What Boston did that caused him to be expelled from College.
16. The important period the story takes place in whereby there is a segregation of races.
18. The character who teaches Tsotsi to let go of the past by feeding the baby.
19. The theme throughout the story where Tsotsi converts from darkness tolight.
21. What colour tie was Gumboot Dhlamini wearing before his death?
24. The dramatic technique used whereby the storm in Chapter 3 is an indication of the release of
emotion in the future.
25. What does Tsotsi buy from Cassim in order to feed the baby?
Down
1. The character who represents the church but is patronizing towards Isaiah.
2. What does Tsotsi keep that triggers memories of the yellow dog and his past.
4. The place where the journey from the township to city “started” and “ended” everyday.
6. After the Gang murder Gumboot, they see Rosie sitting in the corner of Soekie’s bar, what
does she symbolize?
7. The story is set in a township near which major city?
10. The owner of Ramadoola, the General Dealer.
11. The first victim that Tsotsi showed compassion towards and let him escape.
17. Tsotsi’s real name.
20. The name of the plot structure when we first meet Tsotsi and his gang on a Friday evening in
a township.
22. A memory of Tsotsi that represents his past and the crippled apartheid system that South
Africa is faced with.
23. The meaning of the word “Tsotsi”.
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TSOTSI – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION

Read the extracts below and then answer the questions that follow.
It was the Saturday Street. The street had as many names as there were days
in the week, as many as there were hours in a day. Saturday had one profound
meaning. You had got past Friday. You were still alive. After this came the
other meanings. You had money in your pocket. Tomorrow was Sunday, and
that meant no work. You could live late today, and sleep late tomorrow. So, you 5
put on your best, you jingled your coins and you lounged about the corners
watching the girls arm in arm flaunting their skirts the length of the street. That
was the Saturday Street. Lots of people, come today gone tomorrow, very hot,
making up now for the banshee time around midnight when Saturday night
would reach its climax. 10

Tsotsi saw it very quickly and closed his mind to it. He had seen it before. Free
of the embarrassment and humiliation, he had felt in buying the milk, he was free
now to hurry without a loss of pride. He slipped the tin into his coat pocket and
pushed forward. People felt safe in the daylight and that made it harder to move
through the crowds on the pavement. On Fridays they opened up and made a 15
path for him.

When he reached his room, he was sweating. He closed the door behind him,
putting a chair against it so that no one could enter unexpectedly. The window,
or rather the hole in the wall since there was no glass, he covered up with a thin
square of wood which he used for that purpose when it was cold or raining and 20
the wind blew. Only then, feeling safe from inquisitive eyes or interruption, did
he takes the shoebox from its hiding place under the bed. He put it carefully on
the table, pulled up a chair, sat down, and then took off the lid to examine its
contents. [Chapter 4]

1. Place the extract in context. Tsotsi goes to Cassim’s to buy milk for the baby. He is
humiliated and shamed by his illiteracy.
Tsotsi thinks of the weekends in the township – the
crime and the fear that he instilled in people.
Returns to room to feed the crying baby. Baby stops
Consider what crying when he feeds it condensed milk.
has happened Tsotsi starts to think of past events.
before the extract,
and show a link to
the extract.
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2. Refer to lines 3-8 ‘You had got past 2. Township Nightlife

Friday…. was the Saturday Street.’ The Saturday street is a time of freedom and
Discuss what these lines reveal fun.
about the township nightlife in It is energetic and vibrant.
context of the novel. 2 It is different from the rest of the week which is
characterised by the continuous threat of
violence and desperate attempts at survival.
Discussion
For just one-night people have the opportunity to
DISCUSS= celebrate that they have made it through the
talk about week and that they will be able to rest the
issue in following day before the relentless cycle begins
detail again.

3. Account for Tsotsi’s feelings of  He had to go into a shop and pay for milk, rather
‘embarrassment and than steal as is normal Tsotsi behaviour.
humiliation’  It is a matter of pride if a tough man like him is
(line 12). (3) seen buying milk for a baby.
 He is in an unusual situation of being vulnerable
and unsure.
 He is humiliated by the fact that he cannot read
ACCOUNT= the writing on the tin of condensed milk.
GIVE  He is embarrassed because he has no clue
REASONS/ about what a baby would need and needs
WHY assistance from the shopkeeper

4. Refer to lines 15–16: ‘On Fridays they Reaction

opened up and made a path for him’.  Tsotsi is fearless and feared despite his age.
Critically comment on whether this  His plans never fail as is evidenced by his
reaction to Tsotsi is justified by referring carefully executed plan to ‘take one on the
to earlier events in the novel. 3 trains’.
 The vitriol he whispers in the dying Gumboot’s
ear shows that he is merciless and deliberately
malicious.
 His brutal beating of Boston for asking too
Critically comment= many questions shows the ruthlessness of
examine /good or bad which Tsotsi is capable
opinion and support
with
reasons/examples
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