Chapter 12: Snakes in Uniform
The school reopened a week later.
New security guards. New principal. New promises.
But behind the painted gates of Thuto-Mphatlhalatsane Secondary, not everything was new.
Some snakes had just shed skin.
---
Kgosi's Return
Kgosi walked through the gates with his hoodie low, schoolbag strapped tight, and his father's USB in his pocket like a weapon.
Lethabo was back too — wrist bandaged, but full of jokes.
"Agh, bro," he laughed, "These teachers must think I'm Robocop now. One bullet and I'm back like nothing happened."
Kgosi smirked. "Nah, you're just stubborn."
They both turned when a voice called out.
"Kgosi Matlala. Please come with me."
It was Mr Dube — the new acting principal.
Tall. Bald. Smile too wide to trust.
---
Inside the Office
Mr Dube folded his hands. "We want peace, son."
Kgosi stared. "Then fire the snakes still slithering around here."
Mr Dube blinked.
"You think I don't know?" Kgosi continued. "Some teachers still loyal to Radebe. Still using students to move product. And now that Red Wire's rising again, they're scared."
"Be careful, Kgosi," Mr Dube warned, his voice no longer friendly. "You're smart. But smart boys disappear in the wrong places."
Kgosi stood up.
"And crooked men get exposed in the right time."
---
After School — Kasi Corner
Kgosi, Naledi, and Lethabo met at the old wall where the crew used to hang out.
"I don't like this Dube guy," Naledi said.
"He's not the threat," Kgosi replied. "He's the puppet. We need the puppeteer."
"You thinking Radebe again?" Lethabo asked.
Kgosi nodded. "He never left. He just changed players."
Naledi unlocked her phone and showed them a photo she secretly snapped earlier.
It was Dube… shaking hands with a man in a black car.
The man? Detective Khumalo.
The same cop who "investigated" Bra T-Man's death.
---
Street Whispers
Later that week, whispers floated around the kasi like smoke:
> "Red Wire's back."
"Kgosi's got receipts."
"Some teachers are sweating."
"That Matlala boy is dangerous."
With each whisper, fear grew in the hearts of the corrupt.
And power returned to the hands of the bold.
---
Kasi Youth Forum
Naledi's idea.
A real one.
She created a WhatsApp group called K.Y.F. – Kasi Youth Forum, where students from different schools could share info about:
Corrupt teachers
Drug dealing tactics
Fake bursaries used to trap kids
Codes used in selling at school
How to get help secretly
The group grew fast.
200 students in 3 days.
And it wasn't just chat. It became a movement.
---
A Scary Warning
One night, Kgosi came home to find his front gate open.
No sign of forced entry.
But on the kitchen table… a note:
> "Stay out of Radebe's lane.
Your mom walks alone to work."
He clenched his fists.
Now it was personal.
---
The Hidden Room
Naledi, curious about the school's blueprints, convinced a friendly janitor to show them the original plans.
That's when they discovered it:
A small storage room under the library that wasn't in the new plans.
Midnight mission.
Lethabo kept watch while Kgosi and Naledi picked the lock.
Inside?
Stashed phones
Empty pill bottles
Student files
Two Red Wire vests
"This is where they ran it," Kgosi whispered.
Naledi opened a file.
And froze.
---
A File with His Name
> KGOSI T. MATLALA
Monitored since Grade 7.
Son of Subject: Thabang "T-Man" Matlala
Potential disruptor. Must be contained or recruited.
Notes:
"If he turns, silence him."
Naledi gasped.
Kgosi didn't speak. He couldn't.
The plan to watch, trap, or kill him had started years ago.
Even back when he was still figuring out algebra.
---
Closing the Chapter with a Fire Oath
Outside, under a streetlight, Kgosi took a match and burned the file slowly.
"Why not keep it?" Lethabo asked.
"Because I'm done being watched," Kgosi said. "Now they'll see me coming."
He looked at Naledi.
"You still in?"
She nodded. "To the end."
And to Lethabo.
"Even if bullets fly again?"
Lethabo lifted his shirt to show his scar. "Already got my badge."
Kgosi looked up at the kasi sky, stars barely visible through smog and streetlight haze.
"They wanted to bury me," he said.
"They forgot I was a seed."