Sifiso Mzobe's first novel explores why young men turn to crime

Sifiso Mzobe was born in Umlazi Township, Durban, where he went to school. After attending StFrancis College, he studied journalism at Damelin Business Campus in Durban. He works for a community newspaper as a journalist. Young Blood is his first novel.

Was the book based on an idea that you always wanted to write about, or was it inspired by a specific incident?

Umlazi is the car-stealing capital of KwaZulu-Natal. I thought it was an interesting thing to look at, to see how the conditions under which people live make them come to such a tough decision - to take something that's not theirs. It was happening around me in the township and I thought it would be interesting for readers to get an insight into this thing.

How much of your own life and true stories did you put into the final book?

There are a lot of true stories but it's not at all autobiographical by any stretch of the imagination.

Was it an easy decision to write the book in English or did you ever consider going the other way and writing it in Zulu?

When I speak, it's obviously better to express myself in Zulu, but on the writing side I find it easier to express myself in English. It's just the country we live in.

Have people in Umlazi read the book and what do they think of it? And what do they think of you?

They think I'm Superman for putting these issues in book form because they think of writers as older white people, academics, and so they are really proud to see themselves in the book.

Did you think about how people might react to the stories of young black men, an under-explored area in local fiction? And did that influence what you wrote?

It's both. You have to use your discretion. Some things, especially in the Zulu culture, are deemed sacred. In the book there are parts where this guy has to go to a traditional healer for cleansing and in those sections I did not go as deep as I could have, because some of our secrets we should not put out there. People see this traditional-healing, muti side of things as something sacred to our culture. I wrote the book to show that there are people who live this kind of life in our country.

Do you see yourself as having a social role as a writer?

I think I'm 70% entertainment and 30% social activist. I've had a lot of people who are pure "crimi" fans saying I tried to moralise in the book, but this was done on purpose. I worry about preaching, because I don't like to be preached to, but you have to have balance.

Do you think issues of criminality are misunderstood?

The mainstream idea is that criminals do this for pure enjoyment, but when you look deeper, it's mostly young men who have no other alternative. I believe that the problem is in our education system because we don't channel people to their strengths. You find that a young guy who is good with his hands is channelled into maths or physics, where he is hopeless, and this kills his confidence. I live in Umlazi and some people live in abject poverty and when you're looking at it, you can't always judge criminals, because you think to yourself, if you were in his shoes, what would you do?

How do you feel about being categorised as a young black writer and what do you think about the literary scene that you're now part of?

I'm comfortable enough in my blackness to view myself as just a writer. I guess some black readers view me as a black writer and they have a sense of pride that there is someone like them doing this kind of thing. I must say that I just love the support that I'm getting from everyone in the literary scene. It's been amazing and beyond what I expected.

What do you want to write about next?

I've started. It's also in the crime genre, but I'm telling it from the point of view of the police. The main character is a policeman and he's 30 and he's got a family. It will be centred on a high-profile murder case. I'm doing a lot of research, going around with the cops and finding that they're crazier than the criminals. Once people know you're a writer, they just want to tell you their stories. -

• Young Blood is published by Kwela, R185

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