August 11

Two nights ago, Elizabeth came up to the house in a panic and asked John to come down to her house to separate her two grandsons who were having an argument.  Her older grandson has been banned from the property after he got involved in a fight at Hillside shops and the police came her looking for him.  He is a heavy drinker and was once found by a neighbour, asleep in his garden.  Now he is an illegal gold dealer in Esigodeni.

Her other grandson did very well at school and left with A levels, but has been unable to find work.  We gave him some work to do in the garden which he clearly thought was below him.  He now sells firewood outside Hillside shops.  Unfortunately, he has also taken to drink - and very heavily.  A fight has broken out between the two brothers and the one who sells firewood has been hit on the head and is bleeding.

I was concerned that John might be attacked as well and was ready to call the police for assistance as all I could hear was shouting.  Eventually, John got the older grandson to leave and Elizabeth wanted to call an ambulance to take her other grandson to hospital, but we didn't think it would ever come.  Also. his injuries weren't actually that bad.

We have not seen Elizabeth since the incident and she now appears looking very meek.  It is all very heart-breaking.  Her grandson wants so much more in life and he thought he would get it through education, but now he is doing a job that the most uneducated person could do. Elizabeth is nearly eighty; there is nothing else she can give him, except a place to stay.  Her husband was a heavy drinker and so have all her sons been heavy drinkers.  One was killed by a car in South Africa and another was hit by a train - luckily he survived as the train was going very slowly and, probably, because he was so drunk.