Welcome to Our Hillbrow: Chapter 3 Summary & Analysis

As Refentše watches from his “heavenly vantage point,” he sees Lerato swallow the tablets that kill her. “See the World through the Eyes of a Child” plays, just like the day when Refentše jumped out of his window. Refentše wishes he could have talked to her before she did it, so that he could have explained that his death was not her fault. Refentše regrets that he did not tell Sammy that he slept with Bohlale, because then Sammy might not have felt so racked with guilt.

Refentše also regrets that he was not alive to protect Lerato from a phone call from Terror. Terror, a cruel villager from Tiragalong, called Lerato and threatened to tell her mother that Refentše killed himself because Lerato had an affair. Terror had an old schoolboy grudge against Refentše. He had always wanted to sleep with Lerato, mostly to upset Refentše. Lerato’s mother thought Refentše was an excellent boyfriend, an “ideal” son-in-law, and Terror knew that it would break her heart to hear the story about Lerato and Sammy. Lerato knew this, too, and so she took the pills before her mother could find out and be disappointed.

Refentše, from heaven, wishes he could have told Lerato that he’d also been unfaithful to their relationship, since this probably would have made her feel less guilty. However, in the afterlife, it is completely clear to Refentše that he does not “own” life—meaning he can’t influence anyone else’s choices. So, all Refentše can do is wait at the gates of heaven for Lerato. When she arrives, Refentše will say, “Welcome to our new Hillbrow…”

When Lerato does arrive in heaven, she and Refentše spend a long time talking about their days as students at the university. Refentše admits that his mother’s disapproval for their relationship made him depressed. Lerato says “coward!” and tells him he could have told her earlier. But she is relieved, because she understands Refentše’s suicide was much more complicated than she thought.

Lerato then tells Refentše about living with the weight of a “vote of no confidence” from a loved one, which is what she thought Refentše gave her. She tells Refentše about the fear and anxiety she felt because she thought it was her moment of weakness that caused his death.  She says she almost envied Sammy, since he was losing his mind—she thought that this protected him from some of the guilt and hurt. Then they both sigh, thinking about Sammy’s deteriorating mind.

Refentše then takes Lerato to go meet his mother. Refentše’s mother slowly eyes Lerato from head to toe. Then, she gently smiles. She says she sees the resemblance between Lerato and Tshepo, and this pleases her, and she says she believes that they have the same father. Then, Refentše’s mother takes him and Lerato to meet her father (Piet) and Tshepo. Piet was killed when Tshepo was four and Lerato was not yet born.

After the introduction, Refentše and Lerato go to watch a “movie” together, just as they used to do on Earth. That evening’s showing is a historical film. It tells the story of a man who was killed in the South African village called Alexandra a little over 20 years ago. The movie begins with Liz, Lerato’s mother, when she is pregnant with Lerato. Piet kisses her goodbye. They live together as a gardener and a housekeeper for a white couple in a suburb. Every Sunday, Piet goes back to Alexandra, where relatives and friends live.

One such relative is Molori, Piet’s cousin. Their relationship is ordinarily very close, but Piet has no way of knowing that something is very wrong on that day. Molori’s mother recently fell ill. The people of Tiragalong suggest that he go to a bone thrower so that he can figure out what is wrong with her. He goes to a bone thrower that is the “most famous—or notorious” in the area. This man helps “sniff out” the old woman responsible for Tshepo’s lightning strike (though it isn’t until afterwards that the village people realize he’s wrong).

This particular bone thrower is also cunning. Instead of telling people to pay ahead of time, he gives them his information first and then tells them to pay whatever they think the reading is worth. More often than not, through a combination of admiration and fear from the townspeople, he ends up with more money than if he’d set a fixed price. After meeting Molori’s mother, the bone thrower tells them that this is an extremely serious case. He immediately sets to work throwing his bones, chanting, and speaking to the gods. He talks in a language Molori does not know.

After an impressive, confusing show, the bone thrower tells Molori that his mother was poisoned by someone in the family. The bone thrower says that a relative who lives east of Tiragalong is very jealous of Molori, since Molori works in an office and the relative works as a gardener. The bone thrower then describes Piet with startling accuracy. Molori does not know that the bone thrower makes it his job to know the details of everyone in the community. The bone thrower convinces Molori that Piet tried to conspire to curse Molori himself, but the curse landed on his mother.

Molori’s uncle reminds Molori that they have no way of knowing who is trustworthy just by looking at them. The night after seeing the bone thrower, Molori keeps dreaming of a snake that tries to poison him. He imagines that the snake is Piet. By the time he wakes up the next morning, he is angry, scared, and “full of purpose.” As Piet, unaware, walks to Alexandra, Molori and two hired hitmen stab him to death.

As Refentše watches the story of Piet’s life and death from Heaven, he thinks about the complexities of living. He thinks so much about the “complex paradox of life, death, and everything in between” that he gets dizzy and his head aches. He thinks about how difficult life can be in any place, whether it’s Hillbrow, Alexandra, Tiragalong, or anywhere else.