WHEN RAIN CLOUDS GATHER

This novel is about a refugee, a protagonist who ran away from his country in
search of utopia. He was running away from his birth country South Africa,
where he was ill-treated and at disadvantaged position. He wanted to move away
from autocracy to democracy. He was in search for self-identity and personal
freedom because in his country he didnt enjoy life and all associated
privilledges.he wanted freedom from the terrorist activities he was involved in.
He was from the country whereby electricity and running water was only enjoyed
by white people whilst blacks slave their lives for them being ill-treated. There
was hostility among different races and ethnic groups. Apartheid divided the
population according to race and language. He ran to Botswana in hope to find
peace and stop running and face all he had ran away from.

Makhaya Maseko migrated illegally to Botswana in search for a better life.He

walked a very long distance and finaly got a lift from a truck driver whom he told
was from Ndebele tribe as he thought that the Ndebeles dominated the area.He
then reached Botswana little did he know that his picture was everywhere been
declared as a dangerous saboteur. He comes to realise that when he went to the
police station to report his illegal arrival in Botswana. George Appleby Smith was
long waiting for him.he was then granted a temporary stay.

He then met a man call Dineroge who let him squat in his residence in his village
Golema Mmide.when he saw Makhaya .he immediately thought that he will be
good to marry his daughter Maria.The living conditions in Golema Mmidi were
very harsh,it was dry with little rain,which made it difficult for people to farm and
for cattle to graze.At some point the condition led to eighty cattles dead because
of the dry season.in this village the boys were not allowed to go to school,they
had to herd cattles and stay at the cattles posts all seasons.Only girls were
allowed to go to school.women of this village had strings of relationships and
they seem not to mind.It was normal to them.In this village women allowed their
men to daily tread upon them.Thins were smoothy as long as all women
pretended to be inferior to men.

The chiefs of the village also contributed to the horrible living conditions of as
they only thought about themselves and prevented local people to develop.They
had people working for them without pay.They bought cattles from them at low
prices and sold them at a higher price.They lived comfortable lives whilst their
people suffer.Chief Matenge was a troublesome,unpopular , openly corrupt and
hated refugees.He openly went all the way out to make sure that Makhaya gets
expelled from their village.