A cynical observer who feels "rotten" and depressed by his surroundings, providing a window into the psychological toll of life under oppression. The Tsotsi:
The story is structurally simple, following the rhythm of the working man's day: the morning commute into the city and the evening return to the township.
Tragically, Themba's story mirrored the decline of Sophiatown. Plagued by alcoholism, he was fired from Drum in 1959 and spent his final years in a self-imposed exile in Swaziland, teaching and continuing to write. His work was banned, and he was declared a "statutory communist" before his death in 1967 at the age of just 43. His legacy was posthumously preserved in the collections The Will to Die (1972) and The World of Can Themba (1985).
The Dube Train short story by Can Themba is a masterpiece of South African literature, written in 1963. The story revolves around the lives of black South Africans during the apartheid era, shedding light on the struggles, injustices, and humiliations faced by the marginalized communities. Can Themba, a renowned South African writer, journalist, and editor, penned this iconic short story, which has become a classic in the country's literary canon.
Themba didn't just ride this train; he dissected it. Where a white commuter saw a utility vehicle, Themba saw a moving theater of resistance, romance, and ritual. Dube Train Short Story By Can Themba
One of the female passengers who, unlike the men, shows strength and bravery by attempting to block the
The evening train becomes a stage. Themba introduces us to the archetypes of township life:
Initially a symbol of the broader public, this massive worker is physically imposing but completely passive, choosing to doze through injustice. When pushed into action, his intervention is not driven by a noble sense of justice, but by toxic shame. His violent response mirrors the explosive, unchecked rage simmering under the surface of the township. The Brave Woman
But his voice remains frozen in ink. "The Dube Train" is a masterclass in how to write place. You learn the geography of Dube, the schedule of the engines, the smell of the leather straps, the taste of the dust. A cynical observer who feels "rotten" and depressed
Can Themba’s work remains a cornerstone of African literature, providing a window into a specific historical moment while speaking to universal truths about fear, courage, and the human condition.
Throughout the journey, Themba masterfully juxtaposes the lives of his characters, showcasing the vastly different experiences of black and white South Africans. As the train stops at various stations, new characters board, each with their own stories, struggles, and aspirations. The author uses these encounters to illuminate the dehumanizing effects of apartheid, the brutal treatment of black people by the authorities, and the moral compromises made by some individuals to survive in a racist society.
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He uses sharp, often gritty, imagery to bring the sensory experience of the train to life. Plagued by alcoholism, he was fired from Drum
The climax of the story often hinges on a confrontation—either a physical fight over a seat, a sudden police check for passes (the "dompas"), or a moment of unexpected tenderness when a stranger offers a cigarette to a crying child. Themba’s genius is that the "plot" is merely the rhythm of the rails: acceleration, the screech of brakes at the station, the heaving of bodies.
The train became a microcosm of the state's oppressive power. The overcrowding, the anonymity, and the lack of any state protection created a powder keg where violence could ignite at any moment. This was the "shoving savagery of the crowd" that the narrator describes, a "hostile life" he must endure twice a day.
Finally, a big, strong man intervenes. In a decisive act of violence, he tackles and kills the tsotsi. The crowd, which had been so passive, suddenly bursts into applause, celebrating the victor. The story ends with a chillingly mundane observation: the killing “was just another incident in the morning Dube Train,” and the passengers were soon “greedily relishing the thrilling episode”.
The Dube train itself is the central symbol of the story. It represents the forced segregation and engineered misery of the apartheid system. Black workers are crammed into substandard carriages, stripped of comfort, and transported like cattle to build wealth for a city that denies them basic human rights. 2. Apathy versus Resistance
The central philosophical tension of the story is between the traditional African concept of ubuntu ("I am because we are") and the brutal individualism required to survive the city. In the morning, everyone is selfish. By evening, they remember they are neighbors. Themba suggests that apartheid tried to kill ubuntu, but the Dube train—a place of enforced intimacy—accidentally preserved it.