My first encounter with Mokotso Moeletsi ended with us pulling knives on each other. But by the time he died on Monday, we’d been close friends for more than 30 years. Let’s claw back to 1986, where it all started. I was sitting with friends at the posh Exchange Bar, Royal Hotel, when someone came to our table and grabbed one of our chairs.

When we said we were expecting someone to join us, someone across the room shouted that we had no business drinking in town anyway, as we were izinyemfu from Hammarsdale. Izinyemfu was an insult reserved for those who lived in houses that had toilets inside, as opposed to those whose toilets were outside, as was the case in some townships...