It was a sunny Saturday afternoon in Bryanson, and Katlego was ironing his best suit. The occasion? A prestigious event known only in whispers and inside WhatsApp groups: The Annual Side Chick Graduation Gala.

Katlego was a small-town boy from Polokwane who’d just moved to Johannesburg, the City of Gold—AKA the City of Gold Teeth. Or, less formally known as the city of “watch your pockets when you see a guy sporting Chuck Taylor sneakers, Dickies slacks, a slanted bucket hat and a gold tooth”.

Once upon a chaotic Saturday morning in Soweto, Katlego, the deputy parent, was left in charge of his three siblings—Sipho, Zanele, and baby Nkosi. Their parents, in true South African fashion, announced, “We’re just going to Makro to grab a few things. We’ll be back now-now.” Katlego knew this meant they’d return after the sun had set, possibly with a small fleet of unnecessary Tupperware.