Parents' Guide to Ingoma

In INGOMA, Themba (Mpho Sbeng) is a successful teacher at an all-boys high school. While joking around with his students, they start discussing the hardships they face, and how Themba was always a rich "cheese boy" who couldn't possibly understand what they're going through. In response, Themba tells them the truth of his upbringing, how his father died when he was young, how his brother was in prison, how his mother worked as a sex worker to make ends meet and ensure that Themba had the best possible education at an elite private school. But when his drug dealer best friend steals his girlfriend, Palesa, Themba becomes tired of being poor, and decides that he too will deal drugs to have money for nice clothes and the finer things in life. While initially successful, Themba soon discovers that the police have been watching his every move, and when they try to arrest him, Themba escapes and takes a neighborhood minimart hostage while the police surround the building. Those inside, mostly from an older generation, try to get Themba to change the direction that his life is going, and when Themba is convinced that he cannot fix these mistakes, they assure him that all hope is not lost and that his life is not over. Now older and successful, Themba must communicate to this younger generation of South African men that they must take responsibility for themselves and their community through example and love.