Audio file 62-2

Wonga, speaking about an incidence when a man demanded to see Ernest's pass even though he had no authority to do so, opines about social class structure

Wonga speaks of the Samuel Beckett play "Waiting for Godot"

[tape stopped and restarts] Wonga continues, about humans becoming habituated to inhuman behaviour; Ernest and he debate [Ernest mentions Soweto]

Ernest is reminded of a disagreement he had with Arthur Briggs, a fellow prisoner at St Denis; Ernest explains that Briggs is a Black musician from the West Indies - a jazz musician and trumpet player - who gave weekly concerts for fellow prisoners; that on one occasion, 2 White prisoners made derogatory remarks about Briggs and Ernest chastise them but they are rude back to Ernest

the 2 White prisoners tell Briggs about Ernest confronting them and Briggs is unhappy with Ernest; Wonga interprets it as Briggs being accustomed to seeking White approval; they speak about Parisian music clubs and racism

they begin but do not complete different topics around racism [tape stopped and restarts multiple times]

[tape stopped and restarts] Ernest speaks of Nobadula, a neighbour, who held concerts in Benoni and trafficked gold stolen by the mining workers; Ernest says that his father disapproved of Nabadula but his mother was amused by him

In audio file 94-2, Ernest expresses his wish that Nabadula's gold smuggling not be made public. We have decided to publish nevertheless because of the amount of time that has passed since the events and the importance of such oral history for understanding South African mining history

Wonga compares Nobadula's illegal trade to the Skokiaan queens; Ernest speaks of his aunt who was a Skokiaan queen and Wonga asks about the profession; they return to Nabadula

the term "skokiaan" means illegally-made alcohol

[tape stopped and restarts - the subject completely changes] Ernest speaks about the sailor from the Balmoral Castle who used to sail on a boat called All Alone, that the name was symbollic not just for Ernest, newly arrived in the United Kingdom, but also for the sailor who had no relationships with his fellow sailors; [tape stopped and restarts] Ernest repeats with more details

[with multiple tape stoppages and restarts] Ernest speaks of Nobadula, their neighbour in Benoni, who hired out a music hall on weekends to musicians and also trafficked in gold stolen by the miners; Wonga observes there was culture for the inhabitants but Ernest says the hall was the only venue; Ernest recalled his father being upset by drunken fights

[tape ends]