The Fire King Finale

Chapter 4 begins with Re still in jail after the Pretoria eruption. The people he defended gather the money and cultural strength to secure his release. When he returns to Soweto, the community celebrates him, the youth name him the Fire King, and the black lion Sekmet appears as the guardian form of his courage, not a replacement for Re. During the celebrations, Re admits that he cannot remain in Johannesburg. His longing for Deeba and BooBoo has become unbearable, and Cape Town is still approximately 1,000 kilometres away. Mr Kaka’s beat-up C-Class may not survive the trip, so Re buys him a white luxury E-Class, hoping to upgrade his tour business and finally place Cape Town first. The vehicle lasts eleven kilometres before the engine blows. The dealer disappears, a premium tow truck also fails, and the old C-Class becomes the unlikely champion by towing the E-Class and the rescue truck. A mechanic confirms that the repair cost is impossible. Re finally ends the cycle of premium detours. He buys a night-bus ticket, says a tender and hilarious goodbye to Mr Kaka and the Soweto youth, and boards for Cape Town. Holding their FIRE KING poster and a black-lion charm, he leaves beneath the red star with one promise: “Deeba. BooBoo. I am on my way.”