Athol Fugard tells the story of ten-year old David Madondo, who disclaims his identity and history when apartheid laws separate him from his mother, and when he witnesses the violent, brutal personality of a forgotten father. He resorts to a life of crime as Tsotsi, a name which means criminal or thug.

Tsotsi’s inadvertent decision to care for a baby, begins his journey from a physical survival dependent on his crimes, to a spiritual awakening. He rediscovers his capacity for love and compassion, reclaims his identity and opens himself to spiritual guidance. Tsotsi’s journey from his life of crime to his redemption and reclaiming of his identity,  gives insight into life in the townships of apartheid South Africa in the late 1950s.

Athol Fugard shows that beyond the anger and the bitterness lies hope and redemption, through the possibility of choice.