Themba Limba is a family man who is caught between his flourishing career as a teacher and municipal councillor in the township of Sekunjalo, and his overriding sexual interests. Despite his
attempts to maintain his status in the community, his actions eventually lead to his downfall. What follows is an account - sometimes tragic, occasionally humorous, and always compelling - of
Thernba's efforts to regain his dignity and pride in the eyes of his family and community.
When a Man Cries is a novel about the challenges of manhood in contemporary South African society. It interrogates the dynamics of township life and the human and socioeconomic realities of the
most impoverished communities in post-apartheid South Africa.