The crowing of the roosters tells the story of Nomfusi Vinah Yekani who, as a young Xhosa schoolgirl, has her dream of becoming a teacher shattered when a handsome young man takes her for his wife. In a world where age–old traditions hold sway, Nomfusi struggles to come to adjust to her new role as a wife, daughter–in–law and mother. When her husband starts cheating on her, she realises that her destiny lies beyond the family home of her in–laws. But escaping the shackles of her marriage means imprisonment of a different kind for Nomfusi; the growing town of Somerset West is a hostile place for any black person without a working or living permit. The crowing of the roosters is a true story of personal loss and courage, taking the reader from the rural area of the Eastern Cape Province to the cosmopolitan bustle of the informal settlements near Cape Town.