Meet the protagonists in Justice by Crazy Means
Crime. Conscience. Consequences. Fiction that asks what justice looks like when the system fails—and what it costs when it doesn’t.
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Joel Malebana, once known in covert circles as “Moruti” or simply “Malebane,” is a retired intelligence operative whose past is shrouded in secrecy. Though officially classified as a civilian, whispers in the intelligence community suggest he never truly left the game. Now residing in the quiet rural town of Leolo, Limpopo, Malebana lives a life of apparent detachment from formal power—but beneath the surface, he remains tactically alert and morally driven, albeit by a code that defies conventional understanding. His exit from the service was anything but clean. Rumors persist of independent surveillance networks and quiet interventions in justice’s grey zones. He avoids conflict, but when pushed, his response is swift and final. Joel Malebana is not a threat—unless you become one. He walked away from the shadows. Until the shadows followed.
Thomas “Tom” Triton retreated from public life after a scandalous split with the President. Though never convicted, whispers of offshore accounts and trumped-up charges still cling to his name. Now heading Triton Security Consultants, Tom has quietly transformed his firm into a protective force for the very presidency he once walked away from.
When Joel Malebana was arrested, Tom personally moved the bail application. When conspirators emerged from the shadows, it was Tom’s operatives—often with him in the field—who flushed them out. Fully aware of his limitations as a lawyer, he avoids court appearances unless justice demands it and no one else can step in.
Charming and calculating, Tom trades in loyalty and information. His motives are layered—revenge, redemption, and perhaps a deeper need to restore what was lost. In saving the presidency, he may be saving himself.
Melanie Cole-Triton is the President of the Republic of South Africa, a leader both admired and feared for her uncompromising ethics and steely resolve. Once married to Tom Triton, she keeps her distance, unaware that much of his security work is quietly devoted to keeping her safe. Beneath her composed exterior lies the quiet weight of isolation—surrounded by political predators, some in her own cabinet, who wait for the moment she falters. Refusing to trade principles for survival, she stands her ground.
When Joel Malebana and Terrence Nonto bring her the names and evidence of a plot against her, Melanie steps out from behind the walls of trust and hesitation. Her resolve hardens into action—vowing to confront every player in the conspiracy without fear or favour. Even the battle-hardened Malebana and Nonto sense the shift, realising that in her own way, Melanie may be the most dangerous of them all.
Terrence Nonto is a former spy boss, now retired but still serving as security advisor to the President. Quiet, strategic, and calculating, he is always two moves ahead. A long-time friend of Tom Triton’s late father, he has a protective eye on Tom, just as he once did for Joel Malebana, his former subordinate and trusted ally.
Nonto prefers to operate from a distance, shaping events from behind the scenes. But when Malebana is accused of murder, he is drawn directly into the fray. As the conspiracy against the President comes to light, Nonto steps out of the shadows—ready to get his hands dirty to protect both the country and those he values.