Umthwalo, follows two brothers, Mlungisi (24) and Ndumiso (18), who live in Soweto and struggle to survive. Mlungisi makes money through petty crime, while Ndumiso is a bright student who looks up to his older brother and wants to help improve their living conditions. One night, Ndumiso takes Mlungisi’s gun and attempts to rob a man carrying a duffel bag. During the struggle, the gun goes off and the man, Themba, is fatally wounded. Ndumiso takes the bag home, only to discover that it contains a large amount of money belonging to a revolutionary group. Mlungisi realises the danger and tries to return the money, but discovers that Themba has died and the group is hunting the brothers down. Mlungisi decides to escape the township and as they flee, Ndumiso admits that he committed the robbery because he wanted to be like Mlungisi. Mlungisi realises that his own choices have influenced his younger brother and takes responsibility for influencing him. When the rebellion catches up with them, Mlungisi makes his final decision and sacrifices himself by taking the blame for Themba’s death. He is killed while Ndumiso is forced to watch. In the end, Ndumiso is left with his brother’s dog-tag and the responsibility of fulfilling Mlungisi’s final wish: to leave crime behind, study hard, and become the man he was meant to be.