Xa kanye asondelayo uThabo, wabona ukuba liqhude lasendle (steenbok) elifileyo. Waphefumla ngamandle ekhululekile wagoba ecaleni kwayo. Yayifana kanye naleya babeyibukele ngobunye ubusuku noAmahle. Wayibetha kancinane wahlala umzuzwana apho, ecaleni kweqhude elo, ejamele phantsi emanzini asisithokothoko, abugolide. Waziva ngathi onke amandla akhe afunxiwe kuye.
Ejingise amagxa, uThabo wahamba ebuyela kuloPatrick, enethemba lokuba uza kumfumana ekhaya ngoku. Ngexesha ehamba wayekhaba uthuli, ingqondo yakhe yazula yimibuzo.
Kutheni kuyo yonke ikona ndifika ndibethwe ludonga? Wangenakho ukuqhubeka neli dabi. Lwalulukhulu kuye, uAmahle wayenyanisile. Kwakufuneka alinde de umtakwabo afike ekhaya ekhuselekile evela esibhedlele ze abuyele eyunivesithi. Eneneni yintoni angayenza apha? Kwakuxhalabisa kakhulu, kwaye wayoyisiwe. Wayeza kusitshintsha isihloko sakhe sophando.
Kwakungekho mntu kuloPatrick ngaphandle komntakwabo, owamxelela ukuba uPatrick akakho. Kodwa mhlawumbe uza kubuya kamva.
Ngexesha uThabo wayeqalisa ukuhamba ebuyela ekhaya wabona indoda ikhwele ibhayisikile. UThabo waqaphela ukuba uyamazi njengenye yamadoda ayeze kubona uVan Rensberg naye phezolo.
“Molo Tata,” watsho uThabo.
“Thabo! “Thabo! yatsho le ndoda ichwayitile, isosula amathontsi okubila emashiyeni akhe ngomkhono wehempe yakhe. “Kudala sikufuna kuyo yonke indawo. Sithunyelwe nguAmahle. Usesibhedlele. Ubungayiphenduli ifouni yakho. Uza kuba nendibano nenye indoda kwiSebe leMicimbi yezaManzi. Uvumile ukudibana nathi kwisiqingatha seyure ukususela ngoku. Undicelile ukuba ndikujonge. Uza kudibana nathi phaya – le ndawo ikufuphi nesibhedlele.”
“Owu kwakuhle!” watsho uThabo. “Wenze lo nto uAmahle? Mhlawumbe ikho ingelosi kwicala lethu nkosi!”
UThabo neqela lakhe baya kwiSebe leMicimbi yezaManzi kancinane nje emva kwexesha elibekelwe intlanganiso. Bangena bebaleka bebilile bedidekile. Ii-ofisi zazingentlanga njengee-ofisi zomzi wemigodi, kodwa kugcwele ifenitsha endala, egugileyo eyakudala kwiminyaka yoo-1960. Babuliswa ngobubele ngumfana osemncinane.
“Jacob Mandisa. Bendinilindile,” watsho, esolula isandla.
“Uxolo,” watsho uThabo.
“Igama lakho ngu-Uxolo?” wamqhula ngelo uMnu.Mandisa.
“Hayi, hayi! Ndiyaxolisa kuba sifike kade. NdinguThabo Akani.”
Kanye ngelo xesha wangena uAmahle emnyango.
“Uxolo ndifike kade,” watsho ezibandakanya noThabo ze wacinezela isandla sakhe wamncumela.
“Bakho abanye enihamba nabo?”
“Ewe, ndinguAmahle.”
“Wamkelekile kwaye ungazibandakanya nathi. Ndimtsha mna apha. Nkszn.Masondo, unobhala wethu, undichazele ukuba ninenkxalabo eninazo.”
Ngeli xesha uThabo ethetha noMnu. Mandisa wayebhala phantsi.
“Libali elikhulu ke elo,” watsho uMnu. Mandisa xa egqiba uThabo. “Ndinolwazi ngale ngxaki yamanzi ane-AMD. Ithathwa ngendlela engxamisekileyo kwinqanaba lesizwe kwaye kubonelelwe ngemali eza kuzama ukusombulula le ngxaki. Amanzi angcolisekileyo angacocwa kodwa oko kuxabisa kakhulu kwaye kuthatha ixesha elininzi. Kodwa into endisandula ukuyiva, olu luntu alunaxesha.”
“Hayi, asinalo ixesha.”
UMnu. Mandisa wahlikihla iintlafuno zakhe ngokungathi uzilungiselela iingcinga ezithile.
“Mna ndicebisa oku. Kule veki izayo siza kuba nentlanganiso nawo onke amaqela esizwe. Ndiyayazi i-AMD ikwi-ajenda kodwa ndiza kubazisa ukuba uluntu lwalapha lufuna ukuqwalaselwa ngokungxamisekileyo kwalo mcimbi ndibone ukuba ndingafumana nkxaso-mali kusini na eyabelwe oku ukuba la manzi acocwe ngokukhawuleza. Kodwa kunjalo, njengoko nizazi izinto zakwarhulumente, akukho nto ikhawulezayo,” wahleka njalo – ehleka isiqhazolo.
“Ingaba ayikho into enokwenziwa ngoku?” wabuza uThabo.
“Ndingathumela iqela liye kuvala la ndawo ukuba kungabikho bantwana okanye izilwanyana baye kusela la manzi angcoliseke kangako. Okulandelayo, ndiza kufuna ukungena kwiqela leenjineli ezizingcali ukujonga ukuba bangawanqanda njani la manzi angcolisekileyo angangeni emlanjeni omkhulu. Kodwa okwangoku, ndingabe ndiququzelela ukufunyanwa kwamanzi ahlaziyekileyo aselwayo rhoqo, de siqiniseke ukuba lo mlambo ukhuselekile ukuba kungasetyenziswa amanzi awo kwakhona.”
“Ungayenza yonke lo nto?” wabuza uThabo.
“Kakade! Into emele ukwenziwa nje kuphela kukutsala iminxeba embalwa eya ebantwini abafanelekileyo!”
“Ingayinto … ingayinto … entle leyo!” watsho uThabo, engazikholelwa iindlebe zakhe. Kwavakala ukungumzela okunokuchwayita kuvela kwelo qela.
“Enkosi Mnu. Mandisa,” watsho uThabo.
“Kulungile ke, ndiza kungena kuyo ngoku,” watsho uMnu. Mandisa ebonisa ukuba intlanganiso ifikelele esiphelweni.
“Ikho enye into…” watsho uThabo.
“Ewe?”
Emva koko uThabo wambalisela ibali likaMnu. Van Rensberg.
“Ndiyamazi uMnu. van Rensberg. Kungenzeka angathandwa kakhulu apha, kodwa siyavana naye. Ndiza kuthetha naye, ndimchazele ukuba into eyenzekileyo ibikukungaqondani ndimcele anibuyisele emisebenzini yenu madoda.”
Wancuma uThabo. “Kuyamangalisa kuba ungalungelwa zizinto ezininzi xa unabantu abalungileyo kwizikhundla eziphezulu.”
“Kuhle ke, ndiza kuzama konke okusemandleni am.”
Uthabo neqela lakhe bahamba bephumela esitalatweni. Ukukhanya kwangokuhlwa kwabonakala kubengezela ngokukodwa namhlanje emva kwalo ngxoxo.
“Masilindeni sibone ukuba unyanisekile kusini na kwaye uyayenza into ayithembisileyo. Kudala sidibana nezithembiso ezingenanto ngaphambili,” alumkisa ngelo amanye amandoda asele emadala.
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Kwacaca ukuba uMnu. Mandisa unyanisekile kwizithembiso zakhe. Kanye ngosuku olulandelayo abasebenzi baqalisa ukubiya indawo engakhuselekanga yomgodi nomlambo, kwaziswa ngeloli imigqomo emikhulu yamanzi ahlaziyekileyo kule lali, uMnu. Mandisa wadibana noThabo ukufumanisa ngakumbi ngentlanganiso yakhe yesizwe, amadoda abuyela emisebenzini yawo.
Ngalo njikalanga u-Amahle wankqonkqoza kumnyango wangaphambili kuloThabo.
“Molweni,” watsho ebuntloni.
“Amahle! Molo, ngena,” watsho uThabo, evuya ngenene ukumbona. “Undifumene kanye ngexesha elihle. Ndipakishela ukubuyela eRhawutini. Ndiza kwenza unikezelo-nkcaza ngophando lwam kule veki izayo kwaye ininzi into ekumele ndiyibhale.”
“Ndineendaba ezimnandi. Okokuqala, bafumanisile ukuba ebephi uPatrick phezolo ebusuku. Akananto kwaphela. La nkwenkwana igezayo ihambe yodwa phezolo yaya kutyelela u-anti wayo kwilali ekufuphi. Utsale umnxeba esithi ukhuselekile. Ezinye iindaba ezimnandi kukuba uSipho uza kubuya ekhaya ngomso.”
UThabo wamanga u-Amahle ngamandla.
“Zezona ndaba zakha zamnandi ke ezo. Enkosi Amahle. Enkosi!”
“Ungaya kumndwendwela kusasa phambi kokuba uhambe.”
Wanqwala uThabo.
“Andizi kuphangela ngomso, kodwa ndingakukhapha,” watsho uAmahle.
“Nyhani?”
Wanqwala uAmahle. Emva koko waqhubeka: “Enkosi Thabo. Enkosi kakuhlu ngayo yonke into osenzele yona .”
“Kanti ke andenzanga nto kangako. UMnu. Mandisa nguye omele ukubongwa. Nawe – ngokulandela de usifumanele idinga naye. Ndiyavuya kakhulu kuba awuzange unikezele. ”
“Kodwa uzamile sadibana naye. Kwaye wenze ndabona ukuba kubaluleke kangakanani ukuyilwela le nto. Ndiyathemba … eh … mna nawe … singaphinda sibe ngabahlobo kwakhona.”
“Ndinethemba lokuba singangaphezu kokuba ngabahlobo,” watsho uThabo embamba ngesandla.
“Ewe,” watsho u-Amahle, esondela kuye embamba ngesinye isandla , “ingantle kakhulu lo nto.”
“Amahle, kunganjani sikhe siphume sihamba-hambe? Bubusuku obuhle obu.”
Wolula isandla sakhe u-Amahle uThabo wasibamba.
“Ingasisiphelo esihle kakhulu eso kusuku oluhle.”
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Khawusichazele: Ingaba uluntu lwakho lunento oluyenzayo ukugcina imeko-bume eningqongileyo isempilweni? Ngaziphi iindlela?
Isiphelo.
