Utywala, ingoma kunye neengxabano
Ngenye imini umhlobo wam wandicela ukuba ndihambe naye siye emngcwabeni. Ke saya ekhayeni lalo mntu uswelekileyo.
Sifike apho abantu benxilile, becula iingoma ezininzi ezahlukeneyo. Inkosikazi yayihleli apho yombethe ityali emagxeni. Igama layo yayinguMaShange.
Kuthe ngeli xesha abantu baculayo kwangena inenekazi. Lalifuna ukuthetha ngobhuti walo oswelekileyo njengoko kulisiko. Abantu bakhwaza bathi makathule, kodwa wahlala phantsi wathetha, “Lo ngumnakwethu kwaye ndifuna ukuthetha ngaye.
Esaphila yayindim owayethwala iingxaki zakhe. Ngelaa xesha abantu babetshisa indlu yakhe wabalekela apha kum.”
“Kwaye ngelaa xesha abantu babemzingela ngemipu wabalekela apha kum. Ngoku anindiniki nethuba eli lokuthetha ngaye. Ukuba anifuni kucula kakuhle okanye nithethe ngaye singalwa. Ngoko ke ngeke sibenawo umngcwabo.”
Kwangoko nje abantu bayeka ukucula. Baqala balwa. Enye indoda yacela abantu ukuba bathule kodwa zange bafune ukumamela. Mna nomhlobo wam sasuke asazi ukuba sithinina, kodwa saqhubeka sahlala.
Yayingumngcwabo ongaqhelekanga nyhani.
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Inkosikazi yesibini
Emva kokuba sisendlwini ixeshana, kwamisa imoto phandle, sabona kufika abantu abathile, abamalunga ne 20 okanye 25. Phakathi kwabo kwakukho inenekazi elalombethe ityali emagxeni.
Ndabuza umhlobo wam, “Kutheni le nkosikazi yombethe ityali? Inkosikazi ayiyiyo le ilapha phakathi kwethu?” Umhlobo wam wathi, “Owu, le ndoda yayinamakhosikazi amathathu, kwaye babengazani.”
Le nkosikazi yombethe ityali yangena yahlala phantsi. Ngoku ke kwaqala iingxaki ezintsha kuba abantu ababesendlwini babengamfuni lo mfazi ungenayo, kwaye aba bantu bafikayo babengamfuni lo mfazi bafike ehleli phantsi. Kwakhona kwabakho ingxolo enkulu. Wonke umntu wacinga ukuba yintlekisa enkulu, ngoku abantu zange baphinde bazame ukuziphatha kakuhle. Wonke umntu wayethetha ngezi ndaba zalo mzi, “Le ndoda ibinamakhosikazi amabini kwaye omabini ombethe ityali.”
Enye indoda yathi, “Uxolo ngale nto. Nonke nibonile ukuba le nkosikazi ingene yombethe ityali. Le yinkosikazi enkulu yomnakwethu, uMaHlange.”
Wasixelela ukuba masingene ezibhasini ezaziza kusisa emngcwabeni eEmolweni. Xa sisezibhasini saqhubeka sithetha ngezi ndaba zingaqhelekanga kubantu abasecaleni kwethu.
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Inkosikazi yesithathu
Emngcwabeni la makhosikazi mabini kwafuneka ahlale ndawonye. Thina bantu sasihleli emva kwabo, kwaye uMfundisi waqalisa umsebenzi wakhe. Wayeseza nje, “Ngoku lixesha lokuba usapho lugalele umhlaba.”
Kodwa ngeli thuba kwafika enye imoto, yagxidisa elinye inenekazi elambethe ityali kunye neqela labantu. Eli nenekazi lalikhala. Azange sazi ukuba sithini kodwa sacinga ukuba leyo yayiyinkosikazi yesithathu. Yayingubani? Akukho mntu wayesazi. Kodwa ngoku safuna ukwazi ukuba kuzakuqhubeka ntoni.
Sasingasazisoli ngoku ngokwenzekileyo kuqala. Ngoku saqala savuyela ukubukela yonke into.
Sonke sathi, “Sudukani, sudukani” kwaye sonke sasuduka endleleni savulela eli nenekazi lagqitha laya kuhlala phantsi nalawa ebesele ekhona amakhosikazi.
Waqhubeka umngcwabo waza umhlobo wam wathi kum, “Masingagoduki ngqo xa sisuka apha, masiye ekhayeni labo ukuze sibone ukuba kuzakuqhubeka ntoni phaya.”
Nam ndavuma.
***
Nombolo 1, 2, 3
Emva komngcwabo la makhosikazi mathathu kunye neentsapho zawo, bangena ezimotweni zabo, thina sangena ezibhasini ukuze sibuyele endlwini. Lisiko lethu ukuba siye kufika emzini wolu sapho lubhujelweyo emva komngcwabo ukuze sihlambe izandla.
Sithe sakufika apho abe selefikile omathathu la makhosikazi. Kulisiko ukuba amakhosikazi akhulule ityali emva komngcwabo. Kufuneka aye kuhlamba ngamanzi abandayo phambi kokuba angene endlwini.
Ngoku ke la makhosikazi aqala ukuxabana. Le ibihlala nale ndoda yade yabhubha yathi, “Kuza kuhlamba mna kuqala kuba bendihlala naye.” Lo ungowesibini ukufika wathi, “Soze yenzeke loo nto. Kufuneka ibendim kuqala kuba ndiyinkosikazi enkulu.”
Omnye umntu wabuza le nkosikazi yesithathu, “Awu, MaSondo, kutheni uthule nje, kutheni ungayi phaya?”
U-Masondo wathi, “Eyi, ndiyeke mna. Andifuni kuthetha. Bayeke benze loo nto bafuna ukuyenza.”
Emva kwexeshana udade wale nkosikazi yokugqibela wakhwaza, “Nombolo 1, uphi uNombolo 3?”
Sasingaqondi sabuza, “Uthetha ukuthini?” Wathi, “O, ndithetha ngala makhosikazi mathathu. Soze ndithi MaShange, MaHlange, MaSondo. Kufanele ndibabize ndithi Nombolo 1, Nombolo 2, Nombolo 3.”
“Nanku uNombolo 3,” utsho uNombolo 3, nguMaSondo.” “Yiza, MaSondo, lithuba lakho ngoku lokuya kuhlamba.”
Ke baya kuhlamba omnye emva komnye baze bobathathu babuyela endlwini.
Kodwa kuthe kwakuziswa ukutya, la makhosikazi mabini afike ngaloo mini akafuna ukutya.
Abanye abantu babonwabile. Babesela. Babengakhathali ngento ehlele elo khaya. Omnye umntu wathi kubo, “Kutheni ningxola kangaka? Masingangxoli kuba sivela kufihla uMnumzana Mbongo.”
Kodwa omnye umntu waphendula, “Hayi siyeke thina. Kuyinyaniso ukuba apha besizele ukuza kulila nosapho kodwa kwabona abalili. Bayathetha, bayasela, bayalwa. Ke sizakuthini ukuzikhathaza xa kwabona ngokwabo beziphethe ngolu hlobo.”
Abantu zange bamamelane.
Emva kwemizuzwana embalwa kwangena inkwenkwe, unyana kaMaHlange, le nkosikazi inkulu. U-MaShange, le nkosikazi yokugqibela, wayehleli ekoneni. Le nkwenkwe yaya kuye ngqo yamkhaba, yathi, “Phuma apha! Nguwe owokugqibela ohleli notata, umtyise ityhefu, awulunganga.”
Ngoku wonke umntu waphakama wabaleka. Kwaphela njalo.
Ngenene andisokuze ndiwulibale loo mngcwabo ebomini bam.