UZukisani ungene ebaleka endlwini. Folokohlo ekoneni.
“Kwedini, kutheni ungankqonkqozi?” utata usisifu.
“Ubanjiwe mama. ULuxolo ubanjiwe,” utsho uZukisani ezama ukuphefumla.
“Kwenzeke ntoni mntwan’am?”
“Besileqwa ngosomahlathi. Kutsho isithonga sompu yancwina inja emvakwethu. Ibiyinja yakho, uThubeleza. ULuxolo ujikile. Simcengile ukuba angajiki. Kodwa ebezama ukunceda inja mama.”
Imoto emhlophe eluhlobo lebhaki iqhumise uthuli ukuza ekhaya. UZukisani uthe tyishi ngomnyango wasiqwela phambi kokuba le moto ifike.
“Sihlala apha esi siyatha,” utshilo omnye wosomahlathi ephuma emotweni embakraza ucango. Ndiqaphela umva wale moto. Ufana nqwa nemoto yamapolisa. Bambambile uLuxolo. Sele evele ngeminwe phakathi kweentsimbi ezifestileni zale moto.
“He mfazi, ziphi izinja zakhe?”
Izinja besele ziphuma kakade ukubuza kwakhe lo somahlathi. Ngobubele zibunguzelisa imisila. Bakhuphe imipu yabo. Khaxa, khaxa, wakhala ezandleni komnye wabo.
Kukweli thuba kanye apho ndivale mba amehlo am.
Utsho isijwili umama.
Abahlali belali bayakhele isangqa imoto noosomahlathi abo. “Dubulani izinja ezingenzanga nto, niyakuthi shu. Dubulani izinja ezingenzanga nto, siza kunixuluba ngamatye. Dubulani izinja ezingenzanga nto, niyakuthi shu,” itshilo ingoma, abanye sele bebuye nemihlakulo neenduku.
Ukhawulezise kanobomi ukuxolisa omnye woosomahlathi. Utsho echazela abahlali ukuba bebengazimiselanga ukudubula izinja.
Sonke siyayazi ukuba ayonyani ke leyo. Ibingazukuba kokokuqala bedlakaza ngeembumbulu izinja phambi kwabahlali.
“Ndicela ningamndlandlathekisi. Akatyanga oko kwayizolo,” ubacengile umama.
“Isohlwayo ngamakhulu amahlanu okanye iinyanga ezintanthu ngaphaya kwezitshixo. Kodwa ngenxa yokuba asimfumenanga nenyamakazi efileyo, ingathotywa iyokuma kumakhulu amathathu anamshumi amahlanu,” utshilo omnye wabo phambi kokuba bangene emotweni baqhwithe.
Ndibabukele behamba nomntakwethu. Asinokwazi ukumkhulula kwangethuba ayokutyikitya isivumelwano somsebenzi eDikeni.
“Kuza kukufuneka ayokusebenza endaweni kaLuxolo,”utsho ekhomba kum utata.
“Ubani, hayi unyana wam uMphumeleli. Usese sikolweni!” walile esitsho umama.
Ndibaleke ndaphuma xa abazali beqala ukuxambulisana. Ndiyabaleka ndijongise kuloBongeka. Ndisafuna ukupholisa ingqondo.
Ukungena kwam uBongeka ubilise amanzi. Ugalela into yokuphunga ngeli xesha sisiva isikhalo. Kuvakala ngathi sisuka ngasekhaya.
Ukufika kwethu endlwini sifumana umama elele phantsi ebambelel’ engalweni.
“Mphumeleli, imbi,” utshilo uBongeka.
Ndibambe umama. Ndimphulula ebunzi. Iinyembezi zizehlele ngelixa uBongeka ephuma ngomnyango.
Kungekudala ubuyile uBongeka ekhwele imoto yalapha elalini.
“Nantsi Mphum, masincedise umama wakho angene emotweni.”
Undincedisile ukuphakamisa umama simfaka ngemva emotweni. Siqhube kuloo ndlela yomhlaba sade soyokudibana netha xa kanye siza kufika esibhedlele iVictoria.
Umama usezintlungwini.
Esibhedlele umqhubi wemoto uthi akazukwazi ukusilinda. UBongeka umnike amakhulu amabini eeranti.
“Uyifumana phi?” ndimbuzile.
“La mali ibiyeyokuthenga impahla zam ezintsha. Kodwa, uyandithanda Mphumeleli, anditsho? Nokuba ndinxibe njani, anditsho?” Utsho encumile.
Ugqirha uphume esithi umama kuza kufuneka ahlale iintsukwana. Ndimxelele ukuba asinamali yokubuyela ekhaya. UBongeka umbuzile ukuba angakwazi na ukusinceda.
“Yiyani kumphathi sitishi uNtuntwana,” utshilo kuthi. “Sendilibethile ucingo oluya kuye. Kufuneka ayokulanda lo mntu wenze le nto kumama wakho. Umophule ingalo yasekhohlo. Nalapha ezimbanjeni akukuhlanga.”
Ndimjongile.
“Ndicela uphinde,” andiyikholelwa le agqiba kuyithetha.
“Ewe, ndithethile nomama wakho ukuba kufuneka ebanjiwe utata wakho ngokumenzakalisa ngolu hlobo.”
Sibuyele sixinene ngaphambili kwimoto yamapolisa.
Utata akaphikisanga okanye azame ukubaleka xa efundelwa amalungelo akhe ngamapolisa.
Siyibukele ishiya uthuli ihamba naye imoto yamapolisa.
“Utata undidlwengule iminyaka,” usothusa atsho uFaniswa xa isithela imoto yamapolisa. “Unyanzelise umama ukuba avume aze nam apha.”
Sijongene noBongeka, sothuswe kakhulu bobungqina bokuba le ndoda ayinantliziyo. Isigebenga sokwenene! Asiyikholelwa eyokuba ekugqibeleni ubanjiwe.
Sithethisene noFaniswa. Kungekudala singene endleleni ejongise eDikeni. Sikhapha uFaniswa uyokuxelela amapolisa ngesi sidlwengu singutata.
Indoda eqhuba ikari yeedonki isimisele. Sicengile, chu, ngcembe ngezo donki ukuyokufika edolophini.
Umama uyavuyela ukwazi ukuba utata uza kuvalelwa iminyaka emininzi. Iphupha lam lelokuba mhla wakhululwa ndibe sendizifumene izidanga zam zobugqwetha! Ndiza kutsho ndikwazi ukukhusela umama nasezinkudleni.
Ndizive ndicinga ngoLuxolo. Ibuhlungu kum eyokuba uvalelwe kwindawo enye notata. Yena uLuxolo ebezama nje ukusiphathela into esiwa phantsi kwempumlo. Ndigqibe ngoko ukuba ndizokuyizama imali yokuba aphume kwamsinyane. Ulindwe ngumsebenzi kamasipala. UBongeka noFaniswa baza kundincedisa ndiyifumane loo mali. Singathetha nootishala nootishalakazi, wonke nje umntu esimaziyo.
Ndinemincili xa ndicinga ngendlela aza kuvuya ngayo uLuxolo xa simbonisa incwadi embiza emsebenzini.
Umama kaFaniswa uthumele imali akuva ezi ndaba. Uza kukhwela ejongise eKapa uFaniswa. Bobabini bayavuya bohlukene nesigebenga esingutata. UFaniswa uxelele umama ukuba uyamthanda. Umthembisile ukuba uza kuxelela umama wakhe ukuba angaphinde amthathe utata ukuphuma kwakhe kwiminyaka emininzi ezayo.
Ebusuku ndilungise umandlalo, noko intliziyo yam ibuxola. Ubomi buza kuba ngcono. Ndizithembise nto inye. Andiphinde ndivumele utata abethe umama.
Akusayi kuphinda.
Isiphelo
