USibu
Emva kwemeko eziintloni endazifumanisa ndikuyo, andizange ndikwazi ukunyamezela ukuhlala kwindawo awayekuyo uDavid. Lo mntu “obizwa ngokuba ‘ngumhlobo’ akakwazi nokuba nomqolo amele umhlobo wakhe? Waphela unyaka onesiqingatha singazange sithethe thina sobabini.
Into eyavela yenzeka kukuba ngelo xesha mna noBuhle owayefunda eWits sakhula ubuhlobo ngakumbi. Ekuqaleni sasihambelana ngeloo xesha neloo xesha, kodwa emva kwexesha zajika izinto yaba kukuhambelana qho ngeempelaveki, ze emva koko sabe siyathandana. ngenyani, ndandiziva ukuba inene ngenene, ndiseluthandweni. Le nto yokuzifumanisa ndiseluthandweni yayindimangalisa. Lonke ixesha ndandicinga ukuba uBuhle uthanda uDavid kunam njengamanye amantombazana ayesoloko endicela ukuba ndiwazamele ukuba athandane noDavid.
Kusihlwa ngenye imini, ndandibuyela e-res apho ndihlala khona ndivela ethaleni leencwadi nolwazi (library) kumalunga nentsimbi yokuqala ekuseni, izandla zam zingene zwabha ezipokothweni ndizikhusela kwingqele eyayisitsho. Ndisahamba ndisehla isitalato iHilda, eseHatfield, ndaqaphela iqela elalijikeleze imoto eyayibonakala ukuba yayibaleka ukuya kungena kwayo eludongeni. Ndaba nomdla ndaza ndangenelela kwelo qela labafundi ababelapho kwabe kwangelo xesha sele kusitsho ingxolo yemoto yezigulane nezibane zayo zisitsho njalo sele ikufutshane.
“Kwenzeke ntoni? Bakhona abantu abasindileyo?” Ndabuza kwabanye abafundi ababukeleyo abavela banqwala iintloko ngokungabi nathemba. Ndatyhala ndizama ukuya ngaphambili.
Nkosi yam! Nanko uDavid elele apho, kwakukho nabanye abantu ebebekhwele bebabini kwanomqhubi. Imoto yona yayintlimfeke kangangokuba lalingekho ithemba lokuba ingaphinda ilungiseke, abakhweli bona babebambeke ngaphambili kwi-windscreen. Kwakucace okwekati emhlophe ehlungwini ukuba yayenzeke le ngozi ngenxa yokuqhuba phantsi kweempembelelo zotywala. Ingxabano nomlo wethu walibaleka ngenxa yosizi nobubuthathaka bale meko. Ndafowunela abazali bakhe ndaza ndabazisa ngesi sehlo. Bonke ababekuloo nkxwaleko bathiwa naa emotweni yezigulana, bebalekiselwa ukuba bafumane uncedo lonyango olungxamisekileyo.
Ngosuku olulandelayo, ndahamba nabazali bakaDavid xa babesiya kumbona eMehmed esibhedlele sona sisePitoli. Babekhathazeke ngokungaphaya kokuqonda kwakunzima nokuba beze kundibulisa. Ngaphezulu, indawo yolwamkelo, indlela eyayigcwele abantu abaphazamisekileyo ngayo sasingazinzi kwiindawo zokuhlala sasingathi siyadada phezu kwezitulo zethu.
“Ncedani nize, ndicela nindilandele, wada ekungenini watsho ugqirha.”
Lwavuleka ucango lwaza lwabonisa indoda emimithekileyo, eyayithe tya ilele ebhedini, yabe iqanyangelwe ngezambatho zesibhedlele. Kwakukho okubotshiweyo engalweni yakhe yasekhohlo wona umlenze wakhe wasekunene wawulenga lenga uqanyangelwe kwintonga eyayithe tye.
“Tata. Mama. Sibu,” lavakala lisitsho ilizwi elalingathi kunzima ukulikhupha liphumela kuloo milebe eyayibonakala iqhekekile, watsho uDavid, ngeli lixa wayebonakala ukuba waye ephakathi kokuvuka nokungaqondisisi ncam ncam into eyenzekayo.
Ngokuqhelekileyo, wathi esakubona ezo nyembezi zethu nendlela imeko esasikuyo eyayilusizi ngayo, wenza ngathi izinto ngakuye azimbanga njengendlela esicinga ngayo. “Obo buso benu bude babude kunesiqhelo. Yintoni kangaka? Nisemngcwabeni yini na, nasesifihlweni apho ingathi niphakelwe kancinci inyama yini bethunani?”
Sasuka sahleka phantsi kobo bunzima, kodwa umama wakhe yena wayesaphathekile engaqhatheki.
“Mxm! Besisifa kukuhlupheka ngemeko yakho, ngoku wena uyaqhula ngayo yonke le meko … Nyana wam, nyana wam. Ncooo marn, yiz’ apha.” Wamsondeza kuye wamwola ngobushushu ububele, wamanga emphuza phuza kobo buso obabubotshwe ngamabhandeji, kwakungathi oko kwanga nobo bubele kwakuza kwenza imilingo kuvele kupholise yonke le nto akuyo umntwana wakhe.
Yajika yonke le meko yaba bubumnandi, imimoya yethu yaphakama yatshintsha imo yosizi laphela ilifu elimnyama elalijinga ngaphezu kwelo gumbi. Waze ke uDavid wasizobela umfanekiso ngqondweni esichazela ukuba yenzeke njani na le ngozi, wabe sele engxengxeza ngokwenza izinto ngokungakhathali, wathembisa nokokuba uza kubutshintsha ubomi bakhe bokuziphatha kakubi.
Wakhawuleza wabuya ugqirha, wangena ebuya nocango, waya nqo kuDave. Waba ngathi uyathandabuza kuqala waza wamxelela ukuba umqhubi kunye nentombi eseze ngobuso elizweni uZandile balishiyile eli.
Yavela yawa intloko kaDavid zanqumleza umbombo iinyembezi ziphokoka eluxadidi, ezo zidlele zakhe zimanzi xu. “Unjani yena … unjani yena uMpho, gqirha? Ingaba uye wasinda?”
“Ndiyakucela Mnumzana Maatla. Kufuneka uzame ukuba wehlise umoya. Kaloku kufuneka nawe uphile. UMpho uza kuphila nangona imeko yakhe ingaphezulu ubuxwayi kunale yakho. Sizame kangangoko sinako ukumnceda ukuba akhawuleze abe nako ukubuyela esimeni esingcono kwamsinyane.”
Akuba ephumile ugqirha, uDavid wajonga ngakutata wakhe wambuza ukuba bakwazi njani na ukumgcina kwisibhedlele sabucala. Kaloku imali esiyibizayo ubusuku bubunye nje ingaphaya kokuqonda. Ndabona ukuhlupheka kwemiphefumlo yabazali kubhaliwe ebusweni babo abazali bakaDavid.
“Ndine-scholarship esinemali eninzi , Mnumzana noNkosikazi Maatla,” Ndatsho kubo. “UDavid ufana nje nomnakwethu kum. Ndicela ukuba afumane olona ncedo luphezulu apha oku kungangeveki, emveni koko ke ningasithabatha isigqibo sokuba kuya kuthiwani na ngaye.”
“Hayi, mntwan’ am, le yimali yekamva lakho. Asifuni kwanto eza kusixabanisa nabazali bakho. Siza kwenza nakanjani na ukuba sikwazi ukuhlawula lonke eli tyala. Siza kuthabatha imali yemboleko okanye into ebunjalo,” umama kaDavid wazama ukuthintela ngobunono ezi ngcinga zam zokufuna ukunceda.
“Nceda ungazihluphi, Ma,” ndamqinisekisa ngelitshoyo. “Ndingumncedisi wabo abadinga uncedo lwezifundo, njengoko sele ndiphambili ngezifundo zam. Imali yokuhlawula izifundo zam (scholarship) ingaphezulu kakhulu kunezidingo zam. Nceda undivumele ukuba nam ndifak’ igxalaba ndibe nento endiyenzayo kwimeko yomhlobo wam, oyena mhlobo endakhe ndanaye.”
Wandibamba wandanga ngobushushu obunobunenekazi, eyekelela iinyembezi ezehla zikwagcwele noncumo uluqaqambileyo. Igumbi eli sikulo lwabunguzela uthando olungenambaliso endiqinisekileyo ukuba lwada lwagqabhukela nangaphandle epasejini.
“Ngokuba kutheni? Ngokuba kutheni Sibu?” Wabuza uDavid. “Mna bendicinga ukuba uselugcwabevu ngumsindo obangwa yilaa nto iziintloni wawukuyo ndaphinda nam ngokunjalo ndanesandla kuyo, kanti akunjalo na?”
“UBuhle wandixelela ukuba wena wafika kowabo wamhambela engalindelanga kulo nyaka uphelileyo. Wandixelela ukuba wena wamazisa indlela olusizi ngayo ngento owayenzayo kum. Wandixelela ukuba wazama kangakanani na ukuvikela ngaphandle abafundi abadala ubabonisa ngendlela embi ngayo le nto bayenzayo kodwa baba neentloko eziluqilimba. Nangaphezu koko ke, wandixelela ukuba wazama njani na ukukholisa undingxengxezela kwabadala ukuba noko bangabi saqhubela phambili ngaloo mpatho imbi yokungenisa abatsha endlini kum, kodwa abavuma … Ingxaki yayikum, andizange ndikwazi ukuza kuwe ndikuxelele ukuba ndikuxolele, kuba wenza oko kwakufanelekile nawe uphantsi koxinezelelo lwabafundi abadala. Nam, nceda undixolele ngaloo nto.”
Wandithi ntsho emehlweni, ubuso bumanxeba kukonzakala, babuyimithungo bufana nobejoni ebelisemfazweni laze laqukunjelelwa ngumlo.Wagcuma kancinci okomntu osentlungwini, njengomhlobo ndamthuthuzela, kaloku ikwangumnakwethu lo.
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Khawukhe usixelele: Ingaba yayiyinto efannlekileyo ukuba uSibu amxolele uDavid ngento ayenzayo ngaphambili kwindawo yokuhlala yabafundi? Ucinga ukuba ubuhlobo babo basenako ukubuhlangula?