“Intoni?” Watsho uBambatha.
“NguChasa –”
“Yima, yintoni? Wenze ntoni uChasa?” wabuza.
“Nguye otyhefa ilali. Ndicinga ukuba usebenzisa iflouride. Ndicinga ukuba uyigalela emlanjeni. Kufuneka siye khona ngoku!”
UBambatha usabonakala ebhidekile kodwa ndiyamtsala ukuphuma kuronta.
“Uphaya ngoku kanye – kufuneka simbambe.”
“Uyazi njani yonke le nto?”
Ndifuna ukumchazela ngomxube endiwunikwe ligqirha, nangephupha lam. Indlela isilwanyana esincume ngayo, amazinyo aso, indlela abengezela ngayo ebumnyameni kundenze ndacinga nge-flouride ekwintlama yamazinyo. Kutheni ndingacinganga ukuba iflouride yeyona nto ikhethwayo njengetyhefu?
Ndifuna ukuchaza ukuba ndiyiphuphile kodwa bendiyayazi nam. Ndizijongile iimpawu zayo kwaye ndiyayazi impembelelo ye-flouride ekutyhefeni ngokwezifundo zam ze-chemistry. Xa uyifumana kancinane, iflouride ibalungele abantu. Yomeleza amazinyo namathambo. Kodwa xa ifakwe kakhulu, xa kusetyenziswe ii-emelenee-emele zayo, ingayityhefu.
Kuncede igqirha ukuze olu lwazi luthi qatha engqondweni yam nolwazi lwezobunzululwazi kunye nolwazi lwemveli zidibene. Kodwa nam andazi ukuba isebenze njani kwaye akukho xesha lakuchaza ngoku.
“Ndithembe qha wena. Kufuneka sihambe.”
Uyanqwala uBambatha siqalise ukubaleka. Siyabaleka sityhutyha intsimi de sifike emlanjeni. Kanye ngokwephupha lam, isilo esi sisemlanjeni. Sisibona sivela ngasemva. Simile kwaye siphakamile ngobude kunam kwaye uboya baso obungqindilili buyabengezela ukusuka entloko ukuya emhlabeni. Kodwa ndiphinde ndibone iingalo zomntu zivela kobu boya. Iingalo zomntu zijiwuzisa amanqindi ziphosa umgubo oluhlaza emlanjeni. Kanye xa sisondelayo, silumkele ukungangxoli, siyabona ukuba ayisosilo kwaphela esi kodwa ngumntu onxibe uboya besilwanyana njengesikrweqe sokuzikhusela. Intloko yesilwanyana ihleli phezu kwentloko yomntu kwaye nangona kunjalo andiboni ukuba loluphi uhlobo lwesilwanyana esi okanye ngubani lo, kodwa ndiyazi kumele ukuba nguChasa.
“Chasa!” Ndiyakhwaza.
Uyajika asijonge ze ancume. Amehlo akhe ayavutha ngumsindo kodwa uzolile xa athethayo. “Undifumene. Bendisazi ukuba uza kundifumana, gqwirhakazi ndini.”
“Andilogqwirha kodwa ndiyayazi into obusoloko uyenza. Ubutyhefa wonke umntu ukuze baye egqirheni. Wayibulala la nkosikazi yayisikha amanzi emlanjeni kuba yayikubonile ukuba wenza ntoni. Umonzakalisele ntoni la tata?”
“Kwakufuneka afundiswe isifundo. Wayengakholwa,” watsho uChasa.
“Ufuna bakholelwe kuphela kwiindlela zamandulo nakwiingozi zakudala ebomini babo ekunguwe kuphela nabakhwetha abathile abangazinyanga. Uyazi ukuba isibhedlele sikude kakhulu. Kunye nokuba akukho mntu ongaqonda ukuba yityhefu yeflouride de kube sekophulwe.”
UChasa uthi, “Hayi kungade kube kophulwe. De wena, nabanye abafana nawe, babe basusiwe. Ndicoca ilali ngeli yeza. Kufanele sibambelele kumasiko ethu akudala. Asiyonto ngaphandle kwawo.”
“Hayi, wena akuyonto ngaphandle kwayo. Xa abantu beyeka ukukholelwa, baya kuyeka ukuzakwigqirha, abasayi kuza kuwe njengegqirha ngenye imini. Awusayi kuba nanto yokwenza. Uya kube wenze abantu bakho bahlupheka ekwenzeni imali!” Uyakhwaza uBambatha.
“Kube kuhle sizenze idini. Beziza kukhula izityalo ekugqibeleni yaye xa besigxothe eli gqwirha nobuchwepheshe balo bendiya kubanyanga abantu, wonke umntu ebeza kwazi ukuba kumele oyike izinyanya aphulaphule imiyalelo nezilumkiso zazo – ezithunyelwa ngam!”
UBambatha utsibela uChasa ze uhasa abaleke ethintela ukuba angonzakaliswa. Ukubetha kwentliziyo yam kuvakala ezindlebeni zam ngeli xesha ndibajongile besilwa. UChasa ujula ngamandla inqindi kuBambatha kodwa elinye libetha elisweni kuBambatha. UBambatha uyakhala ngenxa yeentlungu abambelele elisweni lakhe, nto leyo ephazamise ngokwaneleyo yanika uChasa ithuba lokubaleka, ahlise intlambo.
Ndiyakhawuleza ukusondela kuBambatha. “AWONZAKALANGA?” Ndiyabuza.
“Ewe … ewe, andinanto. Ubunyanisile. IbinguChasa. Uphambene.”
Ndiyanqwala. “Ukholelwa ukuba le nto ayenzayo iya kuyisindisa ilali kodwa asiyonyaniso leyo. Ilungile iflouride xa isetyenziswa kancinane kodwa njengoko ethe wongeza umthamo wayo, kongezeka neempembelelo zayo ezingathandekiyo. Naye ngokwakhe uzityhefile. Ndicinga ukuba yindlela athe waphambana ngayo leyo.”
“Ingaba kuza kulunga? Ngoku njengokuba sele sisazi okwenzekayo, singakwazi ukumnqanda?”
Ndiyanqwala ndiphendule, “Ewe. Singasebenzisa amalahle ukuhluza iflouride esele ikwimijelo yamanzi aya ebantwini. I-aluminiyam sulphathe nekalika xa zigalelwa yonke imihla emlanjeni ziya kwenza ugwebu oluzele iflouride luhlale kwiindonga zomlambo. Olo gwebu lungasuswa lona.”
“Ngalo ndlela izityalo zingayeka ukufa?”
“Ewe, izityalo kufuneka ziyeke ukufa ngoku.”
UBambatha uyancuma aphinde ajale ngokukhawuleza. “Ziindaba ezimnandi ezi kodwa asinalo ixesha lokubhiyoza. UChasa akakaziwa ukuba uphi na kwaye useyingozi. Kufuneka siye emapoliseni. Emva koko kufuneka sichazele igqirha ukuba siyazi ukuba yintoni kanye le ibithakatha ilali.”
Ndimbamba ngesandla ndithi, “Andinakho ukulinda intsasa yangomso – masiye ngoku kanye.”
* * * * *
Emva konyaka omnye
Ndimile ndibeke izandla esinqeni, ndijonge izityalo. Ziluhlaza kwaye zichumile. Wonke umbona okhoyo elalini ubuyele kwimeko entle okoko wawutyhefwe nguChasa kulo nyaka uphelileyo. Ndimxelele uBambatha ukuba ndifuna ukubuyela elalini ukuza kubona ukuba ziqhuba njani izityalo kodwa eyona nto ndandingxamele ukumbona nguBambatha.
Emva koba busuku buphambeneyo noChasa, sabaleka sobabini saya egqirheni nasemapoliseni ukuya kuchaza okwenzekileyo. Kwakuvakala ngathi siyayokha yonke le nto, kodwa ngobungqina esasinabo, amapolisa anyanzeleka ukuba enze uphando. UChasa wabanjwa kwiintsuku ezimbalwa emva koko wawavuma onke amatyala abekwa wona. Emva kokuncedisa ukuba kuqaliswe inkqubo yokucoca umlambo nokunyanga izityalo, kwanyanzeleka ukuba ndibuyele eyunivesithi. Kwakunzima kakhulu ukuvalelisa kodwa ndamthembisa ubambatha ukuba ndiza kubuya kwaye ngoku ke, ndilapha.
“Nomfundo!”
Ndiva intliziyo yam ingathi iyema xa ebiza igama lam ndijike ndimbone enqumla ithafa.
“Bambatha,” ndatsho, ekugqibeleni ndiphelelwe ngumoya. “Kuhle ukukubona.”
“Ndiyavuya ukukubona nam, Sisi. Unjani ukuvuya ukubona ukuba ukusebenza nzima kwethu kube neziphumo ezintla? Kulo nyaka isivuno siya kuba sihle kakhulu.”
“Ndiyavuya. Kuhle ukubona ukuba izinto zilungile ngoku.”
“Ingeyiyo lo nto kuphela, kodwa nabantu apha elalini bandimangalisile.”
“Bakumangalisile? Njani?”
“Bafuna ukufunda ngakumbi ngobu buchwepheshe weza nabo. Bafuna ukusebenzisa ubunzululwazi bakho ukuxhasa amasiko abo. Bacinga ukuba izinyanya zizo ezakuncedayo ukuba ubasindise kubo kanye.”
Ndicinga ngamaphupha am nangeminyaka endiyichithe eyunivesithi. Bendingenakumnceda uBambatha okanye ilali ngaphandle kwazo zombini ezi zinto, ngoko mhlawumbe banyanisile. Akululanga ukwenza enye ngaphandle kwenye. Amasiko nezithethe zamandulo neendlela zempucuko yanamhlanje kufuneka zisincedise sisindise enye nenye.
“Ngummangaliso ke lowo! Kodwa ndiya kukonwabela ukukuncedisa ubafundise iindlela ezintsha zokulima izityalo zabo nokuqinisekisa ukuba zihlala zikhula zichuma,” ndatsho, ndongeza ngokukhawuleza, “ukuba yinto oyinqwenelayo leyo.”
UBambatha ukhupha isandla andibambe. “Yinto endiyifunayo leyo. Uyafuna khe singcembe siye emlanjeni?”
Ndiyanqwala ndincume.
* * *
Khawusichazele ukuba ucinga ntoni: Ingaba iindlela zamasiko nezithethe zamandulo zingasebenzisana neendlela zempucuko yanamhlanje? Amasiko nempucuko?
