U-Mudira umile okomzuzwana njengoko wayevala igeyithi ekucingo olujikeleze ikhaya lakhe. Akakayiqheli imbonakalo yegadi yakhe. Yayahlukile kwimbonakalo yomhlaba akhule eyibona eZimbabwe.

Kodwa phaya izinto bezahlukile. Kwiminyaka emihlanu ukusukela yena nomama wakhe bathi bafika eKnysna kwafuneka ukuba bafunde, kwaye baziqhelanise nezinto ezintsha ezininzi. Ulwimi oluthethwayo belwahlukile, kodwa kufuneke bafunde ngokukhawuleza. Iimbuzo neendawo bezohlukile nazo noMadira ngamanye amaxesha ebezibhaqa ekhangela ubuso obuqhelekileyo phakathi kwabantu abaninzi kwirenki yeeteksi.

Umama kaMudira wayengutitshalakazi eZimbabwe, kodwa apha eKnysna, akakakwazi ukufumana umsebenzi wokufundisa. Endaweni yoko, usebenze njengomncedisi kwi-ofisi yamagqwetha. Ebewonwabele umsebenzi wakhe namagqwetha ebengummangaliso, esenza njengoko ebesingathe imiba yamalungelo abantu, neminye imiba ayifumanise inika umdla. Ngubani owaziyo, ngamanye amaxesha ebephupha enqwena, ngeli xesha ephunga iti yakhe ngexesha lelantshi, mhlawumbi ngenye imini nam ndingagqiba izifundo zokuqhubela phambili. Nam ndibeligqwetha.

Ekuqaleni uMudira wayezikhumbula kakhulu itshomi zakhe. Wayeneminyaka elishumi elinambini ubudala ukuhamba kwakhe eZimbabwe kwaye wayekhumbula iitshomi zakhe wayekhula nazo nabazala bakhe. Wahamba ekugqibeni kwakhe imfundo yamabanga aphantsi waze waqala kwisikolo samabanga aphakamileyo ekufikeni kwakhe. Iintsuku zokuqala kwisikolo sakhe esitsha zazisoyikisa, ejikelezwe ngabemi baseMzantsi Afrika, kwinto ekubonakala ingathi yinkcubeko nganye elizweni.

Ootitshala bebenobubele, ukuba bebenendawo ebukhali kwaye ababye abantwana nabo bebenobubele. Kodwa kweli cala lifundiswa ngesiNgesi, apho uMudira wazifumana khona, abafundi abaninzi badibana bangamaqela bathetha isiXhosa, waze wazifumana ebekelwe ecaleni. Wayethetha i-Shona ekhaya kwaye wayefunda isiXhosa, kodwa wayengakwazi ukuthetha ngokukhawuleza okanye ncam.

Kwiiveki zokuqala ezimbalwa uMudira wayeqwalasela phantsi eqhubeka nomsebenzi wakhe. Wayethanda ukufunda kwaye yinto ayetshomene nayo ngexesha lebhreyikhi. Amaxesha amaninzi, noko kunjalo, wayesokola ukuzinza, enze ingathi uyafunda kuphela, ngeli xesha ejonge ekhusini iintshukumo zabanye abafundi abakufutshane naye.

Zazimbini iiklasi zika-Grade 8 zesiNgesi. Kwiveki yesibini, iiklasi zatshintshwa kancinci, kwaye abafundi abambalwa basuka kwenye iklasi basiwa kwelandelayo. Wafika xa kulapho uBulelwa eklasini yakhe. U-Mudira ukukhumbula kakuhle ukufika kwakhe. Kude kubengoku uBulelwa inokuba wayekwibala lokudlala ngalo lonke eli xesha; uMudira wayengakholelwa tu ukuba zange amqaphele ngaphambili.

Isitulo esisecaleni kukaMudira sasingenamntu ngolo suku kwaye utitshala wabonakalisa kubulelwa ukuba angahlala phaya. U-Mudira wancuma ebuntlonirha noBulelwa wamncumela naye. Uncumo lwakhe lwalubanzi kubuso bakhe obubanzi, kwaye lwaveza umqolo wamazinyo amhlophe amahle. Amahlo akhe ayenombala omdaka kakhulu kwaye ayekhazimla ububele nokuhlekisa.

Kwibhreyikhi yokuqala uBulelwa weza wahlala ecaleni kukaMudira, apho ebeqhele ukuhlala khona, kudonga lwebhalkhoni ngaphandle kwelebhu yobuGcisa.

“Ufunda ntoni?” wambuza ngesiNgesi, wanqumama kancinci phambi kokuba afikelele ngobuchule kwincwadi eyayivulwe nguMudira.

U-Mudira wayiyeka incwadi wabukela uBulelwa ngeli xesha eyiguqula efunda nekhava.

“Ikhangeleka imnandi,” watsho, ebuyisela incwadi kuMudira, eluma kakhulu isendwitshi yakhe. “Nam ndiyakuthanda ukufunda. Ndingayiboleka xa uyigqibile? Ndineencwadi ezininzi ekhaya kananjalo. Mhlawumbi ungathanda ukuboleka enye kwezam?”

U-Mudira wafunda msinya ukuba uBulelwa utshomene nomntu wonke. Wayedlala i-hockey njengentshatsheli, kwaye ngenxa yalo nto, onke amantombazana awayethanda ezemidlala, ayemthanda naye. Wayesoloko efaka amanqaku amaninzi. Wayenelizwi lokucula elifana nelengelosi kwaye wayebalasele ekwayareni. Ngubani ongenakuzinceda kodwa abengwiqi emqaleni wakhe xa ilizwi likaBulelwa lisitsho ngamandla lisogqitha onke amanye naxa efikelela kwiinowuthi eziphezulu?

U-Bulelwa wayephantse asondele ngobukrelekrele kuMudira ezifundweni, nangona uMudira wayeyazi indalo iMathematika nto leyo uBulelwa wayithanda ze wayinqwenela. Nangona uBulelwa wayefunwa ngumntu wonke ngexesha lebhreyikhi, kuba wayesonwabisa, wayesoloko esiza kuMudira. Ebehlala phantsi kudonga lweveranda naye elangeni.

“Kutheni usoloko usiza apha Bulelwa?” U-Mudira zange akwazi ukuzibamba ngenye imini. “Inokuba kudika nyhani ukuhlala apha nam nje,”

U-Mudira naye wayekhathazeke kancinci kuba wava amanye amantombazana ethetha ngaye, esithi ungowelinye ilizwe ofanele ukubuyela kokwabo ayekane noBulelwa. Uyadika, batsho, kwaye ukuba uBulelwa akalumkanga, uzakudika naye.

U-Bulelwa wahleka ngala mini wanyikinya intloko yakhe.

“Ndiyakuthanda Mudira,” wathetha nje phandle,” kwaye ndifuna ukuba lapha. Ndibelapha nawe.”

Ngoko u-Grade 8 wahamba kakuhle kuMudira, uBulelwa esecaleni kwakhe. Bavuya, bakufumanisa ukuba bahlalelana kufuphi omnye komnye, kwidolo elijonge idolophu yaseKnysna, nechibi lechweba layo eliluhlaza. Imbonakalo yayinabela kwi-Heads kwaye ngemini ezolileyo babede babone ngaphaya kolwandle.

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Khawusichazele: Yintoni ocinga ukuba yeyona inzima ngokufudukela kwelinye ilizwe?