Thursday 21 January 2010

Zange ndihleke kangaka!

(Part of Grade 12 Xhosa paper 1 - Except from Ingwe emabalabala)
Ngenye injikalanga yangoMgqibelo kwathi ndisacambalele kamyoli phezu koqaqaqa ondindaniswe kakuhle, ndihlaziywa yintlengethwa yasemva kwemini kwafika umfana kaMpisekhaya sadl’amathol’eendaba. Kwathi ndisaphulaphule ezo ntshwaqane zakhe ndamva sel’esithi .

“Umlo wona ndandingawukhathalelanga nganto mna, meli. Ukuba indoda indicaphukisile ndandiqale ndiyiqhwabe ngempama ebusweni ukuze ijwaqeke ngumsindo. Kwakusithi isabibitheka njalo ndisuke ndiyidudle ngamanqindi. Kaloku mna ndandingeyonja edlala nemibundlwana. Kunjalonje ndandingakhathali nokuba indoda itsheva iindevu zayo ngekhuba likagandaganda kathathu ngemini; ukuba isile ndandiyibetha qha, ndiyiqushe noogxa bayo ngaphezulu.”

Ndaman’ukubobotheka yintsini ndizam’ukuzibamba phofu ndisoyisakala ndisakumv’esitsho. Ndacinga umfo kaMayime. Ngentsasa yangoMvulo ndadlana indlebenaye malunga nala magwebelele eli yolisa.

“Akathembekanga tu loo Thembekile undixelela ngaye. Ngaloo maxesha ethu esikolweni, eFreemantle, mihla le sasilala kubuhlungu amathumbu kukuhleka ngenxa yoburharha bakhe,” watsho apha kum umfo kaMayime emva kokuba ndimchazele le ngcombolo.

Wayeligwala elinokuzifihla nasezilokhweni zabafazi. Kambe ke, mfundi omhle, namhla uThembekile sewemka apha eMthatha. Watshintshelwa eTsomo ngezomsebenzi. Kanye kwezo ntsuku zokumka kwakhe, ngentsasazana ethile, ndakha ndambuza urheme ukuba kwakutheni na ukuze abe sesi silima sabumini.

Wandiphendula ngomdla omkhulu umfo omkhulu, waza wandihlebela oku. Ngonyaka ka-1972 kwakha kwehla isihelegu mayana phaya kwisithili saseLady Frere. Kwakusweleke indoda ethile phaya kulaa lali yaseMachibini, ibulewe ngumhlaza.

Kwandululwa amadoda amathathu: uVabemphikisa, uChithibhunga noLawulintaba ndawonye nengqutsela yenkwenkwe ekuthiwa nguMhlangabezi. Aba bafo ke babesiya edolophini kuKomani ngeenjongo zokuthenga ibhokisi yomngcwabo. Babekhwele iveni, amadoda la omathathu ekhwele apha ngaphambili yaza inkwenkwe yona yathi ngcu apha ngasemva kwindawo yokubeka impahla.

Okunene besakufika edolophini bayithenga ibhokisi leyo, babuya nayo beyilayishe apha ngasemva. Yayinjani ke ukuna imvula ngelo xesha! Yayidyabhaza. Iindlelana zeenkomo nezeebhokhwe zazingathi yimilambo enamagama ngenxa yezantyalantyala zamanzi esikhukula, esihla engumdolomba.

Kambe ke ngelishwa iveni le yayingenasigqumathelo apha ngasemva; ngako oko ke uMhlangabezi wayesesichengeni saloo Nogumbe kaNowa. Ukuzikhusela kule meko unkabi wavula ibhokisi leyo, phofu engaqatshelwa mntu, wangena phakathi kuyo, akugqiba wavala ngesiciko sayo, walala.

Ezi nqeberhu zikule veni ke kwathi ziselapho kolo hambo luphindela eMachibini zathana nqwakaqha namadoda amathandathu emi ecaleni kwendlela , emanzi okwamantshontsho enkukhu etshone emphandeni. La madoda omathandathu abetha ngobhontsi, esenza umqondiso wokumisa le veni. Esakuwabona umqhubi wamisa. Acela ukukhwela, kwathi kanti amanye asinga kwaseMachibini, amanye aya eLinge.

Esakuvunyelwa akhwela ke edomboza. Yathabathisa kwaseluhambeni iveni esakuba ezinzile ukuhlala ngasemva apha. Kwakungocolothi ke ngoku. Loo madoda athi esakubona ibhokisi leyo acinga ukuba makube loo veni yayilande isidumbu somfi kumzi okhenkcisayo wabangcwabi edolophini.

Bancokola ke abafo abakhulu, incoko yabo ichaphazela ithamsanqa labo lokukhweliswa kuloo veni. Kwathi kusenjalo kanye yee qabu imvula, lazola izulu. Kusakuba nje ke ngoku ayitshintsha incoko yawo la madoda, ancokola ngemo yezulu ngokubanzi.

“Bafondini, incedile yenze isiqabu le mvula.”
“Uchan’ucwethe, Ndlangisa; kunjalo kanye.”
“Ndiyaqala ukunethwa yimvula kangaka, madoda.”
“Nam, ntangam.”

Kwathi ke xa ilapho le ncoko amadoda akhwankqiswa kukubona isiciko sebhokisi sivuleka , kwalandela ilizwi liphuma ebhokisini phakathi lisithi: “Ngxatsho ke! Eli zulu lide lazola ekugqibeleni?”

Hayi ke ukothuka kwaloo madoda! Kwaba ngudulubhentsu noqulukubhode, abo bafo beshiyana ngotyefezo ukutsibela phantsi, kwaziincwina nezingqala ukugadleleka kwabo. Ngaye wonke ke lo gama iveni yona iginya amanani amakhulu isus’amaphepha. Izibilini zabo bahambi babekhwele gasemva zazinyuke ngephanyazo zada zaphants’ukuphuma ngomlomo! Ayebhonga amadoda Nas’isithunzela ebhokisini! Isithunzela!!!

Umqhubi weveni esakuva loo mikhulungo, imikhwazo nezimbonono wakhangela apha kwisipili esibonisa ngasemva waza wabona umbono omasikizi kunene, amadoda elakatyula, ejakatyeka, wambi eziphosa nje phantsi engaqiqanga nokuqiqa. Kusakuba njalo ke wamisa kwangoko umqhubi, waphuma neso sibini samadoda wayekhwele nawo ngaphambili.

Bazichola-chola ezo ndwayinge zingxwelerheke ngohlobo oluxhomis’amehlo. Loo madoda omathandathu abalekiselwa kwisibhedlele ekuthiwa yiFrontier edolophini kuKomani evikiveke imilenze neengalo, wambi ehluntsuke izihlunu zamathanga nezeziquluba, eqhawuke nemisipha ethile. Ngethamsanqa phofu akuzange kubekho ngxwelerha iphulukana nobomi bayo.

Omnye waloo madoda asinda cebetshu ekufeni kuloo ngozi yaba nguThembekile lo, ngokutsho kwakhe.

Chris Hani, the communist! Isitya esihle asidleli

On 10 April 1993 I was a student at the University of the Western Cape. It was a saturday, I woke up early that day to go to Bellville for ...