Woza Uzokuzwa Mngane…

Indaba yethu yethiwa nguGOGO uBARBARA NKALA

INGANEKWANE

Inganekwane yethu yalamhla bangane bakaGogo imayelana lobuthutha bukaNkawu Nene. Ubuthutha bangane buyalimaza. Bubi. Umuntu oyisithutha kwesinye isikhathi wenza into elimazayo ecabanga ukuthi uhlakaniphile, athi qaqabu sekuvele ingozi engasasizeki. UNkawu Nene wayephila emulini yezinkawu, eloyise, lonina kunye labafowabo. Abazali babebakhulisa kuhle abantwababo bebalaya kokuphela. Abanye babelalela kodwa uNkawu Nene yena wayelihlongandlebe. Wayekukholisa ukwenza izinto zokuganga acine edonswa indlebe nguyise. Kwesinye isikhathi wayesona, abeseqambela abafowabo amanga bacine sebeyibo abatshaywayo yena unguye owonileyo.

Kuthiwa kwelinye ilanga wasuka wahamba wathi nya, nya engacelanga. Uyise wakhwela esihlahleni sakhe walokhu ethalaza le, lale ethi uzambona umfana wakhe ethutsha. Nya! Wadingwa, wadingwa waze wathutsha ngesakhe isikhathi. Uyise wamdobha ngesandla waya laye ogatsheni lwesihlahla lapho ayelayela khona usapho lwakhe. Wamlalisa phezu kwamathangazi akhe, lwakhala uswazi emuva lapha. Waklabalala ebiza unina kodwa kakho owamlamulelayo. Umdala Nkawu wamenza wakhafula wathi mphthu, kaphindi futhi ukuganga aphonguvakatsha engacelanga ebadaleni. UNkawu Nene wasuka lapho wahamba ehlikika emuva lapha ayebethwe khona, abafowabo bamhleka bemhoza. Uyise yena wasuka wayalola inkemba yakhe ayeyisebenzisa ukugamula ingatsha abangazifuniyo ezihlahleni ababehlala kuzo. Wayengafuni ithintwe muntu inkemba leyo. Nguye yedwa owayeyisebenzisa. Wayeyilola icwazimule, ayibeke kuhle. Wayebalaya bonke emulini ukuthi bangayithinti loba sekutheni.

UNkawu Nene kwamcaphula ukutshaywa kwakhe lokuhlekwa kwakhe ngabanye bonke. Logatsha lwesihlahla sikayise loluyana olude lapho ayebalayela khona wayeluzonda, Lwalulenga phezu kodonga olutshonayo. Wayehlala kulo uyise, athi nxa ebalaya abethusele ngokuthi uzabaphosela phansi khonale odongeni badliwe yizilo ezesabekayo. Kodwa wayengakwenzi lokho ngoba ebathanda abantwabakhe. UNkawu Nene wafunga ngenhliziyo ukuthi mhla ezathola ithuba, uzalugamula lolo gatsha luwele khonale odongeni olwesabekayo. Lakanye laziveza ithuba. Uyise wababiza wabavalelisa esithi usake ayevakatshela umalumakhe uNdwangu, khatshana le kuleziya zintaba. Wabaqonqosela ukubana balalele unina, lokuthi bangathinti inkemba yakhe. Bavuma bonke. Abanye bathontisa inyembezi ukuthi uyise uyahamba, bazalanyulelwa ngubani balimukiswe ngubani nxa inyoka embi isifuna ukubaluma. NguNkawu Nene yedwa owahlekela ngaphakathi, wabona esephuzile ukuhamba uyise. Uthe esobela kuleziyana zihlahla umdala Nkawu, uNkawu Nene wahle waqala ukuganga. Unina wakhuza esakhuza. UNkawu Nene wayesaphulela izigodo endlebeni. Unina wakhuza waze wazithulela wamtshela ukuba uzamceba kuyise mhla eyaphenduka.

Watshiya unina ekhathazekile lapho ababezingela khona, weqa waya esihlahleni sikayise. Wafika wayithatha inkemba kayise okwakuthiwa bangayithinti. Wabobotheka eyitshibilikisa ezandleni zakhe. Yayicwazimula, icwebezela lapho ihlatshwa lilanga. Bazama ukumkhuza abafowabo, wabakhangela ebanyonkoloza, abanye wabasikiza ngayo inkemba. Besaba, babaleka bamtshiya. Wasala walukhangela ugatsha ababelayelwa kulo. Wezwa eluzonda kakhulu. Lwamkhumbuza isikhathi akatswa ngaso nguyise. 

“Wena gatsha, valelisa umhlaba, ngoba ngizakugamula lamhla yikhona uBaba ezafica ungasekho akhawule.” Watshopoka lapho ekholisa uNkawu Nene. Nango-ke esiyahlala phose kusiya ekucineni kogatsha. Waphenduka waqalisa ukugamula kucele lapho ugatsha oluxhume khona isihlahla. Gamu! Gamu! Gamu!

Waphanjaniswa yinyoni enkulu eyaphapha yahlala kolunye ugatsha eduzane. Yabhula amaphiko inyoni ikhuza,

“Yeyi wena Nkawundini? Wenzani? Uyisilima? Wakubona ngaphi ukuthi ungagamula ugatsha ohlezi phezu kwalo futhi ugamula umi eceleni lapho oluqamuka khona? Ufuna ukufa?”

Lamcaphula ilizwi elithi ‘Nkawundini’ lelithi ‘Uyisilima’. Amazwi lawo amenza wagamula ngamandla langolaka. Gamu! Gamu! Gamu! Iziqa zesihlahla zaziseqa, zisabalala indawana yonke. uMdala Ntundla owayezimofuzela amahlamvu esihlahla laye watshaywa ngokunye okuyiziqa kwesihlahla. Wakhangela phezulu, wabona uNkawu Nene egamula. Gamu! Gamu! Gamu! Wamangala ukuba yibuthutha bangaphi lobo? Wema lokuhlafuna amahlamvu wathi,

“Yeyi wena Nkawu Nene! Ziyathatha nje ekhanda lakho? Uzalimala mfana. Yeqela kulelo elinye icele logatsha ungakalimali. Howu!”

UNkawu Nene wamuthi jeqe ngelihlo elibi, wathi,

“Yeyi, yeyi wena ndoda! Ak’ utshiyane lami!” 

Waqhubeka egamula, kwakhanya ukuthi sekuseduze ukuba ugatsha luqamuke. Nxa lwaluyaqamuka ugatsha lolo ayelugamula lwaluzakuwa laye ahle aphelele odongeni. Kwathi uNkonkoni laye owayesemangele ebukela ubuwula obenziwa nguNkawu Nene, lokungafuni kwakhe ukulalela abamlayayo, waseqhubeka edlephuna utshani obuluhlaza tshoko, bubuhle, wathi,

“Yekelani, sibukele. Ubuwula buzala ubuwula lokufa. Isala kutshelwa sibona ngomophu. Myekeleni lobuthutha bakhe.”

UNtundla yena wamemeza kakhulu wathi, “Yeyi wena, yeqela ngapha kogatsha. Ususengozini embi kakh…”

Engakaliqedi lelo uNtundla, ugatsha lwathi kle, kle, kle lugoba lusephuka. UNkawu Nene wayikhona enanzelela ingozi ayeseyenzile. Wakhona eyekela inkemba ezama ukweqela ngaphaya kogatsha, kodwa wayesevele esephuzile. Lwathi qamu ugatsha, phansi odongeni. Inkemba kamdala Nkawu, wiiiiiiii, nanso isiyawela odongeni. UNkawu Nene watshaya ugenqu wathi uzama ukweqela kolunye ugatsha lwaba khatshana, nango laye, wiiiiii, ehlangabezwa ludonga. Abafowabo ababili ababebukele bebucwala, bahlaba umkhosi sebevale amehlo. Kwaba yikho ukuloba kuka Nkawu Nene ngenxa yobuthutha lokungalaleli. Inkemba eqakathekileyo kamdala Nkawu, yaloba odongeni. UGatsha lukamdala Nkawu lwalobela odongeni. Asazi uyofika athini esethola ugatsha lwakhe nkwe! Athole inkemba yakhe nkwe! Okwakuzakuba buhlungu kakhulu yikuthola uNkawu Nene laye eselobele odongeni. Loba wayengezwa uNkawu Nene, uyise wayemthanda kakhulu.

Hmm, bangane bakaGogo, ngithemba lina alisizo iziwula. Ngithemba liyalalela nxa lilaywa loba lilimukiswa. Ngithemba alithinti izinto eliyabe lilaywe ukuba lingazithinti. Ngiyavalelisa bangane bakaGogo. Sizahlangana njalo esikhathini esizayo. Ovalelisayo nguGogo Barbara Nkala olithanda kakhulu.