“Kanti iyabe ivele iyindoda bani esingatshona inguMbongendlu? Kanti iCovid leyo ngeyakho wedwa yini abantu bonke begula behamba nje? Okwakho sokumangalisa ngani pho? Kambe kulendoda esingatshona ithe khuzu kokuyizindlwanyana khonokhu inyanga yonke? Abantwana sebeswele lokuthi baxoxele ngaphi izindaba zabo. Angithi ukuhlala endlini lokhu yikho okwenza ubone lamanga lawa?” wayekhuluma umkamnewethu uMaSibanda  entela, esendlini yabo yokulala kodwa ezwakala langapha endlini yokuhlala lapho engangihlezi khona labantwana.

“Ufuna ukuthi ngiphume ngiyengaphi imitshova yona yamiswa ukuhamba? UMnangagwa uthi lockdown abantu bahlale ezindlini wena ulokhu uphuma ngencwadi yamanga ethi uya emsebenzini wena usiyalala lamanye amadoda? Uhlala uzenza ocela ilift kuNdlovu, uphuma ilanga lingakaphumi usithi uyawoda amatamatisi kanti lina liyathandana. Khathesi sikhuza umhlolo nje silihlazo ebantwini ngabantwabethu abamithisane khonapha egumeni ngokuvalwa kwezikolo khonalokhu ngoba baxhwaliswa. Awungihloniphi uli…”

Kangisamuzwanga umnewethu ukuthi wawuqeda esithini lowomlomo ngoba uMaSibanda wahle wathi bha isivalo sendlini yabo yokulala ngolaka wamtshiya phakathi waphuma weza kithi. Ukuvala lokhu akuncedanga ngoba abantwana basebekuzwile engangikuzwile lami. Babevele sebekwazi labo abantwana ukuthi lokhu bamiswa ukuya esikolo sebehlala besizwa uyise lonina bethethisana lokutshelana izinto eziyangisayo phambi kwabo. Basebefisa lokuthi aluba ziyavulwa baphumule kulokhu. Umkamnewethu wayevele ekhanya ebila nje laye mhlalokho, lewigi ingasekho ekhanda, inwele  ezinxibeneyo  zibika okukhulu. Umnewethu wavele wamlandela esegane unwabu, wameleka ngenqindi ayengayilindelanga ebusweni. Ngahle ngayifunda ivaliwe ukuthi umfula uthwele izigodo. Kwazise bezizinengi ebezithululelwana besendlini yabo yokulala. Lampompoza igazi isigqoko sikaMaSibanda sababomvu. Ngathi kahle ngisondele, uMaSibanda wangisundezela le. Ngacabanga ukuthi uzithembile umuntu, mhlawumbe laye uzaphosela eyodwa. Mamo! Yatsho ikhala impama yejoni ilandela inqindi. Ngahle ngaphuma ngiyisavunguzane ngisiyabiza umakhelwane uNcube.

Phela umnewethu wayeqale engakwazi lokuthi uhlaselwe yiCovid kunsuku ezidlulileyo, elokhu ezihambela labangane njengenjwayelo. Kuthe uphepha lulokhu lukhula waze wancedwa ngudadewethu oseGoli owathumela imali yokuyahlolwa. Yena wayevele wafunga esithi kangeke athathe okuyimadlana ayekuhola emtshoveni  okokukudla kwabantwana ayehlolwa, kuthi angatholakala ukuthi ulegcikwane kubuye kufunakale lemali yemithi. Wathi kungangcono azisebenzisele imithi ayanelisayo engekhaya. Lokho yikho ababekuvumelana lalabo ayetshovisa labo imitshova yakoBulawayo le ethwala abantu abeza ngapha eNkulumane. Wathi lanxa esehloliwe wayezinathela wona amanzi akhudumalayo, ehlala elangeni okwesikhatshana abuye afuthe langomsuzwana owawusuthengiswa ngumakhelwane wabo. Kambe ngubani owake wacabanga ukuthi umsuzwane lawo usungathengiswa? Wayesefuna ukuqala ukuzama ukubhema igwayi lamakhala ngoba wayesebale emibikweni eminengi yewatsaphu ukuthi igwayi lizamsiza nxa isifuba sesivaleka. Wayeqale esithi yena ungumKhrestu, ngeke alinge, kodwa ngobunzima wacina esenqume ukuthi uzalisebenzisa igwayi. Wakuthenga okuyimfuko wakubeka lapho okuhlala khona amafutha  okugcoba.

UNcube wayephumile eye endaweni yakhe esithekileyo ayeseyivumbulule eseqhubeka ethengisela khona izigqoko zamabhele emoteni. Kwathi kuqala umthetho wokuhlala ezindlini wayeke waphelelwa ngumphako engasakwazi lokuthi uzabamba ngaphi. Wayevele ecabanga lokuthi mhlawumbe kaselakuthola impahla lezi njengoba imingcele yamazwe ivaliwe. Pho abantu bakuleli bevele bemunye ibele lodubo ungabatshiyisa imizamo yabo? Ayengena amabhele elizweni.

UmkaNcube nguye engamtholayo.  Pho kwabanzima ukuthi ahle ayeqe kanye njengalokhu okwakufunwa ngumumo ngoba ngamthola ephezu komsuzwane. Wayesempofana ngenxa yokufutha. Wayesithi mhla eyehlangana labanye emsebenzini enyuvesithi ahle ebuye efutha. Lesanithayiza yayisihlala ezandleni zakhe, usiba lwakhe lungasetshenziswa ngomunye alufafaze, kungangena umuntu ewofisini yakhe asale efafaza izibambo zomnyango. Umngane wakhe uNyoni wayehlala emhleka esithi,

 “Lina elesaba iKhorona kangaka yini elizaqala ukufa, lezandla zizabhonxuka ngokunye okulubhixibhixi kwamasanithayiza lokhu”. Kwakufanele ukuthi aluba usefundisela ngekhaya ngemitshina yakulezi insuku, kodwa imali yedatha yokungena ebulenjini yathi woza sihambe. Yikho nje wayesiyasebenzisa ubulembu bemsebenzini, kwezinye izikhathi ayekele ukuthengela abantwana inyama athenge yona idatha leyo. Kanti labafundi babebovula ngokuswela izimali zedatha. Wesula amanzi umkaNcube sasibathela.

Asazi lokuthi ukuzonda komnewethu kwangenelana njani lokugula kwakhe. Samthola esethe  daca phansi esekhwehlela kabuhlungu umtakamama. Ukhwehlela nje sindawonye khonapho endlini labantwana. Lokho okokuthi ogulayo uyaphiwa indlu yakhe sasikufisa kodwa sasikuzwa ngabanye. Kithi kwakuvele kungasebenzi ngoba indlu yayilezindlu ezimbili kuphela.

UmkaNcube uthe eqeda ukubalamula lokubakhuza bobabili, umnewethu wahle wathi yena ubesefisa lokuthi aluba imingcele ayivalwanga ubezathi angasila azihambele eGoli etshiyane lamanyalala la. Wacina ngokuveza ukuthi usenqume ukuthi athengise wona umtshova wabo athole imali abone angakwenza njengamanye amadoda.

Lickel Ndebele lickeld@gmail.com 0777189467