Lento ingumntu ikhula iphahlwe ziziganeko. Into emnandi ngeziganeko, nokuba zenzeke phantsi kweemeko ezintle okanye ezimbi, kukuba zibuyisa iinkumbulo zanaphakade. Abukho ubom obunga phahlwanga ziziganeko.
Yiv’ apha kum. Ndandi kwiminyaka emihlanu, ndihleli namakhwenkwe endikhule nawo kwilali yam yokuzalwa eTyekelebende eNqabarha kwisithili sase Dutywa. Sasikumlanjana wase Tyekelebende singqonge iibhokhwe, solusile. Amagama eebhokhwe ezo ayequka ooNontom’ emnyama, ooMbeke-geqe, ooBroadway nooBobosi.
Abahlobo bam yayi nguZukile Qubelo umfo wase maGiqweni esasimbiza njengo Malinka. UMalinka ngumfo apha okhule elulamile futhi ebuntyontyeleka xa kufuneka kuncediswene ekubhukuqeni umkhosi wamakhwenkwe esiwabona enobungozi obuthile kuthi.
Kwakukho nento kaSimanga, uSiyazi wakwase maGiqweni. Kwowu! Lo mfo kaSimanga, waye ngawufudumezi umphothulo. Yayi likrothi lo mfo apho wayebukhali ekuthundezeni uzakuzo kumagwala. Ndizama ukuthi lo mfo wayengawonqeni umvimbo.
Omnye kwaba bahlobo yayingu Manxiza umfo wase maSukwinini. Ufafa olude olwaluzazi ngendalo iintonga. Nangona kunjalo uManxiza waye linene, engadumanga ngakusarha mivimbo.
Sasikulomlambo ke solusile, ngomhla apho kwakufanele ukuba sise sikolweni. Zaluma kabini kathathu iibhokhwe, sabona kufanelekile ukuba siziqhubele ngasesidadweni. Sazi sondeza ngenene, ze sabona ezinye zimana ukusela emanzini. Lenyuka kancinci ilanga. Xa kunjalo ke, yintoni esasizakuyilinda ekhona amanzi okuqubha. Sasondela ngase sidadweni, sawaphosa amatye. “Macaleni nto zomlambo,” watsho uSiyazi ephosa ilityana lakhe. “Sicel’ ukudada nto zomlambo,” walandela uNgubechanti, mna ke. “Sifun’ ukudada nto zomlambo,” walandela uMalinka, esitsho ngelizwi elibunxuba. Wayenxubile kuba samqhuba sathi makuyiwe ezibhokhweni engakhange acinge njalo.
Saqhiza iimpahlana zethu sangena phakathi. Hayi ke labizwa icekwa. “Ndiya linyhanyhatha,” watsho uManxiza entywila, enwabuluka oku kwentlanzi. “Linyhanyhathe,” waphendula uSiyazi. Kwabamnandi kunjalo, singxola kuxhelw’ eXhukwana.
Kusemnandi kunjalo, sabona utata uNophula wase lalini ekhwele inkabi yakhe yehashe emnyama egama lingu Gomora. UDaphulasi, nanjengoko wayebizwa njalo elalini, waye ngusomashishini owaziyo ekuhlaleni. Waye nevenkile iTyekelebende Store, PO Box 104, Dutywa 5 000, eshishina ngazo zonke izinto eziluncedo kubantu basekuhlaleni. UDaphulas, kwakhona, waye sisibonda selali, into ethetha ukuba waye namagunya athe xhaxhe kumba woqwalaselo lwemeko abantu abahleli phantsi kwazo.
Wasondeza inkabi yakhe yehashe, akazange athethe mazwi amaninzi. Saqonda nje ukuba ikhona ingxaki kuba nako savela sabugudla amanxweme omlambo, oku kwenja engene ngempazamo emanzini. Wabuza uDaphulasi ukuba sibekwa yintoni emlanjeni ngexesha lesikolo. Impendulo asizange siyikhuphe, koko sazama ukuphuma emanzini saya kwimpahlana zethu, sizama ukunxiba. Sathi sisaquthe ezompahlana, seva ngelizwi elikhulu likaDaphulasi linyanzelisa. “Makuyiwe esikolweni,” watsho exhuzula umkhala kaGomora.
Sathi qhusa, sizama ukudukisa umkhondo sibaleka, kodwa wasehlula uDaphulasi, esixhesha ngoGomora. Ngeloxesha, mna ndandinxibe isikatula esimnyama, esasibugqabhuka noko apha ngemva. Andisabakhumbuli kakuhle abahlobo bam, ukuba babenxibe hlobo luni.
Ngenene wasiqhuba uDaphulasi, de safika esikolweni. Safikela kumfundisi-ntsapho uNkosikazi Rose Ntloko wase Mgcwe eDutywa owayehlohla isigaba sokuqala (Sub A) okanye u-Grade 1, ngokwelixesha, kwisikolo samabanga aphantsi iTyekelebende Junior Secondary School.”Nabo, ndibathatha ezibhokhweni,” watsho uDaphulasi esishiya kumfundisi-ntsapho uNtloko. Ngeloxesha ndandihamba ngeso sikatula, ndinganxibanga ngentla. Nakubahlobo bam kwakunjalo, sinxibe ngezantsi kuphela. Ikhalipha lakwa Ntloko lasiyalela ukuba masizeke mzekweni, silinganise oko kwenziwayo esikolweni.
Endikukhumbulayo koku: “Ndiyi tipoti; esi sisiciko; lo ngumqheba; lo ngumlomo; ndiyithulule; ndiyithulule.” Saphinda-phinda lengonyana de ndabona amazwi la ethu efuna ukutsha.
UNkosikazi uNtloko, wasiyalela ukuba sitshintshe senze enye ingonyana eyayihamba ngoluhlobo: “Intwan’ encinane, yintwan’ engekhoyo, ebamb’ izi#$nge zingakwaz’ ukufunda, ixov’ udaka ekuseni kubanda, fundani bantwana nizothandwa ngabantu.” Emva kwale ngonyana senza ethi: “Unomasele, phaya entilini, bendimbonisele. Yiv’ apha wenz’ intsholo, thabath’ ezakh’ intonga, siye kumzingela, uyafundekela.”
Emva kwezingonyana zintathu, lalisebuqina noko ilanga. Kwakufike ixesha apho abantwana besikolo kwa-A omncinci, ophakathi nomkhulu babezakukhululwa kuyiwe kwixesha lokutya nokuphumla. Kuleloxesha apho uNkosikazi uNtloko wasikhwebela kufuphi netafile yakhe. “Godukani, nibuye ninxibe kakuhle ngomso,” wayesitsho kum, uMalinka, uSiyazi noManxiza.Asizange sibuze, sanduluka kwangoko sipetsula sileqa emlanjeni sisiya ezibhokhweni zakuthi nakwiimpahla zethu zomzimba ongentla, esazishiye emlanjeni. Safika iibhokhwe zithe nama kumasimi asekhaya akwintili ephesheya komfula, zisitya umbona. Sazikhupha apho ezo bhokhwe sazolusa njenge siqhelo, yajika imini. Sabuyela esikolweni nyhani ngemini elandelayo, ngokomyalelo kaNkosikazi uNtloko.
Wandinceda uDaphulasi wandenza ndahlula phakathi kwexesha lesikolo, nelo lokolusa. Liyinene elithi: “Kuthatha ilali ukukhulisa umntwana.”