“Umnyama” Ilotshwe Ngulutivini Majanja

Eduze lendlu kaObwocha eluhlaza efulelwe ngamathayili abomvu kulendlu eyenzwe ngamazenge amade aluhlaza agonjolozelwe lucingo oluhlabayo. Nganxanye kwayo lendlu ifulelwe ngamazenge afanayo aluhlaza. Nganxanye njalo kuvulekile okungenisa ilanga, izulu lomoya obuya lenyakanyaka yonke evela ngaphandle. Kasikwazi ukuthi zingaki lezizinja ezihlala kule indlu kodwa eminyakeni eyedlulayo sasisizwa uObwocha esenza umsindo angathi ngumndlwane kuye kuntshintsha ngokuya kwesikhathi kusiba yikukhonkotha okwesabisayo okwakungasafani lokwenja kodwa kufana lokwenyamazane eyesabekayo. Siyacabangela ukuthi lezizinja zinkulu okungakanani ngoba kasikaze sizibone.

Zibanga umsindo zikhonkotha okungapheliyo. Ukukhonkotha yikho okwenziwa yizinja esizaziyo. Ngale kwemiduli eluhlaza sizwa ukuduma komsindo omkhulu oyenza lenhliziyo ithithibale, ukuduma okuqhubeka ungelamkhawulo. Sesize singasakwazi ukuthi sidlalele kude kumbe sisondele ukuzwa wonke lowomsindo. Sizwela izihambi ezimangeleyo ezizihambelayo zingagqize qhakala kulumgwaqo kuze kuthi lapho umsido uzethusa. Yikho lapho esihleka khona.

Isiphongo sikaObwocha esiyisipatalala singumbukiso esuphamakhethi, ebhutsha, okwamanje bamkhuluma lapho okuhlinzwa khona izifuyo. Utshona egijima uma esuka lapho opake khona imota yakhe ,njalo utshona ekhathazekile ngohlonzi lwenyama yezinja zakhe. Esijayele ukukubona yikuba kadingi umduli wesamende emzini wakhe njengathi, yikuba izinja zakhe zidla kakhulu imihwabha, inyama yenkomo mhlawumbe lenyama kababhemi ukwedlula esiyiphekela isigaba sonke emkhosini wokuphela komnyaka. Sesize sicabangela ukuthi uzadinga isithupha sokuzingela ukuze atshone ezula lapho okugcinwa khona inyamazane, edinga amanqina, inkonkoni, ingulungundu lempisi ukwengezelela ukudla kwezinja. Impisi! Ukuhleka indawana yonke.

Isisebenzi sika Obwocha, uDon okhangela ingadi, onakekela yonkinto, lophekayo uyasika inyama eyifake esigodweni esidala. Ngaso sonke isikhathi uDon uyabe egqoke ijazi lakhe elingcolileyo elilamachatha egazi amadala lamatsha. Nxa ilanga selisiyatshona uzwa umsindo wokugamula ulandelwa yikuthi kha kha kwehloka llidlula inyama lisiyatshaya esigodweni. Ngemva kwalokho sizwa amaqatha enyama ethelwa engqonyeni werabha wokudlela. UObwocha yena uyafika ngemota yakhe ethwele inyama esanda kuhlinzwa ezadliwa ngelanga elilandelayo.
UObwocha emqhawula njalo ebobotheka uyambingelela uDon onguye ovula isango. Uyangena eqonde ngasendlini, ngitsho lokuke abuke izihlahlakazana eziqunywe kahle, amaluba kumbe adobhe ama avocado awele phansi. Uyabe etshitsha okumangalisayo ngapha uDon ekhefuzela eceleni kwakhe ethwele ingqwaba yenyama eyisa efirijini. Engafika endlini uyaqalisa ukusola. “Iheji le oyiqumileyo lokhe zingalingani. Kanti awuziboni? Lapho uDon aqale ukungunguna. Esuka lapho uObwocha uyakhipha ijazi lakhe lemsebenzini afake leli elingcolileyo le aproni edabukileyo kancane eyabe igcinwe nguDon. Uyaphuma phandle elandelwa ngumnuko wenyama elegazi lezinja zakhe. Umbona esebobotheka angathi usebone ungane wakhe wakudala.

Uma siseduze lapho simuzwa esangana lezinja zakhe endlini yazo. UObwocha uyazibiza ngamabizo azo ewabiza ngobunengi bawo amabizo ezifuyo ongawacabanga – Simba, Chui, Duma okwamanje seloAlpha, Beta, Gamma lo Delta. Sesimelele ukuzwa ngo Ex, Why, loZed. Umsindo wokukhonkotha uya ukhula. Sesimi eceleni kwemiduli yethu seyama lemafasiteleni loba nje imizimba yethu isitshela ukuthi sibaleke. Inyama le itshona ingazeneli lezizilwane ezingale kwaleyamduli. Sekukanengi simbona ephuma ethwele isidumbu senja efe zibanga ukudla. Uyayingcwaba eduze leheji. UDon uthola umlayezo wokuthi ahlanyele amaluba phezulu. Utshona ezitshaya isifuba ethi yena ukhulisa izinja zakhe ngendlela unkulunkulu afuna zibe yiyo yokuba zibe zinyamazane ezesabekayo.

UObwocha kumele ahambe endaweni ekhatshana lalapho ahlala khona endaweni okuthiwa yiKitale ehamba ngomsebenzi. Ukuya eKitale kungathatha amahola ayisikhombisa. Lokhu wayetshona ekwenza. Wayeyabe ezaphenduka ngelanga elilandelayo. Ngalelolanga izinja ziyatshona zinadlanga ngoba akulamuntu owayengenelisa ukuzipha ukudla.

“Lokhu kutshona kusenzeka,” watsho etshela uDon.

Uyayaziphe ukudla okunengi ukwedlula okwensukwini ngomvulo abesesuka ngelanga elilandelayo ukuyagada ibhasi eya eKitale. Ngalelolanga kuyathiwa uDon angayi emsebenzini. Izinja zona ziyatshona sikhala imini yonke.

UDon uyabe engekho ilanga lonke enquma evakatshela abangane bakhe emisebenzini yabo egqoke iyembe yakhe eluhlaza esize ilithanga emakhwapheni ngenxa yokuginqa lebhulugwe elingumdaka elitshwabheneyo. Ngalelolanga akulamuntu ogqoka iaproni. Ngesikhathi sokudla kwezinja akulamuntu obuya endlini. Izinja zona siyahwabha, zitshayanisa amazinyo, ziklabalale,zisilwa, zitshaye imikhulungwane, kazilali lelolanga. Senza okokufaka amalembu endaweni zokungenisa umoya ezingaphezu komnyango ezindlini zethu lemafasiteleni ukuvimba umsindo lo. Kasilali lathi ngalelolanga. Ngale eKitale uObwocha uthola imisebenzi iminengi laye akade engakulindele. Kutsho ukuthi uzadlulisa ilanga lakhe elilodwa alejwayeleyo. Kuzamele ahlale okwamalanga amathathu ekude lezinyamazane zakhe lezi azithandayo.
Umakhalekhukhwini womhlobo weNokia kaDon uyakhala ekuseni lapho efika emsebenzini. Uvala indlebe eyodwa (kulomsindo omangalisayo) alalele umqhatshi wakhe.

“Hello.”
“Labantwana bayenelisa ukuhlala amalanga amathathu bengadlanga,” watsho uObwocha.

“Angizwisisi? Uleqiniso lakho lokho okutshoyo?” wabuza uDon.

“ Ngiyakwazi engikwenzayo,” watsho ehwabha uObwocha.

“Kulungile.” UDon wayesephefumula ngamandla wasuka wahamba.

Kuyadlula insuku ezimbili. Indlu yezinja sinyikinyeka. Izindlu zethu ziyabe zingelamuntu ebusuku. Abanye bethu abasenelisi ukulala lapha. Umuzi kaObwocha usugcwele amahlamvu lamaluba akhithikileyo indawana yonke kodwa konke lokhu kumele kulinde njengezinja. Ngolwesine uObwocha uyaphenduka evela lapho okuhlinzelwa khona elokudla okunengi ukwedlula okwensukwini. Yikho lapho okwavela khona uDon. Kha kha kha ihloka namhlanje lilomsebenzi omnengi wokuhlahlela. UObwocha wakhweza imikhono yeyembe efuna ukuncedisa. Wazibiza lezinja engaphandle kwendlu yazo.

“Samba, Kappa, Chui……..?” ziyaqala ukukhala izinja.

Uyafolisa amabhakede agcwele inyama ngaphandle kwendlu yazo ngemva kwalokho angene lamabili phakathi. Wayekhuluma lazo kancane kancane kuhle kuhle ejika amaqatha indawana yonke. Izinja ziyagijima, zeqe zibangisana.

Yena uyazethusela abesezikhuza ethi, “hatshi Chui! Hatshi Duma!” Ehlaba umkhosi: “Swara wooooooh!”

Kasaphumanga ukuzothatha eyinye inyama. Zahle zamudla: ikhanda ubuso izihlathi. Zamqamula imithambo , isitho sangasese, zadla inyama zaqhoba amathambo zaqatha inwele ekhanda lakhe. Zamginya.

Translated into Ndebele by Junior Moyo
Read the original – Wretches in English by Lutivini Majanja
Read “Misimbwa” in Lwisukha-Lwidakho (Luhya) translation by Edwin Afwayi Liyai and Lutivini Majanja

ULutivini Majanja wazalelwa eNairobi eseKenya. Waqeda izifundo zakhe zeBA eUniversity ye Nairobi leMFA yeCreative Writing eUniversity yeMaryland. Umsebenzi wakhe sowalotshwa nge Kwani ? le McSweeney’s. Wake wasebenza engumthengisi wokudla ekuhambisa kulababo abathengayo, engolungiselela imidlalo njalo engumlobi wamabhuku. Okwakhathesi ungumbalisi.

Translator’s Bio:
Junior Moyo was born in Lupane, Zimbabwe. She holds a BA Honours Degree in Language and Communication Studies from Lupane State University. She has worked as a journalist for Southern Eye Newspaper, and was a participant at the Minds Youth Dialogue Conference in Rwanda in 2014.