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Mhlaba ngiyakuhlonipha
Margaret Nokuthula Zondi and Pumla Mdontswa
Wiehan de Jager
isiZulu
Edolobheni elaziwayo ngokuphithizela iTheku, edolobhaneni lasePhayindani, kude le nempilo yekhaya enokunakekelwa nokunakela, sithola iqenjana labafana abangenamakhaya. Bakhetha noma baphoqeleka ukushiya imfudumalo yasemakhaya. Laba bafana usuku nosuku balamukela nezinselelo zalo. Ngokusa kwanamhlanje sibabona besonga omata babo ababendlala uma belala laphaya onqenqemeni olubandayo lomgwaqo. Babasa umlilo ngemfucuza ukuze baxoshe amakhaza. Phakathi kwaleli qembu kunomfanyana ogama lakhe linguMadoda.
Wayeneminyaka emihlanu kuphela, ngesikhathi abazali bakhe beshona. Ngalesi sizathu, uMadoda kwakumele ayohlala nomalume wakhe. Indoda engumalume, ayizange imnakelele kahle, wabona kungcono aphume aphele. Ngokulanda kwakhe uthi umalume wayemncisha ukudla futhi emenzisa nemisebenzi enzima.
Umalume kaMadoda wayengenayo inhliziyo. Uma uMadoda enemibuzo ethile, wayemfaka induku. Uma kufika isikhathi sokuba aye esikoleni, wamcela umalume ukuthi naye athole ithuba lokuyofunda. Ngendlela ayengenandaba ngakhona, wayevele amphendule athi, "Uyisiphukuphu, ngeke ufunde lutho nasesikoleni lapho." Kwakummangaza uMadoda ukuthi ngabe ngumalume wakhe ngempela lo. Emva kweminyaka emithathu ephatheke kabuhlungu lomfanyana, wabaleka kwamalume, wazithola ehlala emgwaqeni.
Impilo yasemgwaqeni inzima. Iningi labafana lalihluphekela ukuthola nje ukudla. Ngesinye isikhathi babeganga, baboshwa, babuye bakhishwe ngenxa yeminyaka. Lapho begangela abantu babeshaywa, abanye babe mabokoboko. Lapho begula, kwakungenamuntu wokubanakekela. Imali encane ababeyithola ngokucela yayibasiza ukuthenga ukudla. Kwesinye isikhathi babeqoqa amaplastiki namabhodlela bayothengisa ezikhungweni la zithathwa khona lezi zinto ukuze kwakhiwe kabusha eminye imikhiqizo.
Kungalolu suku la uMadoda ebhekabheka emgqonyeni kadoti, wazithela phezu kwencwadi endala emadlephudlephu. Wayithatha, wayithintitha, esusa ukungcola, wabe eseyifaka esikhwameni sebhulukwana lakhe. Zonke izinsuku, wayeloku eyikhipha le ncwadi, ayibhekabheke, abuke izithombe, abuye ayiphindisele esikhwameni. Wayengayanga esikoleni, engawaboni namagama, kodwa wayelangazela.
Izithombe zazixoxa indaba yomfana owakhula waba ngumshayeli wamabhanoyi. Wahlala wagxila lomfanekiso enhliziyweni kaMadoda. Ngesinye isikhathi wayezibona engumshayeli wamabhanoyi okuboniswa ngaye kule ncwajana ayithola. Kanti ngesinye isikhathi wawumbona endizisa isandla emoyeni ebonisa ukundiza kwebhanoyi.
Kwakubanda ngalolu suku, nangu uMadoda umi emgwaqeni uyacela. Nakhu sekuqhamuka indoda, ize ngakuye. "Sawubona. NginguTomasi igama lami, ngisebenza eduze nalapha. Lapho ngisebenza khona ungathola ukudla, bangakupha," kuchaza le ndoda. Le ndoda ikhuluma nje iyambonisa uMadoda lapho isebenza khona. Yamkhombisa ukuthi yindlu enophahla oluluhlaza sasibhakabhaka. Yagcina seyithi, "Ngiyethemba uzoya-ke ndoda uyothola ukudla." "Mhlawumbe," kuphendula uMadoda.
Ezinyangeni eziningana ezilandelayo, abafanyana laba babeloku bembona uTomasi. UTomasi ungumuntu wabantu, uyathanda ukukhuluma, ikakhulu akhulume nabo laba asebazithola behlala emigwaqeni. UTomasi wayebalalela bexoxa ngezimpilo zabo. Wayenesineke, elalela ngenhlonipho, engenayo indelelo. Ngezikhathi zasemini, kwaya, kwaya, baqala abafana ukuya endlini enophahla oluluhlaza ukuyothola ukudla.
Nangaleli langa, nangu uMadoda ezihlalele onqenqemeni lomgwaqo ubuka izithombe encwadini yakhe, kanti naku sekufika uTomasi. Wafika wahlala eduze kwakhe. "Ngabe ikhuluma ngani le ncwadi oyifundayo?" kubuza uTomasi. Waphendula uMadoda wathi, "Ikhuluma ngomfana oba ngumshayeli wamabhanoyi ekukhuleni kwakhe." Yaqhubeka inkulumo, "Hmm! Ngubani igama lalo mfana na?" Waphinde waphendula uMadoda, ngezwi lendumalo, "Angazi. Angikwazi ukufunda amagama abhaliwe."
Zahamba izinsuku, babuye bahlanga oMadoda noTomasi. Manje, uMadoda waqala walandisa uTomasi ngokukhula kwakhe. UTomasi wehluleka nokubuza imibuzo eminingi lapho ezwa ngosisi lwalo mfana. Wathula walalela, akangasho lutho ngoba kwakungumuntu ongakhulumeli safuthi. UTomasi noMadoda babexoxa izikhathi ngezikhathi. Babeke baxoxe nangalesi sikhathi uma abafana bezocela ukudla endlini enophahla oluluhlaza.
Kwathi lapho uMadoda esezohlanganisa iminyaka eyishumi, uTomasi wamphathela enye incwadi.  UTomasi wafundela uMadoda izikhathi eziningana lencwadi. Ngelinye ilanga wathi uTomasi kuye, "Ndoda, ngibona ukuthi sekuyisikhathi sokuthi uye esikoleni ukuze ukwazi ukuzifundela nawe. Wena ubona kanjani?" Kwakungathi akezwa kahle. UTomasi wamchazela ukuthi kunendawo la kuhlala khona abantwana, ikhaya labantwana. Kule ndawo abantwana banikezwa nethuba lokuya esikoleni.
UMadoda wacabanga ngale ndawo eshiwo nguTomasi, wacabanga nangokuya esikoleni. Le micabango yayibuye iphazanyiswe ngamazwi kamalume wakhe owayembona njengesiphukuphuku esingefunde lutho. Wayezibuza angatholi zimpendulo. Wayenokwesaba. "Uma bemshaya ekhaya elisha labantwana? Mhlawumbe kungcono khona ukuhla la emgwaqeni."
Akagcinanga nje ngokucabanga. Wagcina esemxoxela umngani wakhe uTomasi ngokwesaba kwakhe. UTomasi wayengampheleli inhliziyo, wayemmisa isibindi ukuthi impilo yakhe ingaba ngcono ekhaya labantwana.
Ngempela-ke uMadoda wathuthela ekhaya labantwana. Wayehlala nabanye abafana ababili ekamelweni labo. Sebebonke endlini, kwakuyizingane eziyishumi. Babehlala no-anti Cissy, nomyeni wakhe kanye nezilwane zabo ababenazo.
Waqala isikole uMadoda. Kwakunzima ngoba kuningi okwakumele akufunde, akwazi ukuze abe sezingeni elilingana nabanye. Ngesinye isikhathi wayefikelwa umcabango wokuthi asiyeke isikole. Kodwa akaphelanga amandla.
Ngelinye ilanga ezihlalele egcekeni lekhaya labantwana, ezifundela incwadi abuye nayo esikoleni, naku sekufika uTomasi. Wafika wahlala eduze kukaMadoda njengokujwayelekile. "Ngitshele ndoda, ngabe indaba ikhuluma ngani?" kubuza uTomasi. "Ikhuluma ngomfana oba nguthisha," kuphendula uMadoda. "Ngubani igama lomfana?" kuqhuba uTomasi. "Igama lakhe ngu Madoda," kusho uMadoda emoyizela.
You are free to download, copy, translate or adapt this story and use the illustrations as long as you attribute in the following way:
Mhlaba ngiyakuhlonipha
Author - Lesley Koyi
Translation - Margaret Nokuthula Zondi and Pumla Mdontswa
Illustration - Wiehan de Jager
Language - isiZulu
Level - Read aloud
© African Storybook Initiative 2015
Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0
Source www.africanstorybook.org
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  • Translations and adaptations
    • Magozwe
      Afrikaans (Translation)
    • Magozwe
      Akuapem Twi (Translation)
    • ماقزوي
      Arabic (Translation)
    • Magozwe
      Asante Twi (Translation)
    • Magozwe
      ChiTonga (Translation)
    • Magozwe
      CiNyanja (Translation)
    • Magozwe
      Dagaare (Translation)
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      Dagbani/Dagbanli (Translation)
    • Mokasa
      Dangme (Translation)
    • Magozwe
      English (Original)
    • Magozwe (Colour-in)
      English (Adaptation)
    • Magozwe
      Ewe (Translation)
    • Magozwe
      Fante (Translation)
    • Magozwe
      French (Translation)
    • Ankamafio
      Ga (Translation)
    • Magozwe
      Gonja (Translation)
    • Magozwe
      IciBemba (Translation)
    • UMagozwe
      isiNdebele (Translation)
    • UMagozwe
      isiXhosa (Translation)
    • Magozwe
      Kasem (Translation)
    • Magorwa
      Kinyarwanda (Translation)
    • Magozwe
      Kiswahili (Translation)
    • Magozwe
      Kiswahili (Adaptation)
    • Magozwe apata makao mapya
      Kiswahili (Adaptation)
    • Magozwe
      Mampruli (Translation)
    • Magozwe
      Nzema (Translation)
    • Magozwe
      Portuguese (Translation)
    • Magozwe
      Sepedi (Translation)
    • Magozwe
      Sesotho (South Africa) (Translation)
    • Magozwe
      Setswana (Translation)
    • Magozwe
      SiLozi (Translation)
    • Wonkhe umuntfu uneliphupho
      Siswati (Translation)
    • Magozwe
      Talen (Translation)
    • Magozwe
      Tshivenḓa (Translation)
    • Mahewu
      Xitsonga (Translation)
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