UHLALUTYO: Intlungu Yevezandlebe

Ngokubhalwe ngu: YAMKELA NTWALANA

Le ncwadi siyibhalelwa nguYamkela Ntwalana ongumbhali obalaseleyo. Le ncwadi iye yawongwa ngembasa yeSALA (South African Literary Award) ebizwa ngokuba yiNovel Award ngomnyaka wama2022. Lo mbhali ukwanguye notitshala eHoly Cross Senior Secondary School eMthatha apho ahlohla isifundo sesiXhosa. Indima yakhe apho iye yakhokelela ekubeni awongwe kumsitho owaziwa ngokuba yiNational Teaching Awards ngembasa ekuthiwa yiExcellence in Secondary School Teaching.

Kule ncwadi utsho ngobuncwane bocwambu olucwengileyo umfo wasemaMvulaneni bafondini. Le yinoveli othi usaqala ukuyifunda wothuke sele uyigqibile ngenxa yokuyondelelana kwebali nokuphucuka kwesigama. Inene naba bantu basilelayo ekufundeni ulwimi lwakowethu bangafika bachebeleze apha. Othe weza kum efuna izithako zokunonga ibali ndiza kumkhomba kulo mqulu, naye alitsho ibali lakhe linambitheke njengeli.

Ibali lona libuhlungu kuba akukho mntu urhalela ukungamkeleki apho athi kukokwabo. Utitshal’ uSicelo Vundle uzibhaqa ekwelo lishwa emva kokusweleka kukanina. Apha kukhw’ abantu ababini abatshatileyo, phofu abatshatanga bobabini. Gxebe! Yima ndilungise obu buyilo. Apha kukhw’ abantu ababini abatshatileyo, phofu abatshatanga kunye! Unina kaSicelo nendoda yasemathileni endingaziyo nokuba ndithi nguyise kaSicelo kusini na, baye bembathisana ngengubo yesondo kwatsho kwavela uSicelo.

Nantso ke “ingxaki” kaSicelo. Ndithi “yingxaki” kaSicelo kuba oodade nabantakwabo bayenze ingxaki yakhe indlela aze ngayo kweli phakade. Phofu ke le nyewe ikhe yabethwa ngoyaba ngeli xesha asaphilayo unakaSicelo, wathi akuba eswelekile yaphutshuluka imisila yeembulu! Kwatsho kwakhunjulwa ukuba uSicelo lo “livezandlebe” emaVundleni. Yatsho yavela imibuzo isithi ugqibele nini na ukugoduka, phofu ebuzwa ngabantakwabo kokwabo — “kokwabo” ngabula Sicelo.

Kukho intokazi egama linguAngel. Intokazi le yekayisekazi kaSicelo. Yiyo ehleli nje iphembelela umoya wezikhova phakathi koSicelo nabantakwabo. Akukho nto azibalule ngayo apha ebalini ngaphezu kokuman’ ekhumbuza uSicelo ukuba ulivezandlebe. Nguye oyena mntu uyihambela phambili into yokuba makagxothwe nangaphezu kwaba bazalwa noSicelo. Nabo ke baye bathabatheke bubuqhaji bale ntokazi, baqalise ukumxhaphaza uSicelo, ngakumbi hlobo lwemali.

Kwacaca gca ukuba bathi uSicelo lo wenzelwe inceba engummangaliso ngokuthi akhuliselwe emaVundleni ekubeni engowasemathileni, ngoko ke makabuyekeze loo nceba. Hayi ke bamncuva bemcikida bethe ngcu kuye emagxeni! Isisombululo sakhe iye ibe kukubhenela etywaleni kanti uzifaka ematyaleni. Kwowu! Yini uSicelo madoda? Akusayi kunceda nto ukungena nzulu ngokuba andingekhe ndilibalise ukwegqitha umninilo eli bali. Koko mandenjenje ukuqukumbela: Qhuba mfo kaNtwalana! Kusekuninzi esiza kukuzuza kuwe.

Kodwa kunyanzelekile ukuba umbhali ndimtyityimbisele umnwe ngokuthi enesiXhosa esichubeke kangaka asuke anqene ukondla izahluko zebali lakhe. Yanga kwinoveli elandelayo izahluko zakhe zingahlutha mpu zibe yimipatsiya kuba le inoveli bekumele ukuba iqabele kumaphepha angamakhulu amabini (200), koko umpheki uphake washiya umbeko kanti asiyi kuhlutha sonke. Kodwa noxa kunjalo, ibali eli lindichukumise kakhulu kangangokuba ndinalo norhano lokuba lisekelezelwe kwiziganeko zenene.

Umhlalutyi nguLihle Sokapase wakwaNgqa Phambili Publishing. Ukwanguye nomhleli kwaSoluncwadi (www.soluncwadi.co.za).