Udliwanondlebe noThelma Zimondi
Umbhali: Lihle Sokapase
UThelma Zimondi (32) waseGqeberha eGreenbushes ngumbhali osandul’ ukupapasha inoveli yakhe yokuqala egama lithi, ‘Encounter.’ Le noveli ichukumisa umba onqabileyo eluncwadini lwababhali beli loMzantsi Afrika.
Le ncwadi igxile kumava abantu abatsha nabasandul’ ukuthweswa izidanga, iphonononga iminqweno yabo kunye nezinto ezibaphazamisayo njengoko beqalisa uhambo lokuleqa amadlelo aluhlaza.
Eli bali likhanyisela lowo ulesayo ngemingeni nobunzima oluye lujongane nayo ulutsha lwabemi bangaphandle xa beze kukhangela amadlelo aluhlaza apha eMzantsi Afrika.
I’solezwe lesiXhosa likhe lahlala phantsi nalo mbhali lancokola naye ngelifuna ukwazi banzi malunga nencwadi yakhe kunye noko kuye kwamsusa ukuze abe nentshisakalo yokuba abhale le noveli. Imibuzo yethu kwakunye neempendulo zikaThelma ziyalandela apha ngezantsi:
Thelma, ingaba ungasinika amagqabantshintshi ale noveli kunye nento ekususileyo ukuze uyibhale?
Le noveli igocagoca amava abantu abatsha, iphonononga imixholo yolutsha, ukukhulelwa kwamantombazana aselula, kunye nezigqibo ezenziwa ngabafundi abaphuma ezikolweni abasuka kumakhaya ngamakhaya ahlukileyo.
Ngelixa abanye bephuma kwiintsapho ezifumileyo befikelela lula eyunivesithi, abanye abavela kumakhaya engathathi ntweni kufuneka batyhutyhe imilambo eyoyikisayo befuna amadlelo aluhlaza.
Inkuthazo yale noveli isuka kwiingxelo ezibuhlungu zokubhubha kwabaphambukeli ngelixa bezama ukuwela umlambo iLimpopo. Ukubona ezi ziganeko kundikhuthaze ukuba ndikhanyisele uluntu ngemeko yabaphambukeli enganikwa ngqalelo.
Isishwankathelo sikhankanya ukuba le noveli iphonononga amava abantu abaselula nabasandul’ ukuthweswa izidanga. Yintoni ekukhuthazileyo ukuba uphonononge lo mba kwinoveli yakho?
Le noveli ijolise kubomi babantu abancinci kunye nabasandul’ ukuthweswa izidanga. Nanjengoko ndingumntu othanda ukwakha ubuhlobo nabanye abantu, ndiye ndizive iingxaki zabo nditsho ndizame ukunceda apho ndinokunceda khona.
Ukubukela ulutsha olungenanjongo kuyandikhathaza, kundenza ndilukhuthaze ngokuba nombono wekamva eliqaqambileyo. Nokuba ndibakhuthaza ukuba baqonde kwikhondo elithile okanye ndibethelele ukubaluleka kwemfundo, injongo yam kukukhuthaza abantu ababonakala ngathi balahlekile.
Ukubona abantwana babamelwane beyeka isikolo baze bazinikele kulwaphulomthetho nakwiziyobisi kuyandikhathaza. Ndizama ukubonakalisa ukuba imvelaphi yomntu asinguwo umgqaliselo wokuba uza kuphelela phi na ebomini. Imigudu enjengokulima igadi engasemva kwendlu okanye ukusukela imfundo, idlala indima ebalulekileyo ekubumbeni ikamva lomntu.
Imingeni abajongene nayo abantu bokufika ngumxholo ophambili kwinoveli yakho. Ingaba ungacacisa ukuba kutheni ukhethe ukugxila kulo mba kunye nokubaluleka kwawo kwimeko yanamhlanje?
Le noveli iqwalasela ubunzima obufunyanwa ngabantu abavela kwamanye amazwe. Ikhuthazwe yincoko ebuhlungu endandinayo nommelwane kwiminyaka eyadlulayo.
Wabelana ngohambo olunzima awaluhambayo ukuze afikelele eMzantsi Afrika, eqaqambisa imizabalazo egqubayo ejongene nabaphambukeli.
Eyona minqweno yabo kukusebenza, ukonga imali, nokufudukela kumazwe aseYurophu okanye aseAsia, kodwa eluntwini basabonwa njengezaphulimthetho.
Ingaba ungasichazela ngabalinganiswa abaphambili kule noveli nento eyenze ukuba uchonge bona? Ingaba basekelwe kubantu bokwenene okanye kwintlanganisela yamava abantu abahlukileyo?
Abalinganiswa abaphambili kule noveli ithi ‘Encounter’ bayintsomi, ndiziqambele ngokwam.
Le noveli iphonononga iminqweno yabantu abatsha. Ingaba wenze kanjani ukuze ukwazi ukubhentsisa elubala amaphupha kunye neenjongo zabo?
Njengoko besenditshilo ngaphambili, ubume bam bokuthanda ukwakha ubuhlobo bundikhokelela ekubeni ndincokole nosapho kunye nabahlobo malunga nezicwangciso zabo zasemva kwesikolo samabanga aphakamileyo.
Ukongeza, njengomntu osandul’ ukungena kumashumi amathathu eminyaka, ndingumntu oselula onamaphupha ekufuneka ndiwafezekisile. Intetho edumileyo ethi, “Ubomi buqala kwiminyaka engama40,” igxininisa ukuba ndisekwinqanaba lokusukela amaphupha neenjongo zam.
Isishwankathelo senoveli sikhankanya imingeni abalinganiswa abajongene nayo njengoko bekhangela amadlelo aluhlaza. Ingaba ungabelana nathi ngemingeni ethile abaye bagagane nayo abalinganiswa bakho kunye nendlela abamelana ngayo naloo mingeni?
Abalinganiswa badibana nemiqobo emininzi ekuzameni kwabo ukufezekisa amaphupha abo. Bambi bajamelana neengxaki zemali, babhenele ekuthengiseni imfuyo ukuze bahambe kumlambo oneengwenya — iimeko ezimaxongo.
Abantwana ababini abangenamama babalekela kwikhaya leenkedama, yaye unontlalontle owayehamba nabo wabaphepha kancinane abaqweqwedisi ababefuna ukuxhwila abo bantwana.
ERhawutini, abantu ababini balala ezitalatweni ngenxa yokubandakanyeka komqhubi abamlindileyo kwingozi yemoto, yonke loo nto ibonakalisa ukungazinzi kunye nemingeni edibene nohambo lwabo.
Ubunzima abajongene nabo abantu bokufika yinxalenye ebalulekileyo yebali lakho. Ingaba ungaxoxa ngendlela ophande ngayo kwaye uwabonakalise ngokunyanisekileyo la mava?
Ndingene kuphando oluqhubekayo mhla ndifunda ngemingeni yokusinda cebetshu yabaphambukeli. Ndiye ndafunda ngokuthe ngqo kwabo banamava, ndathetha nabantu abahlukileyo.
Umzekelo, ngelixa ndisebenza kwindawo yokutyela (restaurant) phantsi komphathi waseBangladesh, ndabuza ngohambo lwakhe lokuza eMzantsi Afrika nokuba ufike sele engusomashishini kusini na kweli.
Wabelana ngebali elichukumisayo eqala ngokungabi nandawo yokuhlala, echitha ixesha njengomntwana wesitrato ePier 14 apha eGqeberha. Ekugqibeleni, omnye umntu welizwe lakhe wamqaphela, wamnika ithuba lokusebenza evenkileni yakhe.
Emva kweminyaka emithathu yokusebenza nzima, wafumana umvuzo wakhe wokuqala nowokugqibela, waza wasebenzisa loo mali ukuseka ishishini lakhe.
Ingaba ikhona imingeni oye wajamelana nayo xeshikweni ububalisa eli bali, nanjengoko lichaphazela abantu abaninzi, ngakumbi abokufika?
Ngelixa ndibhala eli bali ndiye ndadibana nobunzima, obufana nelaptop yam eyasuka yayeka ukutshaja esithubeni. Inkxalabo yavela njengoko ndandicinga ukuba kunokwenzeka ukuba ingaphinde isebenze.
Inoveli yakho ivakala ngathi inika uluvo lwezentlalo malunga nemingeni yabantu abatsha kunye nabaphambukeli. Ingaba ibiyinjongo yakho ukusikhanyisela ngale miba, kwaye unethemba lokuba abafundi baya kuzuza ntoni kwincwadi yakho?
Injongo yam kukubonisa abantu abazabalazela ukufikelela kwiminqweno yabo ukuba baqhubeke bezama bangatyhafi. Kuzo zonke iinzima abajongene nazo bangahlehli babuye umva.
Ndiyathemba ukuba abafundi baya kuqonda ukuba, ukuba unethuba lokufumana ibhasari, yithathe kwaye ufunde. Kukho abanye abangenawo loo mathuba. Musa ukuvumela amathuba aphuncuke ezandleni zakho ngenxa yobuvila.
Incwadi yeziBhalo kwisahluko se9 kwivesi ye11 ithi: “Ndabuya ndabona phantsi kwelanga, ukuba ukugidima asikokwabanamendu, imfazwe asiyeyamagorha; kananjalo isonka asisesezilumko; kananjalo ubutyebi asibobabanenqiqo; kananjalo ubabalo asilolwabanokwazi; ngokuba bonke bephela bafikelwa lixesha nasisihlo.”
Ingaba akhona amava okwenene akuphembelele ekubeni ubhale eli bali? Ukuba kunjalo, loo mava aliphuhlise kanjani ibali lakho?
Amava abanye abantu andiphembelela ukuba ndibhale le noveli, yaye ukuba nabahlobo abahambe le ndlela kuye kwandinceda nako. Ndiziva ngathi ndingaba yintatheli. Ukuba nobuhlobo nabantu kwenze kwaba lula ukuba ndidibanise ezi ziqwengana.
Uthemba ukuba abafundi baya kuziva kanjani okanye bacinge ntoni emva kokuba befunde le noveli ithi ‘Encounter’? Ingaba kukho imiyalezo ethile okanye iimvakalelo ojonge ukuzivuselela?
Ndiyathemba ukuba abafundi baya kucinga kwaye bambulele uThixo ngeentsikelelo zabo zemihla ngemihla, babe nobubele kwaye babonise uthando kumntu wonke njengoko abantu bexakeke zizinto ezininzi.
Ndithumela imiyalezo kwabo banezihlobo zabo ezifudukileyo ukuze baqinisekise ukuba bafike kakuhle apho baye khona kwaye bakhuselekile.
Eli bali liphonononga amava abantu abasebatsha. Ucinga ukuba imingeni kunye noloyiso oluboniswe kwinoveli yakho lubonakalisa njani amava ngokubanzi olutsha lwanamhlanje?
Ndicinga ukuba imingeni kunye noloyiso oluboniswe kule noveli lubonisa amava abanzi olutsha lwanamhlanje nanjengoko lujamelene nemingeni emininzi. Umzekelo, kukho la ndawo ithetha ngokuxhwilwa kwabantu, nangona nje abalinganiswa bam baye bakwazi ukusinda cebetshu kuloo mgibe.
Njengombhali oqalayo ukupapasha, leliphi icebiso onokuthi ulinike abo basafuna ukuba ngababhali?
Njengombhali oqalayo ukupapasha, ndingacebisa abo banqwenela ukuba ngababhali ukuba baye kwiindibano zocweyo zokubhala, kulapho ufumana khona izimvo kwaye ucele uncedo kwabo basele beyihambile le ndlela yokupapasha.