My name is S’yabonga Shezi and I am from Georgedale in Hammarsdale. My family clan are Zulus, my mother’s surname is Shezi and my father’s surname is Dlamini. I don’t know my grandfather from my father’s side because he passed away when I was only a couple of months old. The ritual practice that we do as Zulus is killing animals like cows, goats and sheep for our ancestors in which we as black people believe in. When we connect to our ancestors, we burn a little plant called impepho (incense) and talk through it. As the smoke goes up it carries our requests to them. In that way we believe we’re communicating with them and they have heard and accepted our request if the incense ritual went well.
Our Zulu traditional dance is called ukusina. My grandmother from my father’s side is a traditional healer and she helps a lot of people. Her surname is Sosiba but she got married to my grandfather whose surname is Dlamini. My father’s side are originally from Mzimkhulu and my mother’s side are originally from Hlokozi. My grandmother from my mother’s side, MaMkhize, had 8 children and 4 of her children including my mother died a few years back.
I have a little brother called Sabelo, he annoys everyone in the family but we still love him though. The youngest child at home is my little sister called Thandeka; she is the cutest at home. The oldest amongst my mother’s children is my sister Zama. My mother likes cooking and she cooks very well, her cooking is very good. My father lives very far from us, he only transfers money or we just go and visit him.
My grandmother was married twice and to the first guy she was the second wife. She was forced to get married by her mother so that they can get money, because the guy she got married to was wealthy, but my grandmother did not like this so she ran away from that marriage. Running away helped her and us a lot because if she had stayed, none of us would have been born. After a few years she met my grandfather. I don’t know my grandfather well because he passed away before I was born but I often hear stories about him being told in the family. My grandmother says that he was the best. The place of miracles and history where they met is at the community hall where he offered to buy her a drink as it was hot that day. My granny bought a car in 1993 and even today it still here. Everyone who knows how to drive at home was taught in driving that car.