Ikuphi ekusuke kulindelwe komakoti abancane emzini abasebenza kude nasekhaya? Kungabe omakoti bamanje abasebancane basenza ngendlela okwakwenza omakoti bakuqala ngayo na? Uma umakoti eganile emzini uma kwenziwa umsebenzi kumele afike ngasiphi isikhathi? Uma umuntu esengumakoti, umamezala usuke esethole umsizi wakhe egcekeni futhi naye esezophumula kweminye imisebenzi eminingi ngoba sebezohlukaniselana ngayo, futhi basuke sebezobambisana kuzona zonke izinto ikakhulukazi kumakoti omdala okunguyena okumele asondele kakhulu kumamezala wakhe.
Sekuyaziwa ukuthi sesiphila esikhathini lapho yonke into isidinga imali. Nokuthi abantu abaningi abakithi abamnyama sebeyafunda manje okwenza ukuthi balindele nemisebenzi emihle nesezingeni lemfundo yabo. Manje uma uthatha umakoti kuye kube nesimo esiphoqayo ukuthi uma esebenza umakoti ahlale ezindaweni ezisemadolobheni ukuze asondelele isimo somsebenzi. Sibe sesikhuluma nomakoti osemncane ohlala endaweni yaseNanda uThobeka Duma oganele kwaMaphumulo. UThobeka ukuvezile ukuthi njengomuntu osebenza kude nasemzini uma kuzokwenziwa umsebenzi emzini yena waziswa waziswa kusanesikhathi ukuze akwazi ukuthi acele isikhathi sekhefu emsebenzini ukuze azokwazi ukulungisela ukuya emakhaya ayosiza.
Uma uzoya emzini kumele ugqoke ngendlela ehloniphekayo ngoba usuke uya emzini lapho okumele ukuthi uhloniphe amadlozi akhona. Kuya ngokuthi umuntu uyikholwa yini indlela azogqoka ngayo ingancika enkolweni yakhe umuntu. Uma ekholwa ufaka iduku ekhanda agaxe isikhafu emahlombe. Noma abanye bengasalifaki ukuthi ligcwale lonke ikhanda iduku bayaqafa ekhanda kuphela kuvele izinwele zabo. Kodwa nje uma umuntu esegcekeni ufaka iphinifa ngaphezulu kwento ayigqokile, agqoke nento ezovala wonke umzimba wakhe uma kwenzekile ukuthi awusifakile isikhafu. Kodwa abanye bayavunula uma kwaziwa ukuthi akalona ikholwa ikakhulukazi ezindaweni zakoMaphumulo ufaka inkehli ebizwa ngokuthi iqomoza obonakala ngayo ukuthi usuganile.
Uma ngabe kwenziwa umsebenzi umakoti omdala uyena owazi yonke into uzobonisana nabanye omakoti ukuthi kumele benzeni. Ihlukaniswe imisebenzi ngezigaba zabo. Kuzoba khona ozotheza izinkuni omunye apheke utshwala besintu uma kwaziwa ukuthi umabani uyakwazi ukupheka uyena oyopheka. Bonke omakoti bazolala nomamezala wabo kuze kuba kudlula ilanga lomsebenzi. Uma sekukhishwa izithebe omakoti bazohamba bayohlala ndawonye nomama balapha beganele khona. Omakoti bazohlala emsamo, omama bahlale ngasemnyango, phela kuthiwa kusuke kuyibona abadala. Uma sekulethwa izithebe umamezala wabo uzoqoka omakoti ababili ukuthi bahambe bayobosela inyama.
Uma kwenzekile ukuthi kukhona omakoti abasanda kugana lekhaya, umamezala wabo uzothatha umbese anike umakoti lo ojwayele ukubosela inyama. Amnike umbese ukuthi izintambo zokosa inyama uzidlulisela kubona. Bazohamba baye emnyango emlilweni bayokosa inyama. Kanjalo uma inyama isibuya uma kukhona abasasele bazonikwa isitsha ukuthi ababele inyama. Lenyama efakwa esitsheni noma imuphi umakoti uzohamba nayo aye emzini wakhe. Esalayo esithebeni isizothathwa idliwe. Omakoti ngelanga lomsebenzi bayavunula. Ezindaweni zasemakhaya omakoti uma bevakasha bayahlonipha.
English Summary
This article looks at how a young bride copes with living away from her family because of work. We spoke with Thobeka Duma who works in Durban and is originally from KwaMaphumulo. She says that when there are traditional ceremonies the family informs her earlier so that she can make necessary arrangements at work because as a young bride she is expected to be at home a week before the ceremony to prepare things like sorghum beer, collecting of woods and other necessities. She is also expected to dress accordingly as umakoti. She does not follow the dressing rule when she is at work, but when she goes home a scarf around her shoulders is expected of her to show that she is a bride in the family.
By: Nqobile Mdabe