Thembi Mdlalose
Sixoxisane noThembi Victory Mdlalose owazalelwa endaweni yaseNanda ngonyaka ka1976, wakhulela khona ehlala nabazali bakhe asebadlula emhlabeni. UThembi uyingane ephakathi nendawo. Sixoxe ngokugezwa kwesigodlo uma intombazane ikhulelwe ekhaya. Ubaba wakhe wayeyinyanga enesigodlo endlini enkulu ekhaya. Isigodlo yindawo lapho umuntu ongumelaphi wendabuko noma isangoma noma umthandazi esebenzela kuyo. Siyahlonishwa kakhulu umuntu akangeni uma engahlambulukile, njengokuthi uma umuntu wesifazane esezinsukwini noma esikhathini akangeni esigodlweni noma ephuma kumuntu wesilisa engakagezi akuvumelekile ukuthi athinte okusesigodlweni noma ngabe umuntu oshonelwe ongakagezwa naye akavumelekile.
Ngokwesintu umuntu wesifazane akavumelekile ukuthi athole umntwana engashadile. Lokhu kuthathwa njengechilo ngoba kudingeka ukuthi lowo omkhulelisile ageze umuzi womnumzane ngembuzi. Kanjalo uma kubokantombazane kukhona umuntu owelaphayo umfana wayephinde akhiphe enye imbuzi yokugeza isigodlo. Intombazane yona ayingeni endlini enkulu futhi ingathinti lutho isikhathi esingangezinyanga ezintathu. Yayihlala yodwa endlini engaphandle kuthi ekudingayo isizwe ngodadebayo.
Uma sekuphele izinyanga ezintathu intombazane enqunyelwe zona kudingeka ukuthi ithenge inkukhu emhlophe ngemali yayo. Kushiswe impepho kuhlanjululwe ingane nomama wayo kwaziswe amadlozi ukuthi isiyangeniswa intombazane nengane yayo emadlozini kanye nasendlini enkulu ukuze aqhubeke ngemisebenzi abeyenza. Iyaxoliselwa ngephutha ngokuthola umntwana ekhaya, manje usehlambulula isigodlo ngokuthi azixolisele naye.
UThembi ubalule ukuthi nakuba sewadlula emhlabeni ubaba wabo kodwa basakwenza lokhu. Ngesikhathi umama wabo esaphila uyena owayekhuluma namadlozi. Ngemuva kokufika kwentuthuko izindlu ezindala zadilizwa kwakhiwa ezemixhaso kahulumeni, umndeni wakwaMdlalose wakhelwa emibili base bona bezakhela indlu eceleni ukuze bayenze isigodlo sikababa wabo. Nakuba besaqhubeka nalelisiko labo kodwa sebayishintsha indlela ekwenziwa ngayo, njengokuthi umuntu angalindi izinyanga ezintathu kodwa kube eyodwa ngenxa yokuthi abanye bomndeni bayasebenza akekho umuntu ozokwazi ukusiza omunye izinyanga ezintathu.
Bengumndeni basasihlonipha isigodlo sikababa wabo ngoba noma kushoniwe basigeza ngenkukhu emhlophe noma ebomvu. Kuthathwe inyongo ihlanganiswe nesiqunga kuchelwe kukhulunywe namadlozi ukuthi aqhubeke nokubheka ikhaya.
English Summary
This article is about the cleansing of a part of house that is reserved for a traditional healer in the family home after a girl has fallen pregnant before marriage. An interview with Thembi, whose father was a traditional healer, outlined that for her family if one of the girls falls pregnant, they are not allowed to go to the main house where this place is until they are cleansed.
For three months they are separated from the family and stay in an outside room, siblings are encouraged to help the girl during this time. After giving birth the girl has to buy a live hen and burn incense and ask the ancestors for forgiveness, and this ritual is also used to introduce the newborn in the family and this allows the girl to continue with her duties within the household.
Some of the things that are not allowed in this reserved place is when a woman is on her period or when she was with her boyfriend or when there is death in the family – all of these need cleansing. There is a belief that ancestors will be angry if they did not follow this ritual. Even after their father’s death their mother continued with the ritual until her death also. As children left alone they find it important to continue with this tradition although they have reduced three months of seclusion to one month. They rebuilt their father’s sacred place after their old house was demolished and new RDP houses were built in the area.
By: Nqobile Mdabe