My Roots, my proud identity - Part three

Taken from a eBook: "Sweet mother"

Lomamqhaka died and left the boys in the care of the community. The boys where about 16 and 17 years old. But the boys could not take it kindly the passing of their mother, they fled during the night, direction south. During the day they hid, never to be seen by any of the communities in the area and at night they ran for their lives for days and nights until they reached Ngulukudela. (Limpopo River) The river was swollen to capacity, the river banks almost unkind to attempt whatever crossing even to experienced swimmers. They had to wait until the river subsided. They took turns to sleep and avoid dangerous people, dangerous animals, creepy-crawlies that could harm them while sleeping. They were seasoned hunters and could hunt for their food without any problems. They crossed the famous river when it showed signs of subsiding and they felt safe as they knew the distance from the place they left was very far indeed.  But again after crossing the great river something told them that they are closing a chapter. They were conscious of the fact that they had actually left their mother behind. Crossing the river was therefore significant as it gave that closure, a physical demarcation between them and their mother was the River Ngulukudela. (Limpopo River) It was the younger boy, Ndaba, who could not take kindly the closure to his beloved dead mother. He looked across the river and cried bitter tears of loss, the grieving of their mother could have started and ended there. He resigned and he consciously turned round and gave the big river his back going southwards.  

Sawela Sawela
Sawela sibili sawelu Ngulukudela siyofuna imali
Baphi na okhokho
Basemazulwini basitshiyeli ndubeko
Indubeko zomhlaba

They were grown up then, young men and talented in all aspects of their daily living and needs. But it would be spaces in their minds where their mother would linger and occupy, forever. Off they went going south without proper compass of their search for this man called Challis who happened to be their father. They were actually trying to connect the place where their father Challis could be staying and living.  It was the naivety on their part to think that the first white settlement they find would be their father's homestead. Their aim was to ask him, indeed their father to accept them back and could live in his compound just like all other workers or servants in the compound. It was still the childhood images and recollections of their aloof father who, but time and again played with them that were more in their minds than a father who kept their mother captive, a caged "woman/wife" until he got a replacement in the form of a pale woman from wherever she came from. But they yearned for some kind of constancy in their lives, just staying in one place and never again these migrations and uncertainties in their lives and about their lives. It could also be that they knew something they thought was better than constant migrations, the life they lived in the home before their mother was sent away still lingered in their minds intensively. They were born and grew up in a compound, they knew this and they wanted that kind of life for them.

They could barely comprehend their freedom after crossing the river when they were caught by pale hunters who found them funny and interesting to look at, colored young men in the bush dressed in animal skins! For goodness sake, where do they come from? They had to explain it to the pale people where they came from. They were laughed at while the eyes dug into their skins questioning how it all happened. The Colored boys or rather young men of mixed race, half-castes in the bush! The two boys put together the background pieces of information that made sense about themselves and their plight. It did not impress the pale hunters at all as it sounded weird and impossible to them. The father Challis, or Charles, but Challis as a name, never heard a name like that before. It was the language that made communication challenging. Anyhow they were "caught" and they had to go and stay at the settlement and offer some cheap labor.

According to the pale people these two boys could be better Africans but they were kaffirs still, the kaffir blood in them, half-castes! Cross breed! Are they Europeans, no! Are they African, no? What are they then if they are neither of both? What are they then? Days later they were told they were going to settle at a mission centre where they would work. Some arrangement could have happened behind their backs to go and work at the missionary. In the midst of great misfortune luck struck their way, it was their dream came true to settle in one place, and their pride to be in one place was fierce. The idea of hunting for their father was dropped instantly. They were given to the missionaries in the area to work in the mission as cheap laborers.

They lived in this mission for a long time and attended classes were they learnt how to read and write. Most of the mission duties relied on their ability and capabilities and the mission became a lambent purity for them. They learnt building skills that were made use of in the neighborhood. They would be contracted to build colonial homes for the settlers in the surrounding. It is indeed extraordinary lives that produced in them extraordinary young men. These two young men were extraordinary young men who were later revered for their courage, honesty and hard work. It was a London Missionary Society settlement where they settled. They became Christians and were baptized. Christianity was to be spread in the region of southern Africa to "Godless, heathens and savage Africans" and that was their mission work too.

Africans should be tamed through evangelism was the motto. They could be wholly relied upon on many issues regarding the mission activities and purpose, a reverence deservedly earned. These two young men were the ones who would be taken to church services to read the bible to the local populations. They clearly remembered still what their mother told them, to keep an eye on each other, remain together always, assist each other in all life threatening situations. The mother has never felt less for the boys ever since they were born and also the inherent and emotional messages she sent to them made them strong and emotionally intelligent young men. That was the legacy from their mother, Lomamqhakha that was to be passed on to all generations to come, care for one another all the time from one generation to the next so that Lomamqhakha continues to live in these generations if at all her spirit. Whatever they did it was always together and the missionaries respected the togetherness of the two brothers and they nurtured it in reverence. After all they improved and sustained the mission and were wholly due to their hard work.


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Nomazulu Thata <nomazulu.thata@hotmail.com