UMLANDO: MENZI JELE
UTHI ngabe waphanjanelwa yikhanda ukuba akalulandelanga ubizo lokuba ngumfundisikazi weMethodist Church of Southern Africa (amaWeseli), u-Olga Thobile “OT” Dlamini (63), wodumo lohlelo lwabantwana oKhozini FM, oluthi “Vumelani Abantwana Beze Kimi.”
UNcwaba (August), yinyanga yokubungaza abesifazane abavelele emikhakheni eyehlukene. Kule nyanga, uMfu uDlamini – osezingeni likamengameli ngokwezikhundla zebandla lakhe – uhehe ILANGA ngamagalelo akhe.
UMENGAMELI Olga Dlamini.
Ungowesifazane onesibindi, odlule ebunzimeni. Kumanje nje, ungumengameli wabashumayeli baseWeseli kwiNatal Coastal District, umengameli wesekethe yaseNdulinde futhi uyisekela likaMbhishobhi uLinda Mandindi, ophethe amaseWeseli esifundazweni.
KALUBANGA LULA UHAMBO OLUBHEKE EMPUMELELWENI
UMengameli uDlamini okubatshazwa impumelelo yakhe, uthi ukuba akalulandelanga ubizo lokuba ngumfundisi, ngabe waphambana ikhanda. Uthi waqala ukutshela abantu esafunda emabangeni aphansi ukuthi uma ekhula, ufuna ukuba ngumfundisi. Uveza ukuthi abazali bakhe ababengamakholwa e-Anglican Church of Southern Africa (iSheshi), uMnu Harrington Sikhosana noNkk Galina Sikhosana, uMaVilakazi, babengayizwa eyokuthi indodakazi yabo ingaba ngumfundisi. “Kukhona owesifazane owayedayisa amasekeni amaKhatholika, ngathenga ihembe ngemali encane enganginayo. Umama wasinika imali sinodadewethu ukuba sithenge izinto esizithandayo edolobheni eStanger, mina ngathenga umgexo onesiphambano sikaJesu.
“Wathetha umzali wami, kodwa ngangizwa ukuthi kukhona into ekhulumayo kimina ngaphakathi. Abazali bami babefuna ngibe nguthisha. Endaweni engakhulela kuyona eMatsheketsheni naKwamshayazafe eMandeni, akekho umuntu owayekholwa wukuthi kungaba khona umuntu wesifazane ongaba ngumfundisi. Manje ngingumfundisi ogcotshiwe, oshumayela ivangeli epulpiti. Ngiyashadisa, ngiyangcwaba, ngeluleka abanezinkinga emishadweni, nakunoma kumuphi umkhakha wempilo. Ngingumholi wezenkolo owelusa abamhlophe, abamnyama, amaNdiya namakhaladi,” esho.
Uthi kwabenzima ngo-1991 ngesikhathi ephasa izifundo zokuthi afundele ubufundisi, eseyilungu lamaWeseli. Uveza ukuthi abefundisi besilisa babebabona njengabantu abazoba yizithikamezo futhi badukise abantu, ngoba phakathi kwabantu abawu-5 ababhala lezo zifundo, nguyena nomunye umlungu owayeshadile ababengabesifazane.
WAYEHLUSHWA YIPHUPHO, LIMBIZELA EBUFUNDISINI
Uthi esafunda oBambiswano High School, eShowe, wayeziphupha egqoke imijiva yabefundisi. Leli phupho lalibuya zonke izinsuku. “Ngaya kumfundisi waseSheshi elokishini eShowe, ngamchazela ngobizo nangephupho elalingihlupha. Umfundisi wathi ebandleni labo kabavuyelwe abesifazane ukuba babe ngabefundisi, kungcono abe yisistela (indela).”
Uthi wamcela ukuba abuyele eMandeni, ayochazela umfundisi wakhona ngezinselelo zempilo ayebhekena nazo ngoba ubizo, olumholela ebufundisini, lwalungazibeki. Umfundisi wamcela ukuba azile ukudla izinsuku eziwu-5, akhuleke, lokho wakwenza ngempumelelo.
OBambiswano lapha ayefunda shona ehlushwa yiphupho.
Kusukela ngo-1979, amaWeseli ayebavumela abesifazane ukuba bafundele ukuba ngabefundisi, bagcotshwe. NgoLwezi (November) ngo-1991, uMengameli uDlamini wathunyelwa kwiDurban Circuit – ukuyoba ngumfundisi kwaD, eMlazi. Uthi ngaleso sikhathi wayengakaqeqeshelwa ukuba ngumfundisi.
Ngaleso sikhathi wayeseshade noMnu Thabani Dlamini, owayenguthisha. “Ukwesekwa esakuthola eMlazi, kwaba yisimangaliso. Ebandleni kwakukhona othisha nabahloli ababeseseka ngendlela eyisimanga. Kwi-Exodus 3:12, uMose unikwa khona
isibindi, ehola abantwana bakwa-Israel. Kuthiwa makangabheki emuva, makaqhubeke nohambo lwakhe. Yilona leli vesi ebelinginika umdlandla,” esho.
UMengameli Dlamini wagogoda kwezobufundisi eJohn Wesley College, eKilnerton, ePretoria. Uthi babebabili bengabesifazane ekilasi elaphothula izifundo zabo ngo-1995. Wethweswa iziqu zobufundisi emcimbini owawuseStandard Bank Arena eGoli ngoMandulo (September) ka-1996.
UKUSHONELWA YINGANE KWAHLANGANISA UMNDENI
UMengameli Dlamini nomyeni wakhe (ongasekho), babebusiswe ngamadodakazi amane emshadweni wabo. Mathathu asaphila. Uthi Enye indodakazi yakhe yashona emuva kokugula isikhathi esifushane – ikhala ngekhanda elinkenkethayo.
UMENGAMELI Dlamini enamadodakazi akhe.
Ubabaza ukwesekwa ngamabandla ahlukene ngemuva kokushonelwa yingane. “Othisha ababefundisa nomyeni wami, iphephandaba ILANGA, abantu abalalela izintshumayelo zami emsakazweni, bangeseka ngendlela eyisimanga. Ngakhumbula ukuthi uNkulunkulu akakushiyi wedwa uma usenkingeni, ukunika umthokozisi – nabangani bangempela, ubabona ngaso lesi sikhathi. Amadodakazi ami azimele manje, senginabazukulu engizogxila ekubakhuliseni njengoba ngizothatha impesheni ngonyaka ozayo,” esho.
UBIZO NENTSHISEKELO YOKUQHUBA IVANGELI KUMENZE WAJIKELEZA I-KWAZULU-NATAL
Wathunyelwa eMkhanyakude izikhawu ezimbili. Ngo-2004 kuya ku-2005 wayeseManguzi, KwaNgwanase. “Ngafika laphaya intsha izithele ngabandayo. Abanye abasebewuqedile uGrade 12, babengaqhubeki nokufunda. Ngababiza ngabakhuthaza. Ngaleso sikhathi ngasengineziqu (diploma) zeHIV Management engazithola e-University of Stellenbosch. Ngasebenza emabandleni okubalwa kuwona i-Athlone Park neManzimtoti lapho ngangeluse khona abelungu – ababethathwa ngokuthi basadla ngoludala, banobandlululo – namaNdiya. Kwathi sekufanele ngihambe – isikhathi engibekelwe sona sesiphelile – amalungu ebandla angincenga ukuba ngibuye,” esho.
Ubala ababhishobhi baseWeseli abahlonishwayo njengabantu asebenze nabo – okunguMbhishibhi uStanley Magoba noMbhishobhi uMvume Dandala.
UZIBEKA PHANSI IZINTAMBO NGONYAKA OZAYO
UMengameli Dlamini wazalwa mhla ka-1 kuNhlolanja (February) ngo-1961. Ekupheleni konyaka ozayo, uzothi khumu emsebenzini wakhe. Unxusa abesifazane ukungalesabi ipulpiti. Uthi yena noMfu uPurity Malinga waseWeseli, bakhuthaze abaningi ngoba yibona abathathwa njengamavulandlela abesifazane abamnyama kulo mkhakha.
UMFU uPurity Malinga
UMengameli uDlamini uthi kugcono babizwe ngoMama Mfundisi ngoba bangabefundisi abagcothiswe vele, hhayi ukuthi babizwe ngabefundisikazi. Unenkulisa (Day Care Centre) ayengamele eMakhwatasi, eMandeni, lapho atshalwe khona njengamanje. Uthi njengoba esezothatha umhlalaphansi nje, uzoqhubeka nokuba seMandeni lapho inkaba yakhe ikhona. Ungumama oqinile emoyeni ngoba kuthe ithimba leLANGA selihamba kwakhe, ngemuva kwengxoxo ekhethekile, wacela ukuba kukhulekwe.
