Hoofstuk 1

In hierdie hoofstuk maak ons kennis met Amazolo, ‘n tradisionele Zulu inboorling in Tugella
Ferry
This chapter introduces us to Amazolo, a traditional Zulu native who lives in Tugella Ferry
Amazolo is swanger met haar liefling se kind - die man wat haar verlaat het (Mlenzana) om op
die myne in Johannesburg te gaan werk
Amazolo is pregnant with the love of her life’s baby - the man who also left her (Mlenzana) to go
work on the mines in Johannesburg
Sy weier om die swangerskap te aanvaar en verwyt die kind - sy doen daarom ‘n klomp dinge
wat teen haar kultuur is om die geeste en gode om te krap:
She refuses to accept the pregnancy and resents the child - she therefore does numerous
things against their culture to upset the spirits and her gods:
- sy eet tarentaal en haas
- she ate guineau fowl and rabbit
- sy staan terwyl sy eet
- she stood while she ate
- sy dra nie ‘n takkie van die spoorplant umkhondo saam met haar om die kind teen bose spore
waaroor sy moontlik geloop het, te beskerm nie
- she never carried the spore plant umkhondo with her to protect the child against the evil steps
she might have walked on
Sy het oorspronklik ‘n malondolo van klei met ‘n grasdak gebly, maar wou ‘n Zoeloe-hut hê, ‘n
iqhugwane - Mlenzana en sy vriende het vir haar een gemaak
She initially stayed in a malondolo with a clay wall and a grass roof, but she wanted a Zulu hut,
a iqhugwane - Mlenzana and his friends then made her one
‘n Iqhugwane word gebou deur takke in ‘n groot kring in die grond te plant en dit middel toe te
buig en dit met nat bas vas te bind - hulle maak dan grasmatte op dit vas en maak die vloer van
klei en beesmis
A iqhugwane is built by planting branches in a big circle in the ground and bending it over to the
middle and tying it with wet bark - they then attach grass mats to the whole exterior and the
floor is made with clay and beesmis

Amazolo was verloof aan Mlenzana voor hy weg is - sy het ‘n swart geplooide romp van koeivel
gedra, ‘n isidwaba, en daar was baie krale om haarnek
Amazolo was betrothed to Mlenzana before he left - she wore a black pleated skirt of cow hide,
the isidwaba, and there was a lot of beads around her neck
Nadat Mlenzana weg is, het haar swangerskap begin wys
After Mlenzana had left, her pregnancy started showing

Amazolo se water breek en sy gaan in kraam in

Zuziwe, die isangoma, was daar gedurende die geboorte - sy dra ‘n ibeshu soos ‘n man en dra
‘n skild en asgaai
Zuziwe, the isangoma, was there at the birth - she wears a ibeshu like a man and carries a
shield and spear
Die baba is gebore en dis ‘n seun - sy gee nie vir hom ‘n naam nie en sê hulle moet hom aan
iemand gee wat vir hom ‘n naam wil gee (sy sê ook hy het nie ‘n ma nie)
The baby is born and it’s a boy - she doesn’t name him and says they must give him to
someone who wants to give him a name (she also says that he doesn’t have a mother)
- sy sê later sy wil nie vir hom ‘n naam gee nie, want dan sal hy iemand wees en vir haar is hy
nie
- she later says she doesn’t want to give him a name because then he would be somebody and
to her, he wasn’t
Zuziwe se woorde is baie belangrik: “Die ding wat jy aan hierdie kind doen, gaan na jou toe
teruggebring word deur sy voormense” - sy sê Amazolo sal gestraf word vir die dinge wat sy
doen (hierdie is baie belangrik deurgaans deur die boek)
Zuziwe’s words are very important: “Die ding wat jy aan hierdie kind doen, gaan na jou toe
teruggebring word deur sy voormense” - she says Amazolo will be punished for what she is
doing (this is very significant throughout the book)

Nou ontmoet ons vir Mvula en Thandi Mutwa - hulle het die kind aangeneem na sy geboorte,
want hulle het ook ‘n baba gehad
We then meet Mvula and Thandi Mutwa - they had taken the child in after his birth, as they also
had a baby themselves
Ons word aan Likwezi bekendgestel, wat vir Thandi werk en die kind voer - Thandi raas met
haar hieroor, want sy wil nie hê die kind moet aan hulle beeste se melk drink nie
We are also introduced to Likwezi, who works for Thandi, who feeds the child - Thandi scolds
her for doing this, because she says he may not be fed by their cattle’s milk

Amazolo word wakker, maar mag nie uit haar hut kom nie, want sy is steeds onrein in die oë
van die mense - die onrein umnyama van die kind is steeds om haar
Amazolo wakes up but is not allowed to come out of her hut, as she is still impure in the eyes of
her people - the impure umnyama of the child is still around her
Amazolo wil so gou moontlik weer begin werk
Amazolo wants to return to work as soon as possible
- sy is ‘n huisvrou op weeksdae vir sommige van die vroue in Tugella Ferry, insluitend Landdros
Dube se vrou
- she is a housekeeper to some ladies in Tugella Ferry some days of the week, including
Magistrate Dube’s wife
- die ander dae maak sy potte om langs die pad te verkoop
- the other days she makes pots to sell next to the road

Thandi gee vir kind terug vir Amazolo - Zuziwe het vir haar gesê sy moet
Thandi returns the child to Amazolo - Zuziwe told her to
Sy sê weer sy het nie ‘n kind nie
She says again that she doesn’t have a child
- Thandi sê die kind is baie mooi en sterk (belangrik vir later in die storie)
- Thandi says the child is very good-looking and strong (important note for later in the story)

Zuziwe sê vir Amazolo: “Jy was helder soos jou naam sê, maar nou het jy troebel geword.”
Zuziwe said to Amazolo: “Jy was helder soos jou naam sê, maar nou het jy troebel geword.”
- Sy bedoel dat sy/haar naam helder was, maar nou troebel/besoedel geword het
- She means to say that she/her name was once bright, but now it became muddy and polluted
Amazolo se naam beteken dou of water van gister
Amazolo’s name means dew or water of yesterday

Gedurende die eerste paar weke, voer sy hom, ruil sy doeke om en bad hom - maar niks meer
as dit nie
During the first few weeks, she feeds him, changes him and bathes him - but nothing more