‘Angithathe Ithamo Lokugcina’

UTHULANI waqala ukuphuza kakhulu eneminyaka engu-11 ubudala. * Lapho yena nabangane bakhe bezidlalela le phandle, babelingisa abadlali abababone kumabhayisikobho. Abadlali ababebalingisa babengebona abangokoqobo, kodwa utshwala ababebuphuza babungokoqobo.

UBongani wayeneminyaka engu-40 lapho eqala ukwengeza izingilazi zotshwala ayeziphuza ubusuku ngabunye zisuka kweyodwa noma ezimbili ziya kwezinhlanu noma kweziyisithupha. Wagcina engasazi ukuthi uphuza ezingaki ngosuku.

UThulani wafuna usizo ngale nkinga yakhe yotshwala. UBongani yena akalwamukelanga usizo ayelunikezwa amalungu omndeni nabangane abamthandayo. UThulani usadla anhlamvana, yingakho esixoxela le ndaba namuhla; kodwa uBongani washona eminyakeni edlule engozini yemoto ngemva kokuphuza ngokweqile.

Ngisho nalapho umuntu ephuza ngokweqile ngasese, imiphumela yokuphuza kwakhe akwenzeki ingabathinti abanye, futhi ngokuvamile iba mibi kakhulu. Kuvame kakhulu ukuba ukudakwa kuholele ekuhlukunyezweni kwabanye ngamazwi nangokomzimba, ekufeni kwabantu ezingozini zezimoto nasekulimaleni emsebenzini, nakwezinye izinkinga zempilo eziningi. Le nkinga idla umphakathi izizumbulu zamarandi unyaka ngamunye, ingasaphathwa-ke eyokuhlukumezeka ngokomzwelo kwabantu ngabanye, kwemindeni nezingane.

Noma kunjalo, i-U.S. National Institutes of Health ithi “kunabantu abaphuza njalo kodwa abangenayo inkinga yotshwala, kanti kunabangaphuzi njalo kodwa obubehlulayo.” Abaningi abangeyona imilutha yotshwala baye baba nomkhuba wokweqisa bengaqapheli. Abanye kuyaqabukela bephuza, kodwa uma beke baqala ababe besakwazi ukuzithiba.

Uma ukhetha ukuphuza, ungazi kanjani ukuthi obungakanani obuningi kakhulu? Yini engakusiza ukuba wazi ukuthi ungabe ‘usalithatha ithamo lokugcina?’ (IzAga 23:29, 30, Contemporary English Version) Izihloko ezilandelayo zizosinika ukwaziswa okuwusizo ngale ndaba.

[Umbhalo waphansi]