ULolo kwakuyintombazanyana ehlakaniphile eyayihlala esigodini sabeTswana. Lesi sigodi esihle sasingefaniswe nasinye emhlabeni. Abantu balapho babehlakaniphe ngempela futhi bephambili ngokwesikhathi ababephila kuso. ULolo yena wayehlakaniphe ukubedlula bonke. Esigodini sikaLolo, i-inthanethi kwakuyisisetshenziswa esibaluleke kakhulu. Uma uvakashele isigodi, wawuthola izingane zesikole zisebenzisa amakhompiyutha angamathebhulethi ukuze zithole ulwazi eziludingayo ukuze ziqedele umsebenzi wazo wesikole. Abantu abaningi babenezimoto ezikwazi ukundiza futhi babezilawula lezi zimoto besebenzisa i-inthanethi. Abantu babesebenzisa i-inthanethi KUKHO KONKE!
Kwase kuthi ngolunye usuku – CISHI! Ngokuphazima kweso i-inthanethi yayisinyamalele. Wonke umuntu wayecabanga ukuthi mhlawumbe yayiphansi okwesikhashana futhi izophinde isebenze kamuva, kodwa babeshaye phansi. Inkosi kanye nendlovukazi yendawo benza isimemezelo emsakazweni womphakathi naseziteshini zikamabonakude. Bathi i-inthanethi ayizukusebenza isikhathi eside. Wonke umuntu esigodini wayethukile. ULolo wabuka ngokumangala ngesikhathi zonke izingane esikoleni sakhe zitatazela. “Sekuphelile ngempilo yethu!” kumemeza omunye wabangani bakhe ebamba uLolo emahlombe akhe. Omunye wothisha bakaLolo wagijima waphuma ekilasini, wambamba ngengalo wayesethi, “Yenza okuthile, Lolo! Wena phela ungohlakaniphile.” Emva kwalokho uthisha wagijima waqhela ekhala.
ULolo wayengaqondisisi ukuthi ukukhathazeka okungaka kwakumayelana nani. “Wonke umuntu uziphatha sengathi umhlaba usufinyelele ekugcineni!” kucabanga yena. Wanquma ukuthi ngosuku olulandelayo uzovakashela inkosi kanye nenkosikazi ukuze athole okuthile ngenkinga leyo. Wathi lapho efika uLolo eSigodlweni, wamukelwa ngengilazi yobisi olufudumele kanye nepuleti lamakhekhe kashokoledi. ULolo wadla amakhekhe ambalwa ngesikhathi elindele inkosi nendlovukazi. Kwakungamakhekhe amnandi ngendlela ayengakaze ayizwe.
Inkosi nendlovukazi bafika babingelela uLolo. Baqala ukukhuluma ngenkinga ekulesi sigodi. Indlovukazi yachaza ukuthi izinduna zabo zase zithole ukuthi inkinga yayikusathelayithi ekude, kude le – phezulu emkhathini! “Ngakho-ke,” kwasho indlovukazi, “akusona nje isigodi sakithi, kodwa yiwo wonke umhlaba ongenayo i-inthanethi.” Indlovukazi yabe isibamba isandla sikaLolo maqede yathi, “Mntanami, sifuna umuntu ohlakaniphe ngempela ongagibela indizamkhathi yasebukhosini, ahambe aye emkhathini bese elungisa isathelayithi.” “Lolo,” kwasho inkosi, “nguwena kuphela umuntu ofanele lo msebenzi! Uma wenza lokhu, uzobe wenzela wonke umhlaba ufefe.”
ULolo wazizwa ejabulile futhi enovalo ngasikhathi sinye. Wayeke wafunda ukuthi ukuya emkhathini kwakuyinto eyingozi ukuyenza, kodwa wavuma ukuhamba. Kwaba yizinsuku, intombazanyana isebenza kanye nethimba lomkhathi ukulungiselela lolu hambo olukhethekile. Yafunda ukuhamba emoyeni kanye nokulawula indiza-mkhathi yaphinde yafunda ngokuntanta emkhathini. Ngokushesha nje uLolo wayesekulungele ukundiza aye emkhathini. Ngosuku ahamba ngalo uLolo, wonke umuntu wayekhona ukuzobukela. Abantu babemphonsela izimbali ukumfisela inhlanhla. Abanye babecula izingoma zokumkhuthaza. ULolo wazizwa ethandwa ngempela.
ULolo wagibela kundiza-mkhathi kwase kuthi bonke ochwepheshe badumisa izinjini. Ngemuva kwesikhashana, indiza-mkhathi yawushiya uMhlaba. Ngemuva kokuthi esehambe emoyeni isikhathi esasibukeka siside kakhulu, indiza-mkhathi yathi cabababa esiteshini emkhathini. ULolo wayekwazi ukubona isathelayithi ngefasitela. Wathinta inkosi nendlovukazi esebenzisa uhlobo olukhethekile lomsakazo ebazisa ukuthi wayefike ephephile. Wonke umuntu ekhaya wahalalisa kanti abazali bakhe babejabule ngokukhethekileyo ukwazi ukuthi indodakazi yabo yayisaphila futhi ingumqemane.
Kodwa umsebenzi awuzange uhambe kahle ngendlela owawuhlelwe ngayo. Kwaba yizinsuku uLolo esokola ukuthola ukuthi inkinga kwabe kuyini. Wayazi ukuthi ukuphumelela komsebenzi kwakusezandleni zakhe futhi wayengafuni ukwenzela wonke umuntu phansi. Ekugcineni ukudla namanzi kwethimba lasemkhathini kwaqala ukuphela. Umsebenzi wawusuphenduke waba nzima kakhulu, kodwa intombazanyana ehlakaniphile yaqhubeka nokusebenza, isebenza, kwaze kwathi ngolunye usuku … yakuthola okwakonakele! Enye yezintambo zesathelayithi yayishile, idinga ukushintshwa. Wanele wakwenza lokho uLolo, i-inthanethi yabuya! Wonke umuntu osesigodini sakhe kanye nosemhlabeni wonke wagubha.
Ngemuva kohambo olunzima kodwa olunempumelelo, uLolo wabuyela ekhaya. Wayeyiqhawekazi! Inkosi kanye nendlovukazi babeziqhenya kakhulu ngaye ngangokuthi bamnikeza indondo yokumhlonipha futhi betha umntwana wabo olandelayo ngegama lakhe.
