Momma Talks

[Interlude: Charlie Zimbo and His Mother]
It’s not like we didn’t have an opportunity to work even though we were young. Uyabona?
That’s true
They had. They chose not to. And nobody said or did anything about it
I think that’s the problem
Uyabo? Ehe
Yup
Nobody said or did anything about it. Whereas nxa livele lile mentality leyana yokuthi you have to work and you have to look after yourself
Then you’re going to
You’re going to do that, you’re going to do that. Coz I remember mina ngiqeda u Form 6. I was looking for indawo yokufundisa. And then eValley, uyakwazi eValley?
Uh-huh
Ehe eValley, Ivalley yayiswirunwa ngomunye umkhiwa. Umkhiwa lowana wavula, it was sort of a little animal farm
Okay
Ah umkhiwa lowana abe..uNomalanga wahamba wayadinga umsebenzi..uNomalanga she got employed ku Till. And then I don’t even know how, in fact she then asked uNomalanga wathi “your sister, she just finished school does she speak English as well as you do?” uNomalanga wathi “we all do”. Wathi well I’d like her to work for me on the weekends and serve the tables. Kwakubuya amakhiwa and high end Africans. Ngathi okay fine. (laughs) And there I was. After finishing school. I served, ngangi server ama tables Saturday and Sunday. Ngisebenze sibili eValley. Then I got a job. Temp teaching. And I did both jobs. I worked two jobs nearly all my life. (laughs)
From the beginning? From the beginning. This is how it started
This is how it started. And I worked. Ngangisenza I temporal teaching emalokothsini futhi. And it was hard because iKensington at that time I transport was bad
By then I can only imagine. There were only like three buses
Damn.
Early in morning. Eyinye yayisuka ngo 5. Eyayisuka eSiphezini. Then ezinye zazingeza 7, 6.30, 7
Coming home?
No going into town. And then coming home kwakuleye mini esasiyigada from school and then kube leka 5. Okay. Yes. So. You go elokitshini, kule hot seating esikolo se lokitshini. If nxa kumele I morning shift ye hot seating. Ngiharassswa yikuya ngesikhathi. Sokumele ngigade ibhasi ka 5
It’ll be very early.
Very early yes. Kumnyama tshu. But that was okay right. Get the 5 o’clock bus you’re done I think sasiqeda ngo 12. I think sasiqeda ngo 12 and then I’ll just rush into town ngigade ibus ka 1 emini, or if I miss it it’s okay ngagigada eka 5. Nxa kumele ngingene emini
That’s a stress.
That’s a stress because I have to leave nge bhasi ka 7 but esikolo ngiqalisa ngo 12 and ngiqeda ngo 5. I bus isuka e town ngo quarter past 5
Ahh.
If I miss that bus, then 7, I’m done, sokumele ngimelele iSiphezini I think kwakule Siphezini sika, yhe kwakule siphezini sika 6 kuyabe sokusebusuku sengisehla in the dark. It was just a hard life. I mean I could have given it up, no big deal. But I was like I want this money. (laughs). I want this money. You know. And then I did it. I did it. so it’s just a mentality coz if you grow up thinking sitting is okay then it’ll be okay for the rest of your life. Yeah. Whereas mina vele ngakhula knowing I will never sit it’s just not me. You know it’s just not me. I have to work no matter what I have to work