‘God has given me healthy and good children to mother. He knows that I am not young anymore, and that he must give me good children. They all help me around the house and even wash themselves before going to bed at night.’
The twilight mum says that in addition to good children, God has given her good neighbours. Noria is one of the very best.
‘That is why, young man, I don’t ever want to hear her complain about you. Anyone who hurts Noria hurts me.’
Toloki laughs and promises that Noria will never have cause to complain about him.
Some of the children are victims of the war that is raging in the land. Their parents died in massacres and in train slaughters. In a recent massacre in the settlement, which was carried out by some of the tribal chief’s followers from the hostels, assisted by Battalion 77 of the armed forces of the government, as many as fifty-two people died, including children. Some children were orphaned overnight. They are now here at the dumping ground.
‘All I want to do in life now is to give them a good start and teach them to be good human beings when they grow up. I will die a very happy person if this can be done. These children are all very special to me. I treat them as my very own and they regard me as their mother. Nothing can ever take them away from me.’
Toloki wonders how this brave and kind woman has survived all these years, with so many mouths to feed. Noria tells him that through all the years she made do with her own meagre earnings. Our elders say that an elephant does not find its own trunk heavy. It was only last month that Madimbhaza received assistance for the first time. A newspaper, City Press, wrote a story about her. As a result, some kind readers donated clothes and blankets for the children.
It dawns on Toloki for the first time that Noria is still very young at thirty-five. She is handicapped neither physically nor mentally. She is strong, and does not drink. She does not abuse drugs in any form whatsoever. Surely she could have taken a job as a domestic worker. Or as an office cleaner — a job she has some experience in, having done it in the small town back home. She could even sell, fat cakes and fruit on the streets. But she has chosen to spend her days working at the dumping ground.
It is Noria who knows how to live.
9
Women are singing, while they slice loaves of bread on a long makeshift table. Others cut cabbage. Their song is about the freedom that is surely coming tomorrow. They also sing about the enemy that will be defeated, and about the tribal chief who will die like a dog one day. Sometimes they sing about sad things that have happened to their people. Yet their jubilation belies the sadness of their message. It is like those political funerals where the Young Tigers dance to a call-and-response chant. Someone who does not understand the meaning in these chants might be amazed or even shocked at how these youths can be so happy at a funeral. Perhaps the jubilation is due to the fact that part of the message of the songs is that the people shall be victorious in the end.
The women are excited when Noria arrives with Toloki.
‘Hey Noria, you have come with your mate.’
‘Yes, so that he should see the work that we do.’
‘That is very good, Noria. Our men must see what we are doing, so that when we come home late they cannot complain.’
‘He is not my man. He is my homeboy.’
The women laugh, and say that it is good that homeboys these days move in with their homegirls. They go on teasing about how people from the same village must look after one another, and satisfy each other’s needs. Noria ignores the remarks, and joins the women in cutting the cabbage. She already knows how naughty her friends can be. Toloki, on the other hand, is embarrassed. He is the only man among all these chattering females.
He recognises the stout ’Malehlohonolo, and shyly smiles at her. She returns the smile.
‘Hello, I saw you this morning when you were washing yourself.’
‘Yes, I remember you. I heard Noria say that you were going to do washing in the city.’
‘Some of us have to work. We don’t all live on the Holy Spirit like your woman.’
‘She is not my woman. She is my homegirl.’
The women burst out laughing again. Toloki wonders what is funny about being Noria’s homeboy.
He learns that the women are preparing food for a community meeting that will take place later that afternoon. Some of the leaders of the political movement will be coming to discuss the problems of the residents. One major problem is that of security. From time to time, the settlement has been invaded by the migrants from the hostels, and by soldiers from Battalion 77, who are specially recruited and trained in dirty tricks. This battalion, which includes foreign mercenaries from a destabilised neighbouring country, is particularly vicious, and slaughters mercilessly because it is composed of foreign mercenaries.
The women prepare to put the cabbage in a big three-legged pot. Noria asks Toloki to help with the water. He is shown three plastic containers and a wheelbarrow. He pushes the whole load to a communal tap a few streets away. He stands patiently in a long queue of children and women who have also come to draw water. When his turn comes, he fills the containers with water, loads them on the wheelbarrow, and pushes it back to the school. Although he is still embarrassed at being the only man working with women, he feels happy knowing that he has been of assistance to Noria. He is doing all this for Noria, and not for anyone else, nor for anything else.
Noria pours the water into the pot, under which a wood fire is already burning. Then she puts the finely cut cabbage, together with a lot of beef stock and curry powder, into the pot. She uses very little salt, since beef stock already has salt in it. As the cabbage boils, some young men and women bring chairs and a small table from different neighbouring shacks. All the time they continue to sing songs of freedom, as they arrange the chairs for the meeting. More people gather. Most of them are women, but there are also a few men. Toloki feels more comfortable when the men arrive.
After an hour or so, a big black Mercedes Benz followed by several other smaller cars drives into the school yard. Women ululate and men shout slogans. The Young Tigers form a guard of honour, as the leaders walk from their cars, and are seated on the chairs. Noria whispers to Toloki that the man who arrived in the big black car and his wife are both members of the national executive of the political movement. The others are various branch and local committee members.
The meeting begins. The leaders listen to the grievances of the people, and long debates ensue. There is a squabble among some members of the street committee, and the leaders are asked to solve it. Not knowing the internal politics of the settlement, Toloki cannot make sense of what the argument is about. It sounds quite petty to him — something about committee members who have usurped the powers of others, and about misuse of funds. Toloki notices that the people who are most active in the affairs of the settlement are the women. Not only do they do all the work, but they play leadership roles. At this meeting, they present the most practical ideas to solve the various problems. The few male residents who are present relish making high-flown speeches that display eloquence, but are short on practical solutions.
After the street committee squabble has been solved the next item on the agenda is the preparations for a big demonstration that will take place in the city next week. There is going to be a stayaway from work for the whole of that week. The people are beginning the new year with a strong statement to the government that it is high time that they took the negotiations for freedom seriously. The position of the people is stated clearly by ’Malehlohonolo when she addresses the meeting.