Amava ngemini Zengcinezelo – uKuphantse Sisuswe kwindawo Esasihlala Kuyo

uBeauty Skefile wase Khayelitsha uyakhumbula ngexesha abahlali bexabana namapolisa, bebaleka izinja zawo, ngexesha apho baphantse basuswa eCrossroads, eKapa, ngeminyaka yo 1980.

Ityotyombe eCrossroads

©Eric Miller

Emveni kweminyaka ethile, mna nosapho lwam sayokuhlala eCrossroads, sakha ityotyombe. iCrossroad ngoku yindawo enkulu yokuhlala enamatyotyombe, kodwa sasingabanye bentsapho zokuqala ukuhlala khona, kwakugcwele amahlathi.

Lomaxesha ayenzima kakhulu. Iminyaka – Andiyazi emingaphi, mhlawumbi emithandathu, okanye esibhozo – sahlala ententeni emiswe ngamakhuni. Kodwa sasiyifihla mihla le, sihambe sitshintsha indawo zokuyibeka, ngokuba amapolisa ayehlala esikhangela asifumane. Amapolisa ayengasifuni eCrossroads.

Babesithi iKapa lelabantu abamhlophe kuphela kwaye asikwazi ukubeka iintente zethu khona. Babehlala bezama ukusigxotha. Rhoqo nge ntseni sasivuka siwise intethe phambi kokuba abahloli bama polisa bafike. Sasifihla kwanto esinayo phantsi kwamatye. Oko, yayizinzame zokuba amapolisa angatshabalalisi konke.

Exesheni, xa bemkile siphinde siqalise ukwakha ityotyombe kwakhona. Sayenza lento yonke imihla, iminyaka emine, ngokuba amapolisa ayethi xa elifumene ityotyombe lethu balityhilize, bakhabe yonke into kugcwale isanti, bezama ukulitshabalalisa. Sanyanzeleka indlu yethu siyoyibeka kwenye indawo, ngoba amapolisa ayehlala ebuya. Babede baze nezinja zabo. Ngamanye amaxesha babefika emini, maxa wambi emveni kwemini, okanye ebusuku, bebaninzi ngexesha elinye.

uKugqogqa kwa Mapolisa Ngobusuku

©Eric Miller

Xa amapolisa afike ngobusuku, ngamanye amaxesha ayefika sihamba ze, kufuneke sibaleke, size, kuba izinja zazisileqa, zisileqa. Kwakufuneka siphakame sibaleke, okanye izinja zisilume. Ngenye imini ndawa zandiluma apha emlenzeni. Ndandinomsindo, ndinomsindo kakhulu, ndikhala, ndikhala kakhulu.

Izinja zandiluma amatyeli amabini. Andazi sasenze ntoni, kuba bade bangafuni ukusinikeza indawo yokuhlala, de basileqe ngezinja, sasisiva xa besiza impempe zemoto zabo zazikhala ‘Whee, whee, whee’. Umntu wokuqala ukubeva wayekhwaza ‘Kubomvu’, oku kwakuthetha okokuba ‘bayeza!’ yayisisilumkiso, kuthi bantu bamnyama silumkisana.

uKutshabalalisa kwa Mapolisa

©Eric Miller

Ngenye imini amapolisa amahlanu, okanye asithandathu afika, ngamanye amaxesha bengapha kwe 20 nangaphezulu. Sasibabona kwelinye icala sibaleke, kodwa bathi gqi kwelinye icala. Sibaleke kwakhona, kodwa babe sebekhona kwelinye icala. Ipolisa eliphetheyo yayi yindoda ende, enenwele ezimnyama nobuso obude, eyayisaziwa ngokuba ngo Mnumzana uBasson.

Sasimazi ke lo Mnumzana uBasson,ngoba wayehlala ekhona , esithuka , esingxolisa, Sasimoyika kakhulu. Ukuqala kwabo ukufika ndandilele. Ndava ingxolo enkulu phandle abantu bengxola benomsindo. Ukufika kwam phandle, ndabona abantu betyhala uMnzumzana uBasson. Kodwa ama Polisa abuya, bebaninzi, bachitha amatyotyombe nge gandaganda zabo. Babe namandla kuthi, nezinja zabo, imipu, nematshini zabo.

Izinja zazisoyikeka kune mipu, kuba zazi sileqa zisiluma. Kodwa emva kosuku baye basishiya. Babezama ukusoyikisa. Ngenye imini basifaka sonke kwi trakhi ezinkulu, ezakwa rhulumente. Sasibaninzi, kodwa babesityhalela ngaphakathi, besityhalela kwezi trakhi zinkulu. Sasingenaxesha lokuthatha kwanto.

Lo trakhi yagugutha cebukuhle iStellenbosch, umqhubi wamisa eyokufuna amafutha emoto. Sasikhwele ngemva sicula kakhulu. Yathi isakuma itrakhi, Sabetha iingcangco. ‘Nifuna ntoni?’ yabuza indoda. ‘Sifuna ukuyoku chama,’ satsho. Wasivulela, sabaleka sacela ukukhweliswa ecaleni kwendlela sayokufika eCrossroads, sonke. Ukubuya kwethu izinto zethu zazisekhona.

Osisi be Black Sash

©Eric Miller

iBlack Sash ne Red Cross zasinceda, basinceda kakhulu. Qho xa amapolisa ewisa amatyotyombe ethu okanye esitsha, iRed Cross (Umnqamlezo obomvu) babefika ne suphu besiphathele nokunye ukutya. Osisi be Black Sash babesiza nomboko wokukhwaza bathi makubekho umhlangano. Kumhlangano sabaxelela konke okwakusenzeka kuthi.

Baya kwabezopolitiko bayokubuza okokuba kutheni besenza amapolisa asileqe, esichithela amatyotyombe, kuba sasingenayo enye indawo yokuya. Emva koko osisi be Black Sash babuya basixelela okokuba batheni kwabezo politiko. Emveni koko amapolisa asiyeka okwexeshana. Abasisi babesilwela, sasisiva okokuba imeko imbi, kodwa hayi kakhulu.

Ezi zinto zasenza siqonde okokuba hayi bonke abantu abamhlophe bayafana. Abanye balungile abanye abalunganga kuba abafuni kwamntu umnyama ecaleni kwabo.