Umhlangabo Wokuqala
uAlbertina Thethiwe waqala ukudibana no Walter Sisulu ngexesha esebenza kwisibhedlele iJohannesburg General Hospital ngonyaka ka 1941. uWalter wayelitsha ntliziyo lezopolitiko eliseze ngobuso ezweni. Waye mana ehamba naye ukuyokungena imihlangano ye Congress of the Youth League.
uAlbertina yayinguye kuphela umfazi owayehamba lemihlangano, nangona wayeyingena ngenjongo zokubonakalisa inxaso Ku Walter, engaziboni njenge lungu. uWalter wamdlalisa ngalonto kwiminyaka edlulileyo esithi, “thetha inyaniso wena sithandwa, wawuzo kujonga indoda yakho kuphela".
uWalter ucela Umtshato
Aba babini babe hamba kwizitalato zase Goli, mini uWalter wacela ngayo umtshato. Wathabatha isandla sakhe uWalter, wamjonga wamcela okokuba amtshate. Ukususela ngala mzuzu bedibana wayethatheke kakhulu ngu Albertina, kwaye babesazana ixesha elincinci phambi kokuba umbuzo womtshato uvele.
Waye ngayilungelanga impendulo awayifumana ku Albertina. Wamxelela okokuba phambi kokuba kuthethwe ngomtshato, kukhona ekufanele akwazi ngaye. Wambuza ke okokuba yintoni leyo, wamxelela uAlbertina okokuba unabantwana. Wothuka wasiyeka isandla sakhe. "Bangaphi? Wambuza. "Bathathu" waphendula. Oku kwenza ingqondo yakhe izule. Ukutshata umfazi onabantwana yayilihlazo ekuhlaleni.
Ezama ukuzibamba, wabuza engathi uyadla, ukuba bane minyaka emingaphi. Kulapho wacacisa khona okokuba wathabatha uxanduva lwabantwana abathathu abaza emveni kwakhe ukusweleka kwabazali babo. Wachazeka uWalter akuva oku. Wamthembisa ukuncedisana naye xasele betshatile, kwaye akazange amdanise. Akuzange kubelithuba elide, wamema umninawa ka Albertina azokugqibezela izifundo zakhe eOrlando East.
Elona bali Lothando eMzantsi Afrika
uAlbertina no Walter batshata ngonyaka ka 1944, uNelson Mandela wabanguye umkhaphi ophambili. Baye banabantwana abahlanu abangababo (uMax Vuyisile, Mlungisi, Zwelakhe, Lindiwe, kunye no Nonkululeko) baphinda bathatha njengababo abanye abantwana abane (4). Ngonyaka ka 2003 uWalter waswelekela ezandleni zenkosikazi yakhe. Babetshate iminyaka engamashumi amahlanu anethoba (59).
Emngcwabeni wakhe, umzukulwana wabo wafundela lowo waye ngutatomkhulu wakhe esisicengcelezo efunda endaweni ka Albertina: Walter, ndizakwenza ntoni ngaphandle kwakho? Ekuseni bendivukela wena, bendiphilela wena…ekuqaleni wathabathwa kum kukungcola bemini zamandulo, kodwa ndandiyazi uzakubuyela kum. Ngoku isandla esibandayo sokufa sikuthathile sashiya umsantsa entliziyweni yam. Uhambiswano lwaba bakwa Sisulu, lwaziwa njengelona bali lothando eliwagqwesa onke.
Translated by Zikhona Plaatjie
uAlbertina Sisulu, othandwa kakhulu de abizwe ngokuba ngu Mama we Sizwe okanye uMa Sisulu, udume ngokuba litsha ntliziyo lase Mzantsi Afrika...