UGawulayo—Lo Bhubhani Usagqugqisile

UKAREN wakhulela kwintshona yelaseUnited States.a Njengomnye wamaNgqina kaYehova, wayephila ngemilinganiselo ephakamileyo yokuziphatha ngalo lonke ixesha lobutsha bakhe. Ngowe-1984, eneminyaka engama-23 ubudala, watshata noBill, owayeneminyaka nje emibini eliNgqina. Bavavwa ngentsikelelo yokuba nabantwana ababini, inkwenkwe nentombazana.

Ngowe-1991 babengathandani babesusa amaphepha yaye babanelisekile ibe bonwabile. Ngasekupheleni kwaloo nyaka, uBill waba nechaphaza elimhlophe elulwimini lwakhe elahlala isithukuthezi sento. Wazicenga ke waya kuvela kwagqirha.

Akuzange kube kudala emva koko, uKaren nabantwana bakhe babesephandle betshayela amagqabi. UBill wathi vovololo evarandeni waza wabiza uKaren ukuba aze kuhlala ecaleni kwakhe. Wamgona yaye amehlo sele ethe gwantyi iinyembezi wamxelela ngendlela amthanda ngayo yaye ufuna baphile kunye ngonaphakade. Ke yintoni elilisayo kuloo nto? Ugqirha wayerhanela ukuba uBill une-HIV, intsholongwane engunozala kaGawulayo.

Yaxilongwa ke yonke le ntsapho. Kwafunyaniswa ukuba uBill noKaren abasindanga kule ntsholongwane. UBill yena yamfumana ngaphambi kokuba abe ngomnye wamaNgqina kaYehova; waza yena ke wayithabatha wayidlulisela kuKaren le ntsholongwane. Abantwana bona basinda. UBill wafa kwisithuba nje seminyaka emithathu emva koko. Uthi uKaren: “Ndiyaxakwa nje ukuba ndiza kuthi kunjani ukubukela indoda ebiyinzwana oyithandayo noneenjongo zokuphila nayo ngonaphakade, iphelelwa ngamandla, intshwenye ize ibe bubugoxo bamathambo ukubhity’ oku. Ndandilil’ imini nobusuku. Kwakusele nje iinyanga ezintathu sigqibe iminyaka elishumi sitshatile ukufa kwakhe. Wayengubawo nomyeni olungileyo.”

Noko ke uKaren usangquvela nangona sele waxelelwa ngugqirha ukuba naye ukuba sele eqalelwe yindoda, uza kulandela. Nakuye le ntsholongwane sele ithande ukuba ngqathuva kangangokuba sel’ iqalile ukuba nguGawulayo.

UKaren ungomnye wabantu abamalunga nama-30 ezigidi abaneHIV okanye uGawulayo xa kungokunje, nani elo elibetha liqabele kubemi baseIreland, eOstreliya, naseParaguay bedibene. Uqikelelo lubonisa ukuba iAfrika inezigidi ezingama-21 zala maxhoba. Kaloku zithe iZizwe Ezimanyeneyo xa bezihlolisisa zafumanisa ukuba, xa kuqalisa inkulungwane elandelayo la manani asenokuntinga aye kutsho kubantu abangama-40 ezigidi. Eny’ ingxelo yeZizwe Ezimanyeneyo ibonisa ukuba esi sifo sikhuphisana nabona bhubhani bakhe bakho ezimbalini. Kubantu abakhulileyo abaneminyaka eli-15 ukuya kwengama-49 ubudala ababa neentlobano zesini ehlabathini lonke, om-1 kwabali-100 babo sele ene-HIV. Kwaba bantu ngom-1 kuphela kwabali-10 owaziyo ukuba unale ntsholongwane. Kweziny’ iindawo eAfrika, ama-25 ekhulwni abantu abakhulileyo anale ntsholongwane.

Kwasebutsheni balo bhubhani ngowe-1981, kuqikelelwa ukuba bali-11,7 lezigidi abantu ababethwe bathunyelwa kwaNtsonga-nyawana nguGawulayo. Kuqikelelwa ukuba ngowe-1997 nje kuphela, uthabathe waya kugibisela ngaphantsi komhlaba abantu abamalunga nezigidi ezi-2,3. Kodwa ke noko, kukho nezinye izinto ezisinik’ ithemba lokuba kungaliwa noGawulayo lo. Kule minyakan’ imbalwa idluleyo, abantu bebengasafane bafumane uGawulayo kumazwe afumileyo. Ngaphezu koko, kukho amayeza anika umnyinyivana nawenza kubekho ithemba lempilo esemgangathweni baze abantu baphile ixesha elidana.

Unokuzihlanganisela njani ke ukuze uGawulayo lo angaty’ es’khumbeni? Ngaba ikho into ebhetele eyenziweyo mvanje kwiindlela zonyango nakwizitofu? Ngaba kuya kuze kutshiwo ukuba esi sifo sibethwe sasukelwa? Amanqaku alandelayo aza kuyiphendula le mibuzo.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]