Society within a society

Clifford Kalibo, Day by day Ekasi stories
WHILE township life is primarily a homogeneous society composed of residents who are the pride of the townships, proud to have been born and bred there, proud of everything that is “township”, it would seem that within that society there is what we can call a “society within a society”.

This new type of society has imperceptibly been developed over the years by young ladies in the townships.
Despite the fact that the young ladies live Ekasi, they just do not want to be associated with the townships. They consider the townships to be of low standards. These so-called high-class ladies or “abo high qansi” as we have named them would rather be associated with the low-density suburbia/emayadini.

Interestingly, the ladies have an appetite for speaking in English in loud and shrill voices particularly when they are in public. It would seem they do not want even to be associated with their vernacular languages. What a pity!!!!!

You would hear a high-class lady in a kombi addressing the conductor (uwindi), in a loud and shrill tongued voice: “I am climbing down during the robots” or “Leave me among the turn off”.

The kombi drivers and conductors often have difficulties in deciphering such statements from these high-class ladies.

Just the other day we were in a kombi from town and I was seated next to this beautiful and well-dressed young lady. On nearing her destination, the young lady blurted out to the conductor, “Ngiyayehla immediately between the road.”

Everyone including the driver burst out laughing. The conductor could not make head or tail of what the lady was trying to say. It dawned on me that the high-class lady wanted to drop off at the next intersection. I came to her rescue by informing the conductor to drop her off at the intersection.

Years back, I attended Mpopoma High School and during those days we had a school bus which would ferry us to and from school. The students were mainly from Sizinda, Westgate and Tshabalala. Students from Sizinda and Westgate were supposed to drop off at Intunta Bus Stop in Sizinda.

But just to keep up their fancy whims of dissociating themselves with Sizinda Township, we had some girls who would remain in the bus and drop off at Tshabalala Bus Terminus, only to foot back either to Sizinda or Westgate.

Just imagine someone braving the sun or the cold, walking back to Sizinda, just to give the impression that one stays in Tshabalala or Mhlahlandela. What a shame it was.!!!!

Apparently, some of these “high qansi” somehow managed to get temporary teaching posts. I remember those days when I was also a temporary teacher at some rural school in Binga, my friends and I would laugh our lungs out at how some of these ladies would say something in vernacular yet expressing it in English.

At one time I had to supervise some new temporary teachers. Eeish. I heard all sorts from these lady teachers. I would hear a teacher addressing the pupils: “Good morning classroom” Another would say: “John, Peter, Themba and Aaron, both of you come here”. And this one had me in stitches for a whole month.

This teacher wanted her pupils to stand up, so she said to them in a loud and booming voice, apparently trying to impress me, “Above children”. The poor kids were perplexed as they did not understand what madam was saying to them. They remained seated.

Even the teacher now seemed confused as she could not understand why the kids were not complying. She repeated again in a shaky voice; “Above children”. But to no avail. Finally, I had to ask the kids to stand up. When it was time for the kids to sit down, the teacher thundered: “Below children”.
At that stage I could not hold my laughter, I asked the children to sit down and I rushed out of the classroom so as to have a good laugh outside.

Please note that this article is in no way intended to denigrate or ridicule any females. This is just a humorous article bordering on the lighter side, and no offence is meant whatsoever.

Till we meet again next week. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Feed back: Clifford Kalibo
0783856228 / 0719856228
Email: [email protected]