“Mhlawumbe Kulokhu Uzoshintsha”
UROXANAa ungumama oyingqabavu nomuhle wezingane ezine, oshade nodokotela ohlinzayo ohlonishwayo eNingizimu Melika. Uthi: “Umyeni wami akaconsi kwabesifazane, futhi uyisilomo kwabesilisa.” Kodwa kunesici esingesihle kumyeni kaRoxana, esingabonakali ngisho nakubangane babo abaseduze. “Ekhaya, uyibhubesi. Unesikhwele esibi.”
URoxana ubonakala ekhathazekile njengoba eqhubeka elandisa indaba yakhe. “Inkinga yaqala ngemva kwamasonto nje ambalwa sishadile. Savakashelwa abafowethu nomama, futhi ngangijabule kakhulu ngixoxa futhi ngihleka nabo. Kodwa lapho sebehambile, umyeni wami wangifumba kusofa, ethukuthele engan’ unwabu. Ngasala ngimangele ukuthi kwenzekani.”
Ngokudabukisayo, leso kwakuyisiqalo nje sosizi lukaRoxana, ngoba uye washaywa ngokuphindaphindiwe iminyaka eminingi. Lokhu kuxhashazwa kubonakala kulandela umjikelezo ofanayo. Umyeni kaRoxana uyamshaya, abese exolisa kakhulu athembise ukuthi ngeke aphinde. Indlela aziphatha ngayo iba ngcono—okungenani isikhathi esithile. Khona-ke, lesi simo siphinde siqale phansi. “Ngihlale ngicabanga ukuthi mhlawumbe kulokhu uzoshintsha,” kusho uRoxana. “Ngisho noma ngibaleka, njalo ngibuyela kuye.”
URoxana unovalo ngokuthi ngolunye usuku ubudlova bomyeni wakhe buzodlulela ngalé. Uthi: “Useke wasongela ngokuthi uzosibulala mina nezingane, abese ezibulala naye. Ngelinye ilanga wangibeka isikele entanyeni. Ngelinye wangisongela ngesibhamu, wasikhomba endlebeni yami, wayesedubula! Ngenhlanhla, sasingenazinhlamvu, kodwa uvalo lwacishe lwangibulala nyá.”
Bavele Bangathi Vú
NjengoRoxana, kunabesifazane abayizigidi emhlabeni wonke abahlushwa amadoda anobudlova.b Abaningi abathi vú ngosizi lwabo. Bacabanga kuthi ukubika indaba ngeke kusize ngalutho. Amadoda amaningi axhaphazayo avame ukuphika icala ngamagama anjengokuthi “Umkami uthuswa ubala,” noma “Uvamile ukukhuluma ihaba.”
Kuyadabukisa ukuthi abesifazane abaningi bahlala besovalweni lokuhlaselwa endaweni obekufanele ngabe bazizwa bephephile kuyo—emizini yabo. Kodwa, ngokuvamile ngumxhaphazi oboniswa uzwela kunesisulu. Empeleni, abanye abakukholelwa neze ukuthi indoda ebonakala iyisakhamuzi esiqotho ingashaya umkayo. Cabangela okwenzeka kowesifazane okuthiwa u-Anita lapho ekhuluma ngokuxhashazwa kwakhe umyeni wakhe ohlonishwayo. “Omunye umngane wethu wathi kimi: ‘Ungayimangalela kanjani indoda ekahle kangaka?’ Omunye wathi kumelwe ukuba yimina engimsukelayo! Ngisho nangemva kokudalulwa komyeni wami, abanye abangane bami baqala ukungigwema. Babenomuzwa wokuthi kwakufanele ngibekezele ngoba ‘anjalo vele amadoda.’”
Njengoba indaba ka-Anita ibonisa, abaningi bakuthola kunzima ukuqonda iqiniso elibi lokuxhashazwa kwabangane bomshado. Yini eyenza indoda ibe nonya kangaka kowesifazane ethi iyamthanda? Izisulu zobudlova zingasizwa kanjani?
[Imibhalo yaphansi]
a Amagama ashintshiwe kulolu chungechunge.
b Siyaqaphela ukuthi amadoda amaningi nawo ayizisulu zobudlova. Kodwa ucwaningo lubonisa ukuthi abesifazane basengozini yokulimala kabi kakhulu. Ngakho, lezi zihloko zikhuluma ngokuxhashazwa kwabesifazane njengezisulu.
[Ibhokisi/Isithombe ekhasini 4]
Izinga Elibanzi Lobudlova Basekhaya
Ngokwe-United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women, inkulumo ethi “ubudlova kwabesifazane” ingabhekisela “kunoma isiphi isenzo sobudlova esicwasa ngokobulili esibangela, noma esingase sibangele ukulimala ngokomzimba, ngokobulili noma ngokwengqondo noma ukuhlupheka kwabesifazane, kuhlanganise nezinsongo ezinjengezenzo, ukucindezelwa noma ukwephucwa ngenkani amalungelo enkululeko, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi kwenzeka obala noma ngasese.” Phakathi kokunye, lobu budlova buhlanganisa “ubudlova bomzimba, bobulili nobengqondo obenzeka ekhaya nasemphakathini jikelele, kuhlanganise ukushaywa, ukuxhashazwa ngokobulili kwezingane zamantombazane, ubudlova obuhlobene nelobolo elikhokhwa owesifazane, ukudlwengulwa emshadweni, ukucwiywa kwezitho zobulili zabesifazane neminye imikhuba yamasiko eyingozi kwabesifazane.”