I enjoyed

6 March 2018,

I enjoyed,

I enjoyed my 20-minute walk from home to the Kanye Bus Rank. I enjoyed taking shots of the yellow flowers. I enjoyed my brief stop at BG. Where I greeted the smiling Peace, in his green netted Shop, holding a white Wahl hair clipper, as a young boy covered in a white cloth remained seated. I enjoyed talking to Skoonisi about the Satellite mangwinya. Skoonisi, the car wash owner appeared to be buying Mascom airtime from the cheerful lady at a stall with a variety of sweets, loose cigarettes, and snacks. I enjoyed passing the Shell Filling Station. I smiled with joy when I recalled the 11-year-old me, my brother as well as Teiman, when we watched in disbelieve when the tlalo la coke, our red leather football burst into pieces as soon as we started pumping it.

I enjoyed being greeted by Lame, who was driving a white 4*4. Lame was en route to the moraka, or cattle post, to slaughter some cattle in preparations for his father’s funeral. I enjoyed the hooting various cars as they greeted me. One of them was Big Tom who erected his hand from his van window and shouted: “Sure Sure Bless!”

I enjoyed passing two gentlemen attending a white Toyota Stallion just opposite the old Police Station. I stopped and interacted with them. They asked me whether I was a journalist. We talked for about 5 minutes. We talked about developments in the village and the crucial role the youth can play.

I continued walking past the now-closed Atamelang Bakery. I stopped and went inside one store. Seated outside were 2 gentlemen and a lady. I greeted them and headed into an empty store. One gentleman followed me and took me through bags of poultry feed, cattle feed and the like. I left the store and went to the very next one. “Dumelang”, I greeted a group of about 6 people who were there, most customers, perhaps the owner too. Judging by the white Mercedes Benz outside, or even a customer’s. I looke through the tiles, pipes, and baths on offer.

I left and continued my walk. I enjoyed passing dreaded gentlemen on a ladder, busy measuring up the letters on the outside store. Next to him was a gentleman of Asian origin, perhaps Indian. I peeped through and I saw maroon carpets, bright red cloths and the like.

Just before reaching the AB Filing Station, I enjoyed seeing 2 gentlemen in blue overalls; one was underneath the Toyota Cressida and the other holding some screwdrivers. At a T-junction stop, Pipi, in a white Toyota Raider greeted me. I passed one elderly lady sweeping in between orange cones, a Toyota Corolla with a red L mark behind parked nearby. I continued walking and just before the Mongala Mall, I crossed the road into one home-yard. My attention was grabbed by an elderly lady, head down and was surrounded by piles of wool all over the setupu, or veranda. I enjoyed while she told me that she makes cushions and ditjale, or fringed plaid blankets from the colourful wool.

I left the colourful wools and headed for the Taxi Rank at Mongala Mall. I enjoyed seeing one gentleman whom I remembered from Mafhikana Bar just this past Saturday. I greeted him and reminded him that I saw him playing snooker at the Bar. I sat down under a wall shade right at the heart of the Kanye Taxi Rank and enjoyed the heated football arguments between the Taxi Queue Marshal and the taxi drivers. The dreadlocked gentleman next to me offered me to share the 1-litre gemmere, or ginger beer drink he was enjoying as soon as I asked how much it was. We went on to talk for about 10 minutes. Similarly to the mechanics, we talked about developments, but we also talked about masimo, or lands (for farming). With great interest, he told me about his flamingos, guinea fowls and ducks as well as goats.

I enjoyed watching the smartly dressed taxi drivers as they pushed their cars up the queue without engine starting the vehicles. As soon as the ginger man left, yet another taxi driver, an elderly gentleman with a goatee joined me.

We talked at length about taxi routes, developments, brain drain, politics, working together and selfish interests.

In between the conversations, observations, and analysis, I enjoyed greeting handful individuals I knew very well. I enjoyed seeing them after such a long time away.

About 2 hours later, I left and headed straight to the nearby Spar Supermarket, and bought myself a 1-liter bottle of gemmere, the same one as the rastaman’s.

I made U-turn and left the Mongala Mall. I passed 4 parked Debonairs Pizza delivery motorbikes. I was reminded of the conversation I had the previous week with one of the drivers. I briefly stopped and took a picture of the 4 bikes. By then I was thinking of the AB filing station magwinya, or fatcakes. I passed KFC and continued walking out of the Mall enclosure. As I crossed the road I saw what looked like mangwinya and diphaphatha from a semausu. I headed over and bought a phaphatha for P2.50 from the lady who told me that they had finished all the meat and was still busy cooking up for lunch. I left and continued my journey back home.

I passed a dark-skinned gentleman, bald-headed and with a goatee, on bended knees hammering the edges of an iron sheet. In front of him were, iron sheet baths, lock boxes as well as livestock bells. I enjoyed telling him that when I have money, I will buy myself a bell. I enjoyed asking him whether he knew Monoso, whom I went to Mafhikana primary with and we were in the same Standard. He knew Monoso very well, and he emphasised: “re matebele mmogo (we are both Ndebele).

In the sweltering heat, I continued my enjoyable walk back home.

I did enjoy myself.