Inhlanganiso ezinengi ezizimeleyo eZimbabwe zithi zikhathazekile ngokudlwengulwa kwabantwana ezigabeni zeTsholotsho leBulilima eMatabeleland. Zithi abantwana abanengi babhinywa yizihlobo kuthi njalo abanye batshadiswa bebancane.
Okwenzakala kulumhlubulo welizwe kuhlasimulisa umzimba. IStudio 7 yethekelele ezinye izigaba zeTsholotsho leBulilima okulabantwana abalemimyaka engaphansi kwetshumi lane - 14 abendileyo. Abanye babo abadlwengulwa yizihlobo sebelabantwana. Lokhu sokwenza osakhulayo, uNkosazana Simelweyinkosi Mhlanga, ukuthi abumbe inhlanganiso ayibiza ngokuthi yiOrphans Friend and Community Development Trust.
Inhlanganiso le igcina abantwana abadlwengulweyo labanye abazintandane. UMaMhlanga, ogcina abantwana abangamakhulu amabili – 200, ukhuluma ngokudabuka kwakhe inhliziyo, okwenza wasungula inhlanganiso le. Uthi wathola umntwana oleminyaka elitshumi lambili – 12 esemendweni wahle wezwa ubuhlungu obumangalisayo.
"Ngathi ngifika ngathola umntwana owayemncane. She was very tiny. Nguye owangizwisa ubuhlungu owangenza ngaqalisa inhlanganiso le. Ngathola umntwana owayemncane eseyendisiwe njalo ukwendiswa kwakhona waye yendiswe kusibare wakhe indoda ka-auntie wakhe, uyisezala owaye bulawe ngumkhuhlane wona lo welizwe i-HIV. She was tiny, way emncane lokhuya okuzwisa ubuhlungu; but ngazibuza ukuthi kanti vele ngizamncedisa njani. Ngezwa ubuhlungu kakhulu ngazonda kakhulu okokuthi ngazonda, ngazondela i-community yonke."
Kulinhlanganiso, uMaMhlanga uthi kasathathi intandane zodwa ngoba banengi kakhulu abantwana abangamankazana labafana abahlukunyezwa yizihlobo.
"Abantwana bonke asebeyehlulekile ukuthi beqhubekele phambili ngezifundo zabo. So, emhlubulweni wakithi khonangapho eTsholotsho lase Plumtree ungananzelela abantwana abanengi bayaphuma ezikolo belabo 8 years 9 years. Kaqedi Grade 7 … vele kasaqhubekeli phambili ngezifundo zakhe; sehlala phansi nxa eyinkazana. It's either uyazithwala kumbe seyenda; abanengi bayendiswa. Abanengi bayamithiswa nxa engumfana sesiya kwelusa inkomo."
Inengi labantwana abagcinwa yilinhlanganiso bahlulukelwe okwamagama ngokwabehlalayo empilweni. Abanye babo babhinywa yizihlobo. UMaMhlanga uthi uzama nsukuzonke ukubathoba inhliziyo zabo ukuthi ziphole bakhangele ikusasa yabo.
"Bajayele ukungibiza bethi mama. Bathi mama, ‘mina ngahlukunyezwa nguzibani lozibani’. Bayakukhalela ezinye inyembezi ezinzima khona la ungaba biza uhlale labo phansi la; izinto abakutshela zona ziyesabeka, and uthole ukuthi kuyabe kungama-close relatives, kuyabe kunzima ukuthi indaba ezinjalo zikhulunywe, ubusuthola ukuthi zanyathelwa kuma families. Umntwana wahamba wakhuluma kugogo kumbe wakhuluma kumalume ukuthi uzibani ‘usengibambile, kumbe uzibani uyasingenela ebusuku’. Kumbe kwabuywa kwakhuluma indaba yakhona abadala bona babhadalisa bona khonangale emakhaya."
Esibhedlela se-United Bulawayo Hospitals koBulawayo, kulomntwana oleminyaka eyisitshiyangalombili - 8 years ozithweleyo. Lumntwana kubikwa ukuba wamithiswa nguyise njalo amadokotela athi asevalweni ukuthi uzabeletha kuhle yini njalo adideka ingqondo ukuthi bamcede njani. Umntwana lo uvela kulesisigaba njalo ibiyindaba ebifihlwa yizihlobo. UMaMhlanga uyamazi lumntwana.
"Yindaba eziyabe zinyathelwe ku-community because umntwana lowana sokuvelile okuyindaba kwakhe. Wahamba umama wakhona lobaba wakhona babesiya ezinyangeni kuthwa khona khona umntwanethu uloyiwe ngabantu isisu sakhe siyakhukhumala only to discover ukuthi ma sifika esibhedlela ama-nurse bamtshele ukuthi hayi, kulomuntu lapha phakathi esiswini and umuntu okhulelis’umntwana sokumele ukuthi adingwe kodwa indaba yangakhona ubusitho lukuthi isekhaya and ma isekhaya, ibanjwa njani indaba enjalo umntwana lo uzamzala phela umntwana and umntwana azamzala ngowesihlobo sakhe."
Ukhansila kaWard 18 eBulilima, uMnu. Land Ndebele, uthi izakhamizi kumele zikhulume nxa zibona abantwana abahlukunyezwayo ezigabeni zabo.
"Kulomkhuba osuthutshile ukuthi even phakathi kwezimuli kulabantu abadlwengula abantwana besokusithi izihlobo zifihle ukuthi zikuveze lokhu. Silomntwana omunye otholakale esezithwele elemnyaka engu-8, 8 years yinto enganhle kodwa kungavezwa, kugutshuzelwe. Siyacela ukuthi bantu bakithi asihloniphaneni sihloniphe abantwana nxa kulento enjalo siye emapholiseni kumbe ebantwini abaseduzane ukuba basize ba lamule into le ingaqhubeki ngesigaba sakithi."
UNkosazana Mercy Sibanda, osebenzela uzulu esigabeni seBulilima, uthi abantwana abanengi babhinywa yizihlobo.
"Isikhathi esinengi abantwana laba abakhahlanyezwa ngabantu nje. Uyathol’ukuthi babhinywa ngabantu abangabazali babo, abantu ababa gcinileyo emakhaya, and kubuhlungu kangaka mina ngokubona kwami ama-perpetrators amele angene entolongweni.”
Udubo lokudlwengulwa kwabantwana luyaphambili elizweni lonke jikele njalo izakhamizi ezinengi zithi abomthetho kababophi ababhinyayo abazi ukuthi ngenxa yani. Amapholisa alile ukukhuluma leStudio 7 ngokuthi sowabotshwa na ubaba womntwana, lokuthi bangaki abantwana ababhinywayo eZimbabwe.