Lepati											Xhosa

Uthando lomsebenzi wokufama lusisitshixo esikhokelela empumelelweni



Instructions: 

Folio strap: Imbonakala yecala

Byline: NguElmarie Cronje, iqela labahleli bePula-Imvula



 “Ngobu busuku ndiziva ndiyindoda ezele yimibulelo. Ndibulela uThixo ngothando lomsebenzi wokufama andiphe lona.” La ngamawzi kaLepati Macaphasa, kumnyhadala wonyaka ngowe-2007 waBavelisi abasaPhuhlayo beziTyalo eziZiinkozo wakwaGrain SA/Absa; nto leyo ebonisa ukuba uthando lomsebenzi wokufama luyimfuneko ukuze kuzuzeke impumelelo. 



ULepati wazalelwa kwifama ekummandla waseFouriesburg kanti okoko waba nothando lokufama ukususela esengumntwana. Emva kweminyaka emithathu yokungena isikolo, uLepati waqalisa ngezifundo zakhe zeminyaka engama-54 kwifama yaseFouriesburg apho akhawuleze waba yinduna. 



Ekugqibeleni ulandele intliziyo yakhe wathenga esakhe isiqwengana somhlaba. Naxa engafundanga ukwazile ukujika ifama yaba lishishini lempumelelo kwiminyaka elishumi elinesine. “Ndingomnye wabo bantu bahloniphekileyo kuba benikwe uthando lokuvelisela abanye ukutya. Olu thando olusentliziyweni yam lwafakwa kuyo nguThixo.” 



“Isiqalo somsebenzi woqeqesho wam saba lula ngenxa yamava endandisele ndinawo,” utshilo uLepati, ngoku selenomhlaba oziihektare ezingama-506 aze aphinde aqeshe omnye oziihetare ezingama-200 kumvelisi kummandla waseKestell. Ishishini likaLepati linamacala amabini; zizityalo eziziinkozo kwicala elinye ukuze kwelinye icala ibe sisolulo sedlelo lemfuyo elibonisa impumelelo. 



Njengenxalenye yeqela lofundonzulu lwaBavelisi abasaPhuhlayo bakwaGrain SA, uLepati usebenza kufutshane noJohan Kriel, umququzeleli wephondo wenkqubo yaBavelisi abasaPhuhlayo bakwaGrain SA eFree State. “ULepati yindoda enesidima. Uyathandeka kwaye uhlonitshwa nguye wonke umntu omaziyo. Ubaphatha ngobubele abanye abantu kwaye uthanda abazukulwana bakhe ngentliziyo yakhe yonke,” utshilo uJohan. 



ULepati unomhlaba weehektare ezingama-320 wezityalo kwaye ulandela isixokelelwano sokujikelezisa phakathi kombona, ingqolowa nee-sugar beans. Uhlalutyo lweentwana zomhlaba lwenziwa qho emva kweminyaka emibini ukuqinisekisa ukuba umdibaniso wesichumiso somhlaba ulungelelene ngokuchanekileyo. Ukhula lulawulwa ngemichiza nangoomatshini. Kwixesha lonyaka elidlulileyo uLepati ulime umbona we-GM okokuqala. “Ndiza kuqhuba ngokulima umbona we-GM kwixesha elizayo, ngenxa yohlobo olulula lokulawula izitshabalalisi zezityalo xa kuthelekiswa nenye imbewu,” watsho uLepati. 



Ngenxa yokukwazi ukuphatha oomatshini kakuhle, iitrektara nezixhobo zikaLepati zonke zikwisimo esincomekayo kakhulu. Ngowe-1974, xa uLepati wayeqalisa umsebenzi wokufama, umvelisi orhwebayo wamnika iFord 5000. Le trektara isekwisimo sokusebenza esincomeka ngokubalaseleyo nangoku, akukho nakuvuza kungako kweoyile. Lithe ngokuya likhula ishishini likaLepati, wafakela iMassey 188, iFord 66, iFord 7610 kunye neNew Holland 6640 emandleni akhe okusebenza. Ezi trektara zihlolwa isimo sazo rhoqo kanti ukugcinwa kwamaphepha eengxelo okufanelekileyo kuyinxalenye yenkqubo.

 

Oonyana bakaLepati’s ababini banenxaxheba nabo kwishishini, baqhuba iitrektara. Kukho abasebenzi ababini abasisigxina efama kodwa, xa kukho imfuneko kuqeshwa abasebenzi bethutyana.



Akukho shishini lokufama lingenamiceli-mngeni yalo kanti malunga noLepati; kukho unqongophalo lombane olubanga ubunzima. Ufake isicelo kwaEskom sokuba afumane umbane kwifama yakhe, nto leyo eya kunceda ukuba aphathe iitrektara zakhe nezixhobo zokusebenza phucukileyo nangaphezulu. 



Imfuyo kaLepati ziinkomo neegusha. Iinkomo zakhe ubukhulu becala yimihlanganisela yeBonsmara kanti iinkomo zakhe zimalunga nama-85 ukuze iigusha zibe malunga nekhulu. NgokukaLepati, ishishini lakhe lemfuyo linegalelo kwikota yengeniso yakhe iphelele – uthengisa amathole alunyulweyo eKwindla xa seliza kuphela eli xesha lonyaka kubathengisi kwiintengiso zendawo yakhe zefandesi, Amathole akhe ngawodidi oluphezulu kwaye selephumelele naselugqatsweni lamathole abalaseleyo eqela elilunyulweyo. Ugqatso lwalubanjwe kwenye yeefandesi zendawo leyo kanti uLepati ude wangenela ugqatso nabavelisi borhwebo. Iihektare ezingama-386 zentsimi yakhe zisetyenziswa njengamadlelo ayindalo. 



IPhuthaditjhaba yindawo yomsebenzi kaLepati ekhethiweyo apho ahlala khona nenkosikazi yakhe, uNooi, noonyana bakhe ababini. Malunga nemali esesandleni ayizuze elugqatsweni kumnyhadala wonyaka we-2007 waBavelisi abasaPhuhlayo beziTyalo eziZiinkozo wakwaGrain SA/Absa, uthethe okulandelayo kuJohan Kriel: “Uyazi Johan, ngoku ndinako ukuthenga imbewu ethe chatha ukuze ndilime kwesinye iqwenga somhlaba wam.” Lawo ngamazwi anokuthethwa ngumvelisi wenene kuphela! 

