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A bride surrounded by wedding guests cheering.

Wat Vusi Se Suster Gesê Het What Vusi's sister said

Written by Nina Orange

Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager

Translated by Nadine Langley, Helena Vilonel

Language Afrikaans

Level Level 4

Narrate full story The audio for this story is currently not available.


An old woman thinking of a wedding, giving a boy an egg.

Vroeg een oggend het Vusi se ouma hom geroep en gesê, “Vusi, neem asseblief hierdie eier na jou ouers toe. Hulle het dit nodig om ‘n groot koek te bak vir jou suster se troue.”

Early one morning Vusi’s granny called him, “Vusi, please take this egg to your parents. They want to make a large cake for your sister’s wedding.”


A boy standing between two boys picking fruit and one of them holding a slingshot.

Op pad na sy ouers het Vusi twee seuns raakgeloop, wat besig was om vrugte te pluk. Een seun het die eier uit Vusi se hand gegryp en dit stukkend teen ‘n boom verpletter.

On his way to his parents, Vusi met two boys picking fruit. One boy grabbed the egg from Vusi and shot it at a tree. The egg broke.


A boy telling the fruit pickers about the egg and the wedding.

“Wat het jy gedoen?” skree Vusi. “Daardie eier was vir ‘n koek vir my suster se troue. Wat gaan my suster sê as daar nie ‘n troukoek is nie?”

“What have you done?” cried Vusi. “That egg was for a cake. The cake was for my sister’s wedding. What will my sister say if there is no wedding cake?”


Two fruit pickers giving a boy a walking stick.

Die seuns was baie jammer. “Ons kan nie help met die koek nie maar hier is ‘n kierie vir jou suster,” het een gesê. Vusi is toe weer oppad.

The boys were sorry for teasing Vusi. “We can’t help with the cake, but here is a walking stick for your sister,” said one. Vusi continued on his journey.


A worried-looking boy standing next to two men building a house. One of the builders is holding a broken stick.

Padlangs het hy twee mans ontmoet wat besig was om ‘n huis bou. “Kan ons daardie sterk stok gebruik?” vra een. Vusi gee toe die stok vir hom, maar die stok was nie sterk genoeg vir bouwerk nie en het gebreek.

Along the way he met two men building a house. “Can we use that strong stick?” asked one. But the stick was not strong enough for building, and it broke.


A boy telling the builders about the egg, the wedding and the walking stick.

“Wat het jy gedoen?” huil Vusi. “Daardie stok was ‘n trougeskenk vir my suster. Die vrugteplukkers het vir my die stok gegee omdat hulle die eier wat in die koek sou wees, gebreek het. Die koek was vir my suster se troue. Nou is daar geen eier, koek of geskenk nie. Wat gaan my suster sê?”

“What have you done?” cried Vusi. “That stick was a gift for my sister. The fruit pickers gave me the stick because they broke the egg for the cake. The cake was for my sister’s wedding. Now there is no egg, no cake, and no gift. What will my sister say?”


Two builders giving a boy some thatch.

Die bouers het so sleg gevoel omdat die stok gebreek het. “Ons kan nie help met die koek nie, maar hier is ‘n bondel gras vir jou suster,” het een gesê. En so het Vusi voortgegaan met sy reis.

The builders were sorry for breaking the stick. “We can’t help with the cake, but here is some thatch for your sister,” said one. And so Vusi continued on his journey.


A worried-looking boy standing next to a farmer feeding a cow some thatch.

Verder aan het Vusi ‘n boer met ‘n koei ontmoet. “Daardie gras lyk heerlike. Kan ek ‘n happie kry?” vra die koei. Maar die gras was so smaaklik dat die koei alles opgeëet het!

Along the way, Vusi met a farmer and a cow. “What delicious thatch, can I have a nibble?” asked the cow. But the thatch was so tasty that the cow ate it all!


A boy telling the farmer about the egg, the wedding, the walking stick and the thatch.

“Wat het jy gedoen?” skree Vusi. “Daardie gras was ‘n geskenk vir my suster. Die bouers het dit vir my gegee omdat hulle die stok gebreek het wat ek by die vrugteplukkers gekry het.” Die vrugteplukkers het die stok vir my gegee omdat hulle die eier vir my suster se koek gebreek het. Die koek was vir my suster se troue.

“What have you done?” cried Vusi. “That thatch was a gift for my sister. The builders gave me the thatch because they broke the stick from the fruit pickers. The fruit pickers gave me the stick because they broke the egg for my sister’s cake. The cake was for my sister’s wedding. Now there is no egg, no cake, and no gift. What will my sister say?”


A farmer giving a boy a cow.

Die koei was vreeslik jammer dat sy so gulsig was. Die boer het saamgestem dat die koei saam met Vusi gaan, as ‘n geskenk aan sy suster. En so het Vusi voortgegaan.

The cow was sorry she was greedy. The farmer agreed that the cow could go with Vusi as a gift for his sister. And so Vusi carried on.


A boy standing next to wedding guests eating.

Maar later in die dag het die koei terug gehardloop na die boer toe. Dit het Vusi lank geneem om by die troue uit te kom en die gaste het alreeds begin eet.

But the cow ran back to the farmer at supper time. And Vusi got lost on his journey. He arrived very late for his sister’s wedding. The guests were already eating.


A boy telling the wedding guests about the cow, the thatch, the walking stick, the egg and the wedding.

“Wat moet ek nou doen?” vra Vusi. “Die koei wat weggehardloop het was ‘n geskenk in ruil vir die gras wat die bouers vir my gegee het. Die bouers het vir my gras gegee omdat hulle die stok gebreek het wat ek van die vrugteplukkers gekry het. Die vrugteplukkers het weer die stok vir my gegee omdat hulle die eier vir my suster se koek gebreek het. Die koek was vir my suster se troue. Nou is daar geen eier, geen koek en geen geskenk nie.”

“What shall I do?” cried Vusi. “The cow that ran away was a gift, in return for the thatch the builders gave me. The builders gave me the thatch because they broke the stick from the fruit pickers. The fruit pickers gave me the stick because they broke the egg for the cake. The cake was for the wedding. Now there is no egg, no cake, and no gift.”


A bride surrounded by wedding guests cheering.

Vusi se suster het gehoor wat hy sê en vir ‘n oomblik gedink voordat sy antwoord. “Vusi, my broer, ek gee regtig nie om oor geskenkies nie. Ek gee nie eers om oor die koek nie! Ons is almal saam hier, en daaroor is ek gelukkig. Gaan trek nou jou deftige klere aan en kom vier saam met ons hierdie spesiale dag!” En dit is net wat Vusi gedoen het.”

Vusi’s sister thought for a while, then she said, “Vusi my brother, I don’t really care about gifts. I don’t even care about the cake! We are all here together, I am happy. Now put on your smart clothes and let’s celebrate this day!” And so that’s what Vusi did.


Written by: Nina Orange
Illustrated by: Wiehan de Jager
Translated by: Nadine Langley, Helena Vilonel
Language: Afrikaans
Level: Level 4
Source: What Vusi's sister said from African Storybook
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International License.
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