Diie Sondag namiddag was ‘n helder sonnige dag. Die jong meisies het in Lusese onder die takke van die grootste Musikili boom in die Caprivi bymekaar gekom.
It was a bright sunny Sunday afternoon. The young girls in Lusese were gathering under the branches of the biggest Musikili tree in Caprivi.
Die opgewonde gegons van hulle stemme het deur die hele dorp weerklink. Hulle roep na hulle vriende. ” Nakamwu, ek wag vir jou. ” Maak gou, Chaze. ” Silume! Kom nou!”
The excited buzz of their voices was heard all over the village. They called their friends. “Nakamwu, I’m waiting for you.” “Hurry up, Chaze.” “Silume! Come on!”
Maria soek na Ntwala. Ntwala vat hulle elke Sondag om te gaan swem. “Ntwala! Ntwalee! Ntwalaaa! Ntwaloo!” roep sy.
Maria looked around for Ntwala. Ntwala took them swimming every Sunday. “Ntwala! Ntwalee! Ntwalaaa! Ntwaloo!” she called.
Ntwala skeeu vanaf die oorkant van die dorpie. “Hier is ek! Ek wag vir julle. ” Al die meisie het tot by haar gehardloop.
Ntwala shouted from the other side of the village, “I’m here! I’m waiting for you.” All the girls ran to find her.
“Is julle gereed om vandag te gaan swem?”: het Ntwala vir hulle gevra. ” Jaaaa, ” skree hulle vrolik terwyl hulle huppel en rond spring van opgewondenheid.
“Are you ready to go swimming today?” Ntwala asked them. “Yes,” they shouted happily as they hopped and jumped with excitement.
Terwyl hulle rivier toe loop, vertel Ntwala vir hulle stories. ” Vertel ons van die tyd toe ons dorpie oorstroom was “: roep hulle uit. ” Vertel ons van die Jakkals en die Bobbejaan.”
As they walked to the river Ntwala told them stories. “Tell us about when our village was flooded,” they called. “Tell us about the Jackal and the Baboon.”
Langs die rivier het ‘n kolossale Marula boom gegroei. Die meisies het na die grootste Maroela-vrug vir Ntwala gesoek.
Beside the river there was an enormous Marula tree. The girls looked for the biggest marula fruit for Ntwala.
“Ek het die grootste een, ” skree Joy. Sy het haar Maroela-vrug vir Ntwala gegee.
“I’ve got the biggest,” shouted Joy. She gave her marula fruit to Ntwala.
Toe, gaan swem nou, ” sê Ntwala vir die meisies. Hulle almal het die water ingehardloop, gillend en giggelend toe hulle die koue water van die Zambezi voel.
“Off you go and swim,” said Ntwala to the girls. They all ran into the water, shrieking and giggling as they felt the cold water of the Zambezi River.
Ntwala het op die rivierbank bly staan. Sy was op die uitkyk vir krokodille. Sy het dopgehou hoe die ouer meisies resies jaag en duik. Sy het ook gekyk hoe die jonger meisies rondsplas en leer hoe om te swem.
Ntwala stood on the bank. She watched for crocodiles. She watched the older girls racing and diving. She watched the younger girls splashing and learning to swim.
“Kompetisie tyd,” skree sy uiteindelik. “Staan in ‘n ry. ” Sy het die grootste maroela-vrug opgetel. Sy het dit so ver as wat sy kan in die water gegooi.
“Competition time,” she shouted at last. “Stand in a line.” She picked up the biggest marula fruit. She threw it as far as she could into the water.
“Een, twee, drie. Weg!” skree sy. Die kinders het in die water ingehardloop en geswem na die vrug toe. Ntwala het hulle dopgehou.
“One, two, three. GO!” she called. The children ran into the water and swam to the marula fruit. Ntwala watched them.
“Ek is eerste!” skree Maria en Chaze gelyktydig uit. “Julle het saam gewen. ” antwoord Ntwala.
“I’m first!” shouted Maria and Chaze at the same time. “You are both first,” called Ntwala.
“Ek wil weer resies jaag, ” het Maria gesê. ” Ja!” sê Chaze. “Mag ons, Ntwala?” het die ander meisies gevra.
“I want to race again,” said Maria. “OK!” said Chaze. “Can we, Ntwala?” asked the other girls.
“Staan weer in die ry. ” het Ntwala gesê. Sy het weer ‘n Maroela-vrug opgetel en gooi dit so ver as wat sy kan.
“Stand in line again,” Ntwala told them. She picked up a marula fruit and threw it as far as she could.
“Een, twee, drie. Weg!” het sy uitgeroep. Die kinders het die water in gehardloop na die maroela-vrug toe.
“One, two, three. GO!” she called. The children ran into the water and swam to the marula fruit. Ntwala watched them.
“Ek is eerste!” het Chaze geskree. Maria het opgehou met swem. Chaze is die wenner: ” het Ntwala gesê. Welgedaan, Chaze. Nou kan ons huis toe gaan.”
“I’m first!” shouted Chaze. Maria stopped swimming. “Chaze is the winner,” said Ntwala. “Well done, Chaze. Let’s go home now.”
Die kinders het huis toe geloop met Ntwala. ” vertel vir ons ‘n storie, Ntwala: ” het hulle gevra. Hulle het graag na haar stories geluister.
The children walked home with Ntwala. “Tell us a story, Ntwala,” they asked. They loved to listen to her stories.
Maria het Chaze van agter af bekruip en stamp haar om tot op die grond. Chaze het begin huil. “Chaze se ma gaan jou wil slaan. ” sê Joy vir Maria.
Maria crept up behind Chaze and pushed her to the ground. Chaze started to cry. “Chaze’s mother will beat you,” said Joy to Maria.
“Maria! Hoekom het jy dit aan Chaze gedoen?” vra Ntwala. “Sy het die swemresies gewen. Dis nie regverdig nie ” het Maria gekla.
“Maria! Why did you hit Chaze?” asked Ntwala. “She won at swimming. It’s not fair,” Maria said.
Ntwala het al die meisies gevra om in ‘n sirkel te sit. ” Wat het die skoolhoof vir ons vertel?” het sy gevra. ” Dit is verkeerd om te baklei. Mense wie baklei moet gestraf word,” het Namamwu gesê.
Ntwala asked all the girls to sit in a circle. “What did the principal tell us?” she asked. “It’s bad to fight. People who fight must be punished,” said Nakamwu.
“Maria moet om verskoning vra, ” sê Namasiku. ” Chaze moet haar terugslaan, ” sê Joy. ” Nee, dit is verkeerd om mekaar te stamp, ” antwoord Ntwala.
“Maria must say sorry,” said Namasiku. “Chaze must hit her back,” said Joy. “No, it is wrong to hit each other,” said Ntwala.
Ntwala het gesê, “Ek dink dat Maria volgende Sondag nie saam moet gaan swem nie. ” Maria het dadelik met’n stortvloed trane begin huil. “Ek … ek … ek is jammer, Chaze. Ek is jammer ek het jou gestamp. Ek sal nooit weer iemand stamp nie,” vra sy om verskoning.
Ntwala said, “I think Maria should miss swimming next Sunday.” Maria cried a flood of tears. “I… I… I’m sorry Chaze. I’m sorry I hit you. I’ll never hit anyone again,” she apologised.
“Ek vergewe jou, ” het Chaze gesê en het haar arm om Maria gesit. ” Maria en ek sal saam met jou huis toe kom, ” het Ntwala vir Chaze gesê. ” Maria moet ook jou ma om verskoning vra.
“I forgive you,” said Chaze and put her arm around Maria. “Maria and I will come home with you,” said Ntwala to Chaze. “Maria will apologise to your mother too.”
Maria het vir Chaze se ma gesê, “Ek het vir Chaze geslaan, want sy het die resies gewen. Chaze is my vriendin en dit was verkeerd van my om haar te stamp.”
Maria told Chaze’s mother, “I hit Chaze because she won the race. I’m sorry. Chaze is my friend, it was bad to hit her.”
Mevrou Sibungo het na Maria geluister. ” Dit was verkeerd Maria, dit is slegte gedrag om mense te stamp. Dankie dat jy kom verskoning vra het. Ek vergewe jou.” Mevrou Sibungo het vir Ntwala gesê, ” Jy is ‘n goeie leier.”
Mrs. Sibungo listened to Maria. “That was wrong Maria, it is bad to hit people. Thank you for apologising to me. I forgive you.” Mrs. Sibungo told Ntwala, “You are a good leader.”
Mevrou Sibungo het met al die kinders gepraat. ” Ntwala het aan ‘n straf vir Maria gedink. Sy het vir Chaze geslaan omdat sy die swemresies verloor het. Nou sal sy nie weer mag deelneem nie.
Mrs. Sibungo spoke to all the children. “Ntwala thought of a good punishment for Maria. She hit Chaze because she lost the swimming race. Now she will not be able to race.”
“Maar Mamma, ” het Chaze geglimlag. ” Ek wil nie dat Maria by die huis bly volgende Sondag nie. Ek wil volgende week weer teen haar resies jaag as ons gaan swem!”
“But Mum,” Chaze smiled, “I don’t want Maria to stay at home next Sunday. I want to race her at the swimming next week too!”
Written by: Imelda Lyamine, Albius Chunga Mulisa, Maria Simasiku, Florence Habayemi Shitaa
Illustrated by: Kleopas Jambeinge
Translated by: Helena Vilonel
Language: Afrikaans
Level: Level 4
Source: Swimming in the Zambezi from African Storybook
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.