KZN

“Thatha ntombi… Usuzohamba kahle. Sikufisela inhlanhla”, the indl’enkulu says to me. 
“Ngiyabonga ndl’enkulu”, I say, taking the plastic bags that she’s giving me as well as my envelope with my salary and my severance package. Today is my last day of working here es’godleni senkosi. 
I embark on my walk to head back home. It is a thirty-minute walk, climbing hills and all. 

I come from a rather poor family. Apparently, my real mother was rich. But when she had me, she was still in high school. She gave me away to an aunt of hers that was struggling to have kids, so that’s who raised me. I call her mah. Her husband, ubaba is what I called him, worked in the mines in Johannesburg. He passed away and we’ve been struggling ever since. As soon as I matriculated, I went house to house looking for work because my mom couldn’t work anymore. She had been a domestic worker at the chief’s quarters. She asked them to help us by giving me her old job. So, I’ve been working here ever since. 

Last year, my uncle let out, while drunk, that my mom isn’t my mom. He then stated that my father is filthy rich in Tholoana Kingdom and he’s living it up with his wife and kids while I’m out here struggling. It’s been extremely stressful this past year for us. But now I’ve decided that I’m going to Tholoana Kingdom to go find my father. I’ve gotten a job in the king’s palace. I’ll be a cleaner there and I’ll be living there. My uncle told me that my father is very close to the king. So I’ll see him a lot when I work there. 

I arrive at home just after 6pm. The plastic bags that indl’enkulu gave me are groceries for the month. 
“Sanibonani”, I greet mah and my uncle. 
“Sawubona ntombazane”, mah greets me. 
“Naku okuphuma es’godleni”, I say. 
They are excited but still expect me to cook. Except today, I cannot cook. I have to prepare for my trip to Tholoana Kingdom. 
“You have to be careful, mchana”, my uncle says. 
“Bekungafanelanga utshele le ngane ngalo baba wakhe. We’ve been fine all this time. You just had to plant ideas in her mind. We don’t need that man!” My mom says. 
“Mamncane, look at how he lives! And he used to send us money every month. But his wife made him stop! I hate that woman! She’s the reason that my sister was treated like trash by that man. She doesn’t get to just live in her bubble with her children and her perfect life. Phumelele must also go claim what belongs to her. Teboho’s kids are not the only kids that Maboko has. Linda’s child must also be recognised! And Linda’s child is his first born! Hai! Hamba wena, Phume! Go claim what’s yours! Kahle hle, uwena indlalifa kaMaboko!”
“Zolile! UPhumelele ingane yami! I raised her! Hai bo!”
Silence. 
“Uyakwazi nje ukukhuluma isiSotho nje wena? Kukhulunyiwa isiSotho laphaya!” 
“Cha! I’ll just speak English.” I say.
“Badelela ukufa labantu! Especially lapho uyakhona! UOna udelela lokhu that makes you want to spit in his face. But keep your cool. Remember that your goal is Maboko. Maboko loves his wife. He’s obsessed with her. If she doesn’t like you and doesn’t speak for you, he will not accept you. Tebza is the only thing that matters to him. So, bring her close to you. Yena she hated Linda with all her heart, kodwa she has a good heart, and she doesn’t believe in punishing people for things they had nothing to do with. If you give her indawo yakhe, uzoba right.”
I just nod as I take down all these notes. 
“Good luck, mchana.” He says.
I smile at him.
“And Meh!” My uncle.
“Yebo Malume?”
“Ona will be rude. Everyone in that kingdom is team Tebza and Maboko. They’ll probably demand that you take a DNA test.” 
“But I shouldn’t worry, right? Angisho uMaboko is my dad?”
He’s quiet. 
“Malume?!” Why is he being like this now?
“ZOLILE, KHULUMA PHELA! YOU BROUGHT THIS MESS TO OUR ATTENTION WAZI KAHLE UKUTHI ULINDA UBENAMANYALA! KHULUMA!” My mom.
“Mamncane, kungenzeka ukuthi omunye umuntu ubaba kaMeh!”
“Amanyala! ULinda was a child when Meh was born. Ubethengisa ngomzimba yini?! Ubufebe obungaka?!” My mom.
“Malume, kanti ubani ubaba wami?!” I ask, losing patience really. 
“Le nto uma ingaphuma, kuyoxabana abangane. Ubaba wakho nomama wakho… it was a once off thing and he swore that if Linda said anything, he’d kill our entire family.” 
Hai bo! 
“Just… if they even mention the DNA test, phone me. I’ll take it from there.” 
“Malume, Angifuni Mina ukuyoxabanisa umndeni wabantu kanti I’m not even that man’s son. Ngiyomthwalisa ijazi knowingly?” 
“Ey wena! Do you enjoy living like this?! Maboko is rich. He can afford a little inconvenience,” my uncle.
“Malume!” 
“ZOLILE! WE DO NOT LIVE LIKE THAT HERE!”
Silence. 
“Mah, let me go. The pay there is better, so I’ll be able to send you money. Kodwa until Malume tells me who my real father is, I’m staying away from the poor man and his family.” 
“Meh!”
“Cha Malume! I’m not that kind of person. If you want to go live off lying to people, that’s your problem! You do it yourself kodwa ungangifaki mina!”
“Uwena ithemba lethu lokugcina!” 
“No!” 
“Then what are you still going there to do?”
“To work so my mother doesn’t suffer. Umah that actually raised me without the lies that you and that whore of your sister breathed for!”
He’s hurt! 
Good! 
He thinks playing games with my paternity is a joke?! I’m nothing like him and that Linda of his! 
Fuck off man! 
I will find my father… but not like this!

I have now finished bathing and have packed my bags. I have one travel bag on wheels, one big bag that I’ll throw over my shoulder, and a handbag that is across my body. I’m wearing gym tights, sneakers and a sweater. I’m travelling through the night, so I need to keep warm. I take a blanket that my mom made for me with her bare hands just so I’d stay warm. I carry it too. 
I say goodbye to my mom, giving her half of the money that ndl’enkulu gave to me. It was my pay for the month – R4500 plus the R15000 she generously gave me to travel and settle. She did give me groceries, but my uncle literally steals from my mom or spends money alone, leaving us out. So my mom and I have to look out for ourselves. Even that incident he spoke about regarding my fake dad giving him money until his wife told him to stop… we didn’t see a cent of that money. He spent it alone. Now I must go hustle that poor man for him?! 
So, I gave my mom R9000 and I kept R10500. I told her to keep the money in her breasts and away from my uncle. I don’t know why she doesn’t just kick him out. It’s not like mamkhulu Zandile – his and Linda’s mother – ever helped us with anything. Why is she making Zolile her problem? He’s always high and drunk. 

Our neighbour is a taxi boss. He said one of his drivers would give me a lift to Durban. From Durban, I’ll get a taxi to Tholoana Kingdom. Durban is about three hours away from here. Then I’ll be on the road for 14 hours from Durban to the kingdom. 

…

That taxi ride to Durban was fine. It was just the driver and I, then he started picking people up along the way just to make it a trip where he can get some extra cents. 
“If anyone asks, it was just the two of us on this trip. I’m making extra money just to take my girlfriend out to dinner today.” That’s what the guy said to me. I laughed then agreed. 
He put me in a taxi to the kingdom himself. 
That taxi ride was funny. 
The driver was upset because people were eating in the taxi. It’s a long-distance trip. Of course, people have brought snacks and dinner. Then, when he stopped to fill up petrol, he didn’t want people to stretch their legs and go to the shop. He had issues. He was operating like someone who had been dumped before driving us. I sat in the seat right behind the driver’s seat, next to the window and away from the door. I used my blanket to simply sleep. 
I woke up as the sun was coming up. We were in cue to go through the border. I prepared my passport and my work permit. I wanted the process to be quick for me. The taxi actually leaves us here then I must take another taxi – after crossing the border – to Taung. But from here, it’s only an hour away. 

Because my documents are in order, crossing the border doesn’t take too long. So, my bags and I cross the border, witnessing several people getting arrested or beaten by the army. People who try to illegally enter this country are brave. We all know the stories of people who died at this very border for not crossing legally. 

I reach the taxi rank and one of the taxi marshals meets me halfway, takes my two big bags from me then says, “uyakai ausi?”
I don’t know what that means. 
“I don’t under Sotho”, I say. 
“So, what its doing in kingdom?”
That’s a bit rude. Broken English, but still rude.
“Where its going?” He asks me in what he assumes is English. 
“The royal palace”, I say. 
“Hai! And no Sotho?” 
I shrug my shoulders. 
“You going for work?” The marshal. 
“Yes sir”, I say. 
“Yoh weh! Kgosi yarona o tlo di bona mo!” 
I don’t know what he said but now he’s laughing by himself. 
I really hope I won’t be treated like this all the time. 

I’m put in a taxi then him and the driver keep looking at me and laughing. I wish I understood what they were saying. 
The taxi takes off then the driver drops me off last. He gets to the gate and tells me to tell the security that I’m here for work. Then he laughs at me as I climb off the car. 
Mxm! Waze wasokola uZulu! 

The head of staff for general workers is a lady named Janet. She’s a mixed-race lady who also speaks English, so I’m relieved. We communicate well together. 
She shows me to my flat here on the royal grounds. The staff compounds are a village on its own inside the royal gates. There are ten blocks of apartments. Each block has three floors and each floor has three apartment units. 

“Some people live here with their families”, Janet explains to me. 

The ground floor units have patios and gardens. They are three-bedroom apartments. The first-floor units only have patios and are two-bedroom units. The second floor one-bedroom units only have balconies. My role is senior staff, so I automatically am not put in a one bedroom. But I don’t have a family, so I don’t get a ground floor unit. I am on the first floor… a two-bedroom unit. 
The unit is really nice. It has a kitchen with cutlery and crockery already placed inside. The TV room has a big TV mounted on the wall. I have decent couches, a decent round dinner table with two dining chairs. Both my bedrooms have a bed and side tables. There is one bathroom. It’s honestly nice. I like it. A lot! Royal grounds in KZN don’t have this. I’m already impressed. I could actually bring my mom here to live with me then we leave uncle Zolile with his weed and alcohol all by himself. 

Janet explains my duties to me. I’ll be cleaning the main house… the royal wing. I should only be seen and not heard. She even says it’s a good thing that Sotho is a no-no for me. She tells me that I can unpack today and settle in. We do have transport to take us to town and back. She tells me the times that it leaves so if I need to go to town on any day, no need for taxis. We have our own transportation. 

The royal house is in mourning. The princess and one of the king’s wives have passed away. So, none of us are allowed to play TV or radio… at all. I can live with that. 
My uniform… I have summer, winter, celebratory and mourning uniform. 
The summer and winter uniforms are self-explanatory. Celebratory uniform is uniform we wear when a big event is coming up in the royal house. Mourning uniform is what we wear when the royal house is in mourning. Like tomorrow, I’ll be wearing the mourning uniform. 

I first phone my mom and tell her I’ve arrived safely. She tells me that Uncle Zolile left yesterday and hasn’t come back yet. He does that. When he’s stranded again, he will come back. She shouldn’t stress. 
I tell her about the place, and she seems happy for me. I tell her that I’ll send her money as soon as I get paid. 
After the call, I unpack my bags. I guess I’ll just go to sleep straight after this. 

…

Today is my first day on duty.
Today is my first day at work. It is 5am and I’m already in the main house. The house is still mourning, so it’s a bit busy. 
The royal couple is still in their bedroom so I start cleaning the kitchen, tv room and dining room where the mourners will be. 
I also take it upon myself to start baking as well. Janet told me that I should also prepare finger foods for the day. The chefs normally do it, I’m just here to support. 
“Hey”, a voice. He’s dressed in a chef outfit. 
“Hello”, I greet him back. 
“You are in very early.” He says.
“Just doing my job”, I say. 
“Terrence”, he says to me, extending his hand for a handshake. 
I accept that handshake saying, “Phumelele. But everyone back home calls me Meh.” 
We have a moment. 
I look away. 
“I’m the head chef.” He says.
“I’m… I’m the head general worker, but more on the domestic side.” 
“I know”, he says. His smile bakithi. 
“You better get the food started then. Before the mourners arrive.” Me.
“Okay. I’ll see you around.” He says.
He heads into the kitchen – his cooking haven. 
Ja neh. 

I see the queen and king come downstairs. Moholo Khotso and his wife also climb down the stairs. So, I head upstairs to go clean their rooms. 
I take about three hours just cleaning their bedrooms and bathrooms. The rooms are MASSIVE – bigger than my entire apartment. The rooms have albums on their dressing tables. The albums have pictures of how their things should be packed. So, I follow them to put these things back in place. I change the linen as well. 
Now, I clean the rooms of the kids. 
By the time I’m done, it’s 3pm. The mourners are here. 
“You okay?” Janet asks me. 
I nod my head. 
“Okay, you are doing well. Please help me serve the mourners.” She says. 
I nod my head. 
We take food to the mourners inside the house. The other workers serve the community that’s mourning outside of the royal house. Ja neh. 
I hear the people talking. I’ve even spotted the Maboko who was my alleged father. What if he is my father?! But then I see him with his wife and his children… and grandchildren… I cannot ruin all of that based on a “what if”. Eish.

“And then wena? Keng taba yahao?” The queen asks me as I wash the dishes. 
I stare at her because I don’t know what the last part of her question means. 
“Ke bua le wena!” She yells. 
“I don’t understand Sotho, ma’am”, I say. 
“You don’t?” She says, almost wanting to burst into laughter. 
I shake my head. 
“What do you speak?” She asks me. 
“English and isiZulu”. 
“Zulu? Where are you from?”
“KZN”.
“KZN in South Africa?”
I nod my head. 
“How did you get hired? And in a senior position nogal?”
“I was working at the chief’s quarters back home, ma’am.”
She seems impressed. 
“I see”, she says. 
“What work did you do there?” She asks me. 
“I was the right-hand woman to the queen.”
“Oh?” 
More impressed. 
“Well, that’s good to know. So why were you staring at Maboko Seete? I notice everything around here. Are you already scouting for a rich man? Is that how you operate?” 
I shake my head and say, “No ma’am.” 
She gives me a threatening stare then says, “that better be the case. The Seetes are very dear friends of the throne in this country. If you even attempt to do anything that will shake that family, I’ll deal with you myself! Understood?”
“Yes ma’am”, I say, nodding my head. 
“What did you say your name was?” 
“Phumelele. But everybody calls me Meh or Phumeh”. 
She rolls her eyes at me then walks out of the kitchen. 

It is 11pm when I knock off and head back to my apartment. It’s a thirty-minute walk – still on royal grounds, so it’s protected. .. just very far from the royal house itself. 
A car stops next to me. 
A window rolls down.
“Hop in”, he says. It’s Terrence. 
I just hop in. I am exhausted. 
He has a very nice car. He sees me taking it in. He must be getting paid a lot of money as a head chef. 
“How was your first day?” He asks me. 
“It was good.” I say. 
“I hope you like it here. You’ll get the hang of the Sotho eventually.”
I smile and nod my head. Shame, he’s being nice. 
“So how old are you?” He asks me. 
“33. You?”
“41. You look much younger than that.” 
I laugh then say, “thanks.” 
“So, are you married? Have kids?”
“Not married. No kids.”
“Why not?” He asks me. 
“I couldn’t afford to have kids. My family is already struggling. I don’t believe in bringing kids into a struggling environment. Even if the father has money, a child is truly its mother’s child. The father can be invisible if they want to. So, I’m not going to have children just to have them suffer”, I say. 
“That’s powerful.” 
“And you? Married? Kids?”
“Not married. Five kids from three different women”.
“Yoh!” 
“What can I say? The ladies love me.”
“And I guess you love them too.”
He laughs. 
“But I’m getting old now. And I’d like to settle down.” 
“Hopefully with one of your baby mamas. You shouldn’t want more children.” 
He laughs. 
I’m not even kidding. I’m serious. 

We get to the gate of the staff quarters. 
“I’m at block 4”, I say. 
He nods his head. 
He takes me there and drops me off. 
“Have a good night, Meh.” 
“You too Terrance”. 
I close the door of his car then head to my apartment.