VEZANDLEBE DEFINITION

SISWATI

1.       Livezandlebe ngumntfwana lotfolwe ngunina (lowendzile) ngekuphinga.  Sibonelo: Ngiteke uLaSibeko; ngamlobola; futsi sinebantfwana lababili naye.

2.       Sekutsi ngalelinye lilanga ngingekho ngisemsebentini yena sowuvakashelwa nguSibiya uyammitsisa nekummitsia.

3.       Umntfwana uyavela ekani asiye wami, waSibiya.

4.       Loyo mntfwana livezandlebe ngesintfu.

5.       Ligama leliyinhlamba kakhulu leli futsi alibitwabitwa emntfwaneni ngoba tsine eMaSwati sikholelwa kwekutsi umkami nakangigangele ngalendlela ugangele mine.  Tibi tonkhe temkami ngiyatifihla.

6.       Nakuke kwavela umuntfu lotsi umntfwanami livezandlebe ngitawumhambela emadvuneni ngimhlawulise. (Eveni lase-South Africa umuntfu lonjalo uyakwati nekumyisa emakhotho lawesilungu utawuhlawula matima ngekutsatsa emahlazo emfati wami nemti wami awente libhola lakhe lemlomo).

7.       Livezandlebe liyafana-nje nalabanye bantfwana labangebami; futsi alikhuliswa ngendlela lenemehluko kulabanye bantfwabami. Tibonelo:

8.       Nangabe lakhaya bantfwabami ngiyabashaya nabagangile; ngete ngatsi nangive kutsi Vezandlebe ugangile yena ngesabe kumshaya ngoba “batotsi ngimshaya ngoba angasiye wami”.

9.       Sibonelo sesibili: nangabe bantfwabami bonkhe sebakhulile futsi ngibatsengela timotela; ngete bese angisamtsengeli Vezandlebe ngekutsi “asiye wami lona”.

10.   Umlamndvo weBantfu ugcwele nswi tibonelo temavezandlebe laba lusito kuboyise kwendlula bantfwabelisendze.

KISWAHILI

11.   Mimi babamtu Mswahili.  Na mama yake pia; lakini mtoto wetu Mwarabu.  Mtoto huyo anaitwaje kwaKiswahili?

ENGLISH

12.   The illegitimate child is a highly-prized entity among many Bantu societies.  We believe that if my wife has erred, well, she has erred!  That child cannot be made to carry the can.  Furthermore, we believe fatherhood lies in the act of bringing up the child rather than on planting the seed.

13.   This tradition or culture lies replete with examples of illegitimate children who turned far more responsible and loyal to their fathers than own children.

14.   The Zulu word for the illegitimate child (in contradistinction to a ‘love  child’)  is ‘ivezandlebe’.

15.   It is considered a deep insult to refer to another human being as ‘ivezandlebe’.  As such, the father of the child (of course not the biological father who will always be AWOL or ‘missing in action’ for the crime he committed impregnating someone else wife) is within his rights to take to court anyone who dares refer to any of his children as ‘ivezandlebe’.

Sibusisiwe Phiri (2) ngumntfwana lonami lapha nenina uLaTsabedze.  Kute umshini lokhona emhlabeni namuhla lokwati kungibonisa kutsi ngumntfwanami cobo; ngaleyondlela umuntfu lotawutsi lomntfwanami lengiwa ngivuka naye ‘livezandlebe’ ngitambopha tandla netinyawo loyo muntfu!