Simbongile Princess Ntabeni: The Called (S2)

Chapter Eighty-Eight

-Sibongile-

"Ovayo... masambe"

She didn't hesitate, we drove out of the house in pjs, hoodies and sneakers. At least I managed to grab a jacket on my way out and as we drove to Nomasonto's house, I narrated to Ovayo what was going on. I initially didn't want to, because I knew she could be ten-times worse in her anguish. I could see her face turn red and then she just nodded, eating her nails.

Ovayo: You're going to need to stop at the garage, we need petrol.

Me: The tank is fu-

Ovayo: Not for your car s'bhanxa, to burn that hell she calls a house down!

Me: Sizobanjwa.

Ovayo: Yintoni watsho ngathi awuyazi itrongo?

Me: Fokof Ovayo!

Ovayo: Nawe tshi, wait wait, do you think the person that violated u Sim naye uzobanjwa? Is that why you're calm about this? Ucing'ba sizofika sithathe u Sim, take her to the nearest police station and that girl will get arrested?

Me: Andiyazi Ovayo, okay? Andiyazi, but the law has to take its course.

Ovayo: What law Sibongile? With what evidence?

Me: Sim will tell the cops exactly what happened and th-

Ovayo: Khaw'dlule e garage Sibongile.

I drove in silence, and then stopped across the road from an Engine garage. She took her card that was in the phone pouch waphuma, I didn't follow her. I just sat in the car thinking who to call ayolanda u mntanam kobabugqwirha. Ovayo returned with four two-litre bottles of petrol wangena emotweni and kept quiet.

Me: I hope awuthenganga ne matches ke pha, because izojumpa.

Ovayo: Masambe.

She was fed up kwa ndim nokuba careful kwam shame umntaka makazi. I started the car and drove, two streets before we got to Nomasonto's house we saw a homeless guy smoking on the pavement. Ovayo asked me to pull over, she went to him bancokola and then she came back with the matches and two empty Cabana bottles. I decided to not ask her anything, because I knew that the guy was probably going to use the plastic bottles to smoke/sniff glue. That was common on the streets. I drove straight to our destination and then we started pouring the fuel around the yard from the outside, she poured half into the Cabana bottle and threw it inside smashing a window and then we lit up papers throwing them into the yard saqhuba imoto to a fair distance and watched as the house caught fire.

Ovayo: Ndiva isikhalo.

Me: Must be the neighbors.

Ovayo: What if bakhona abantu that were left behind?

Me: Bazofa kaloku mntase, it's not like there's anything we can do to help them right now.

She nodded, fastened her seatbelt and paged through her phone as I drove out of Cape Town, heading towards PE. I wanted to attack her on suddenly gaining isazela but decided not to irritate her further.

Ovayo: We should call u Vuyo ayolanda u Sim yazi, we won't make time thina sizofika sebedlulele e Monti aba bantu and we don't know what else aba capable of doing not only to her but to abanye abantwana.

Me: Abanye abantwana banabo abazali Ovayo, our priority ngu Simbongile ngoku. Umzali ngamnye uzolwela umntanakhe bethuna, nguYesu owafela abantu bonke, andinguye mna.

Ovayo: Haha! Yho, okay fine, u Vuyo? Ndithini?

Me: Hayike ke yena you may call him mntase, ndicingela nexesha eli mna ndithi ndigqibele kudala uthetha naye ndibe ndimfounela nagamxesha a-weird asking for favors.

Ovayo: Timing pha kude, asihambi nga timing right now. Sifuna umntwana abe safe qha.

I didn't respond.

That moment I wished uBonga was alive. For probably the second time after his passing, I wished I could wake him up azofundisa abantu isifundo and not get arrested. He had his way around such things, a way I never questioned nor found interest in known. But I knew damn well that he was going to tear the Eastern Cape down for umntwanakhe. It was kind of a bitter taste in my mouth that I couldn't even call one of his family members ziyondithathela umntwana and keep her safe for me, that I had to drive all the way from another province bekhona in the same province bona. While Ovayo called Vuyo, I called Ta Skara because I knew he had the ability to turn any mountain to a ditch. His phone rang until it went straight to voicemail and it allowed me to leave a message. I told him why I needed him, and then put the phone down. I knew I was calling ngexesha elirongo so I didn't call again, at least he would get the voice message and know what to do.

Ndithe ndisacinga, he called. Exactly two minutes after I put the phone down.

Me: Hello?

Skara: Sisteri, I just got your message. Uphi umntana?

Me: UseBhayi indlela iya e Monti kodwa right now.

Skara: Okay... xa umvayo akonzakelanga kakhulu? I could try and get some police on their trail. Maybe bafunyanwe bengekaphumi kwakulendawo uthi bakuyo.

Me: Ey Ta Skara bro... I don't think I want to involve the police yazi, I want to handle this ngokwam.

Skara: Okay?

Me: All I need from you is to find ifamily ka Bakholiwe, I don't even know her surname andimazi noba unjani ebusweni and I can't ask u Sim because she is going to be suspicious if anything happens to that woman or her family and uzilungele ke lamntwana andimazi ufuze bani.

Skara: Okay... let me see what I can do, ndizobuyela kuwe gou-gou.

Me: Enkosi bro.

He hung up.

I drove in silence, and Ovayo fell asleep while I was driving. Vuyo called and told us he got to Sim and she was in his house ulele so I asked that he forwards me the address where he picked Sim from because I wanted to start there and he did. As soon as I walked into that house, I could smell utywala and sex. An elderly man came out from a room and frowned at me, he was half-drunk.

Him: Ndiyakwazi kanene?

Me: Awundazi xhego lam, ndikhangela uNomasonto.

Him: Umtshanam? Lo uligqirha?

Me: Ewe tata, yena kanye.

Him: Yhooo umphosile ntwazana, akukudalanga emkile apha. Indlela yabo isingise ngase Monti kekodwa, uba unothi chu ngoku ungabafumana bengekafiki eKomani.

Me: Ooh okay, enkosi ke madala.

Him: Nihambe kakuhle mntanam.

I walked out feeling defeated.

He was kind, didn't give me any attitude. I guess I wanted a reason to turn his house upside down, and he didn't give me any. When I got to the car, Ovayo was up, stretching. She frowned at me as I started the car in silence and drove out of Port Elizabethi.

Ovayo: Siphi?

Me: Siphuma eBhayi.

Ovayo: Yho, let me drive. You must be tired.

Me: You'll drive xasibuyela eKapa, andikadinwa.

She nodded, without arguing.

Sim sent a VN telling me about a Sis Thuli who slapped her after she walked out on a meeting where she was being silenced about the rape. I could feel needles coming out of my chest. My child wasn't only sexually violated by elderly women that were supposed to keep her safe, but she was also abused in the name of discipline?