Mandla's lobola

Mandla and Gugu

As is traditional in Swaziland, Mandla Mdluli has paid cows to the family of his fiancée, Gugu Magagula. This took place over the course of the weekend of 15-17 April.

From Friday evening Mandla’s relatives and friends began to arrive at the Magagula homestead,outside Matsapha. The visiting men slept in a specially erected tent, and the women stayed indoors. 

Inspecting the cattle

On Saturday morning the negotiations about the number of cows required were finalised (the number was already agreed). We arrived in time for the end of the negotiations, and were shown into a room where many people were seated on the floor. Mandla was there, wrapped in a heavy blanket. The blankets had been given as gifts to the senior members of the Mdluli family, and Mandla was required to wear the blanket for the whole weekend. It was very hot (30º?) in the crowded room and as all the conversation was in siSwati we were rather lost. Eventually there was some long praying and we were told that all was arranged. We all got into cars and went to view the cattle, which were on a nearby, but more rural, homestead, belonging to Gugu’s grandmother. The cows were inspected and deemed to be suitable, so it was back into the cars and back to the homestead. 

Cow waiting at the homestead

Almost immediately, two cows were slaughtered on the homestead; one provided by the Mdluli family and one by the Magagula family. The cows were tied to a tree and killed, skinned, cleaned and cut into pieces. Everyone watched and commented, with instructions coming from all sides. Small children were quite happily watching or playing nearby. It felt a long way from home to be sitting in the bright sunshine beside basins of entrails and clouds of flies, in the smoke of the cooking fires, making small talk with Mandla’s aunt - the senior member of the family. (Many unprintable pictures were taken.) Once the beasts had been removed it was acceptable for us to leave.

Church service at the Magagula homestead

On Sunday morning, after the 8am service in All Saints, Mbabane, we returned to the Magagula homestead. We were surprised to find a marquee erected, and a church service as the first item of business. The temperature in the marquee was high - and Mandla still wrapped in his blanket. Interspersed with wonderful singing, Auntie Mdluli did some robust praying, and Fr Wandile preached a lively sermon of great passion, in siSwati naturally, about promises. Mandla and Gugu came forward and were prayed over by Fr Mthet. 

Mandla in his blanket

The two families went to different parts of the homestead to eat. Yesterday’s cows topped the menu, with salad, beetroot and pumpkin, followed by apples. Lots of hard work went into preparing the food, which was cooked outdoors over open fires.

Hot work cooking for everyone

The celebrations finished with traditional dancing and speeches - which, since they were in siSwati, we were happy to miss.

The main organiser for Mandla’s side was our good friend Hamilton Curtis, and it was good to meet many friends there, including Hamilton’s wife and daughter, Fr Malo, Diocesan Secretary, and Bishop Ellinah’s son, daughter-in-law and grandson, who had come from South Africa to support Mandla. 

All in all it was a great weekend. While it was strange to us in terms of culture, it was also much more “churchy” than events involving young adults in Ireland. It was a real privilege to have been included, and we were the objects of some benign curiosity. Swazi people are warm and welcoming, and we were well looked after, with people making sure we had chairs, could see, had food etc. 

Mandla looked hot and tired, but must have pleased at the success of the occasion - and very glad to finally take off the blanket.

Getting ready for the dancing

National Disaster declared in Swaziland

The Marker for the bore-hole at Mpandesane 

Two conversations with Swaziland today: Mandla Mdluli, Diocesan Development Officer and Tiekie de Beer, Managing Director of Luyengo Farm.

Mandla Mdluli

Mandla says the Swazi Government have declared a National Disaster in the face of the on-going drought. “We have received a bit of rain in the past few days, still not enough to put to an end the current situation. In today’s  newspaper it is reported that “Water woes will last for the next six months in Mbabane”. Government is currently supplying water to 16 Counties mainly in the Lubombo and Shiselweni regions. I will tell you my experience that on January 20^th I went to the wholesaler to quote for a 50kg bag of mealie meal. It was E292 and I went back on February 10^th to buy it and the new price was E427. It is craziness.  The country will have over 60% loss in maize production which means we will have to import more than 150,000 thousand tons of maize, hundreds of farmers could loose their jobs, more than 50% of farmers will have their livelihoods wiped out.”

Tiekie de Beer

Tiekie agrees. “Most subsistence farmers couldn’t plant maize because of the dry ground. When a little rain came they planted their own seed, which will take too long to ripen. They couldn’t afford to buy quicker growing seed. So as bad as things are now, it will be much worse in April and May, when there will be no harvest. Some homesteads have planted cabbages, but it is still too dry for them to thrive. Half the country’s cattle are already dead; the maize harvest will only be 10% of what is required. People will starve, especially in the rural areas. Another complications that the sugar companies are not irrigating their crops and so government revenue will be seriously down when they are facing this crisis.”

Currently we are supporting the Diocese of Swaziland water project, which is ensuring that primary schools are supplied with water; we are also in the process of installing a bore-hole at Mpandesane, near Lavumisa, the poorest and driest part of Swaziland. (You may remember that the lake near the care point has dried up.)  We will support the diocese in whatever efforts they make to address the developing situation.

Luyengo Farm, thanks to Tiekie’s foresight in building the reservoir, has sufficient water to maintain production.

Thank you to all who made this happen!

Siyahamba: Young Anglicans walking in the light of God.

The Walkers (Bahambi) in Hlangano

Steeper than it looks!

In April, Mandla Mdluli, Development Officer, wrote:

This week in Swaziland, a dozen young people will undertake a 125-mile sponsored walk to raise awareness and funds to support the work of Anglican church schools.

Entitled ‘A Walk with Christ’, the young people, aged 20 to 33 from parishes throughout Swaziland, will walk from Mpandesane in the south to Manzini in the north. They leave on Tuesday and aim to complete the journey in one week.

The philosophy behind the expedition is that it is not enough for the church to ‘talk the talk’, we should also ‘walk the walk’!

The participants want to raise awareness about the challenges facing schools and school children in Swaziland, in particular the shortage of food supplies for school meals and the prohibitive costs of secondary school fees and educational materials.

It is hoped that churches, business and other organisations in Swaziland will sponsor the walk to help raise much-needed funds for Anglican schools.

The walkers will stay in Anglican churches en route, and provide local young people with support and training in life skills, career guidance and business enterprise.

Some of you may have followed the young people on Facebook: The walkers - Bahambi. Their journey was physically difficult, as they moved from low veld to high veld, and emotionally challenging. The walkers were mostly unemployed young people, with good and generous hearts. They seek ways to help others despite having almost no resources of their own. They worked in the homesteads of the poor and elderly; they visited schools and taught life skills through drama and workshops; they enjoyed the fellowship they shared with each other and with those they met along the way.

Before they left they sought sponsorship from The United Society and other partners, as well as from local businesses and supporters. The funds they have raised are now being spent on school uniforms for the many schoolchildren, particularly in rural schools, whose families (if they have family) cannot afford to buy uniforms. Pencil cases, generously donated in Ireland, are also being given out as the team visit schools to bring uniforms. 

Thank you for your continued interest in and support for the work of The United Society, as we journey alongside the Diocese of Swaziland. Have a look at these photographs - with your help and encouragement the young people of Swaziland can move mountains.

Fetching water from the Black Mpuluzi River

Life skills at Salem High School

Ncobile cooking a meal

Irish pencil cases at Mpandesane Primary School

Gugu hard at work

Gogo Kunene

Letter from Mandla

Dear Linda.

Today I will write about my Work at All Saints Clooney Parish.

Pastoral Care. The Church has a Pastoral Care Team which looks after the sick and the elderly of the church who are unable to attend church services. The Revd Mervyn Peoples is the Head of the Pastoral Team. Besides the home visits, this team will also phone the elderly of the church at least once a month just to know how they get on with life. I have been to several homes with the Revd Mervyn to do pastoral care. Usually when we get to their homes we would spend at least 30 minutes with each person. We would have a chat with that particular person, share jokes, just make the person forget about his or her worries and at the end we would say a prayer and leave. We would normally visit four to six persons each day and this is because we have to give the people time to be up in the mornings, remember these are old people and most of them are ill. We also do not visit during the lunch hour. We do not visit homes only but we also visit the elderly nursing homes and the Hospice at home. I must say this is an experience for me to see old people with so much faith and being grateful to God for their lives. The ages of most of the people we visit will range between 70 and 100 years old. It is incredible to see them in wheelchairs but being independent. 

Youth Ministry. I always meet with the youth of All Saints on Saturday and Sunday evenings from 1900 hrs to 2100 hrs. Clare Hinchliff (26) is the full time parish youth worker here and I work with her. There is a lot that I am learning from the young people here. In my country we do not even have a full time diocesan youth worker, not mentioning a parish. It is not because they afford or have a lot of money but it is because the people of All Saints are very much committed to God's work. On Saturday evenings we just have games in the hall with the young people and on Sundays we have our Bible Study. I so love my Saturday and Sunday evenings. Not many young people attend our meetings though, usually we would have between 7 and 10 young people but I must say that I think it is effective and we do have a lot of fun. We call our Saturdays meetings FUEL which may also mean Faith Used in Everyday Life and Our Sunday meetings we call them Ignite. Ignite has been taken from Matthew 3:11 and it has to do with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The youth is also involved in Beavers, Scouts, Guides and Cubs which meet at the church hall on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. 

The Little Saints. This is a parent and toddler group and it is on every Tuesday from 0900 hrs to 12 noon. This is where parents will come out with their young ones to play. The church provides the venue ( hall), a whole lot of toys (donated by the church members) and some refreshments for both the toddlers and the parents. Fresh scones are baked for the day and the young ones would probably have juice and yogurt. The people who work with this group are not paid they are volunteers. This shows how these people are committed. The Rector, the Revd Malcolm Ferry will play his guitar during story time for the  toddlers. This is a pretty new initiative for the church but the turn up is very good. During the first three weeks I have recorded more than 50 toddlers and more than 30 parents each day. The rules of working with children are very strict in the Church of Ireland. My self I am not allowed to work with children here, irrespective of that I do work with them in my country. I was told I have to go to the police to be tracked if I have a clear record on children but because I am not a British citizen it is not possible to track my record. My job then on the toddlers group is just to register them when they come in and out and be the doorman because some of them would have two big buggies. It is really good but too much noise. 

  

To Be Cont.

Mandla

Letter from Mandla

I hope I find you well Ntomembemhlophe. My Self I am good. The cold is not a problem now I am used to it.

Today it is a week and 4 days since I arrived in Ireland. It is so good to be here. At first I did not know what will befall me. The people I have met so far are very good I must say and I think they are actually more friendly than the people back home.

I think it is important that I write about my journey to Ireland first. After acquiring the visa to the UK I was very happy. I thought my traveling would be easy as I had a tough time applying for the visa - many questions and a lot of documents and information about my self and the people I am visiting. I left home very excited on the morning of 25^th March. I took the shuttle bus to OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and I was at the airport at 12.45. I had ample of time to look around for the terminals I will be using for boarding and where to check in. 

At 16.45 I headed for check in. At the self service check in the machine did not pick me, I got help and all was well but as I was leaving I was called back my bag was put aside.  "Where are you going Mr Mdluli?" asked the security. I showed him the air ticket but he wanted me to talk. I explained everything to him but now he wanted proof. Fortunately I had the invitation letters with me. He read them but wanted more. He wanted bank statements for the people I am visiting which I did not have. After consulting he let me through to the boarding gates where I had a bit of questioning again. I showed them the letters for them to let me board the plane. I boarded the huge double decker plane,  secured my seat, relaxed and happy that I am finally flying

I landed in Paris just before 06.00 on 26^th March. It was easy to find my boarding gate where I will be connecting a plane to Dublin. We started boarding at 09.15. My passport was checked, no problem but just before boarding in the tunnels another check point and the security made me wait as she was still consulting. After 10 minutes of consultation through her cellphone I was let in. Now it clicked in my mind that I might have another big questioning in Dublin. Lord have mercy, I prayed. In slightly less than 2 hours we were landing in Dublin Airport. It was very cold and snowy – my first time to see snow! I headed for the passport control.

I was made to wait for an hour and a half at this point. I had a lot of questioning, my cell phone was taken and the officer went through all the messages and emails. He was friendly though he really gave me a tough time. I am not sure if it is always like this to travel to Europe or it is because it was my first time. For me it was not easy at all.

First person I met was Jan, he looked worried. I could see the sigh of relief the moment he saw me coming in. I was relieved as well and felt at home. He took me for a drive along the sea view and went to meet Linda at Egan House which is just besides St Michan’s Church. Upon seeing Linda I knew nothing would happen, I still could not believe it . Me in Ireland. Praise be to God. I also met Linda Heather who is a new employee at United Society. Surprisingly I am popular here, I saw a lot of books with my pictures. It was good to walk across the road in the streets of Dublin, Ireland, Europe on the snowy day for a bowl of soup. We also went to the shops to buy some clothes. Since it is very cold here it was proper that I get thermal vests and underwears - they help to keep the body warm.

I spent two nights in Dublin, I was staying at the Theological Institute belonging to The Church of Ireland. I had a good stay there, meeting all the loving and friendly people, it was really good. On day two Linda Heather took me for a tour around Dublin’s two Anglican Cathedrals. The first was St Patrick’s Cathedral which is the national cathedral of the church of Ireland (Anglican). There is a lot of history about this church. This church is over 800 years old. We also went to Christ Church which is the Cathedral of Dublin & Glendalough Dioceses, another tourist attraction site.The two churches are a just a kilometer apart. At 15.30 I got an opportunity to meet Revd Ted and his wife, Revd Anne, from the Rathfarnham parish. This Parish will be going to Swaziland in July to work at St Paul’s Primary School where a new kitchen for the school feeding will be built. Revd Ted was really good to meet and he is really looking foward to the project and preparations are almost complete. After this meeting we went to the College for an evening prayer as this was during Holy Week. We had a great experience called a Seder Meal. It was all in remembrance of the Israelites in Egypt. We ate bitter herbs to remember their bitter life under the hand of Pharoah, It was good and it reminded me of Father Andrew. 

On day 3 we headed for the country side, and the home of Linda and Jan. (They also have a small house which they rent in Dublin. It is famously known as number 16.) It took us about two hours to get to Mohill. Mohill is a small town in the country of Leitrim. Linda and Jan have a house here in this beautiful country side.  Welcome to Inis d’ór as the home is called. It was good to be at Inis d’ór with Linda and Jan. They are a lovely couple, there is a lot that I have learnt from them just in the way they relate to each other as a couple. It is just amazing. It was good to do some house chores at Inis d’ór, preparing fire wood and I loved the cooking it just made me feel like I now have a home. It was really  good to do something I have not done for a very long time now.

On Saturday 30th March at 10.00 I left Inis d’ór for Londonderry. Now this is where I will be spending the rest of my time in Ireland. I got my passport ready for crossing the border to Northern Ireland. To my surprise the passport was not needed at all. The border line is marked on the road and you notice by the road signs that you have entered another territory. In the south they use km/h for speed and in the north they use miles/h. I have been told that during my first week I will be staying with a Gordon family and the man works for the British Army. Soldiers are not friendly in Swaziland but this man has been described as a good man. I just told myself, come what may, I am ready. After two and a half hours we arrived at Londonderry which is sometimes called the stroke city, this is because there is a group of people who want it called Derry not Londonderry and so it is written Derry/Londonderry (Derry stroke Londonderry.)  We met Mr Mervyn Gordon at a place called Waterside Railway Station. We went straight away to the rectory of All Saints Clooney Parish where we met Revd Malcolm Ferry and his family and Revd Mervyn Peoples also from All Saints. We had tea together and at 14.00 Linda and Jan left and this marks a new life for me altogether. I will be living with people I have never seen nor met, anyway ready for the challenge.

About Londonderry or Derry. 

The Stroke City, The Maiden City, Derry, Londonderry, The Walled City, All these are the names of the city I live in. It is situated in Northern Ireland which is part of The United Kingdom. With nice old British buildings, the Foyle river running  across and a couple of very old church buildings tells you that this must be a very old town. It was actually founded around 54AD. Ireland is divided into two, being The Republic of Ireland (which is also known as Southern Ireland) and Nothern Ireland which is part of The United Kingdom. Most of the people in Ireland are Roman Catholics and many of them want Northern Ireland to be part of the South. In areas where most of the Catholics live you will notice by the Flag of Southern Ireland (tri colour) and where its anti/non Catholic you will see a UK flag flying. The Catholics will call this place Derry while the other people consisting of the Church of Ireland (Anglican), Presbyterians and The Methodist call it Londonderry. There is actually one place just behind the City where by I was told it is not safe at all to go there if you are not Roman Catholic. This city has big walls all around it that were built many hundred years ago to protect it. However it has expanded around the walls but the walls have been kept as tourist attraction. A new beautiful bridge has been just completed across the Foyle river. This bridge sort of connects the non Catholic community and the Catholic community. It is called The Peace Bridge.

The People I have met so far.

Mr Mervyn and Rhona Gordon.  The first thing that surprised me about Mr Gordon is that he works for the Government. He and Rhona have dined with the Queen and Mr Gordon has been awarded the MBE for dedication to his work. Mr Gordon and his wife Rhona have been married for 30 years now and they have two sons aged 29 and 27 who work and live in England. Rhona is a nurse working in a hospital very close to where they live. Their home is situated in the Kilfennan area of the Waterside just 5 minutes drive from the city centre. The first thing that gave me hope when I got into their house was seeing a picture of three black/ African girls just above the fire place.  The girls were members of the African Children’s Chior and they stayed with Rhona and Mervyn for 3 nights during their stay in Londonderry. Rhona and and Mervyn are very good. I am enjoying my time with them. I am treated just like a King here. Oh! I almost forget the other two “kids” they have Lucy (dog) and Mogs (cat) both eight years old. They are spoiled, very spoiled especially Lucy. It is rare to find people with pets in Swaziland so this is an experience for me. “Dogs are used as a guard in my country” I said to Mervyn and He was very surprised. Lucy and Mogs (big fat cat) sit with us on the couch and sometimes you would find them lying on your bed, if you leave the door open. They are house trained and they always eat fresh food on clean bowls.  Mervyn and Rhona have taken me to many places around NI. We have been to the North Antrim Coast at Portrush and to Buncrana in Donegal (South) and into the City of Derry. Mervyn likes walking so we would park the car and walk for miles and miles, which I like it as well, as it is good for my health. Whenever time comes for me to leave this family it won’t be easy for me. I will miss their sense of humour and hospitality. This was another powerful learning curve for me as a young man. The house chores in this house are shared, Mervyn cooks as well, just like Jan and he is a good cook too. Rhona is 51 years old but seriously I think she is 40 really. 

I need help here I do not know when is lunch, dinner, supper and tea. I am totally confused. The only thing I still keep track of is breakfast. Lunch here is sometimes called dinner and after that there might come another meal, tea and after tea late in the night supper.

Revd Malcolm Ferry.

Revd Malcolm Ferry is 44. He is married to Carol for twenty years now with three children, one boy (James 17) and two girls (Sarah 16, Rebekah 14). He is the Rector at All Saints Clooney Parish. On my first day in Derry  Rev Malcolm took me for a walk around town. The purpose of the walk was to know each other better. It was really unlike a priest I thought. He told me about himself and family and I shared my life to him as well. It was a good start for me though very cold especially when crossing the Peace Bridge when it was windy and cold. Revd Malcolm was off duty during the fisrt week of my time in Derry. We spent a lot of time together. I have never been so close to a priest or spent so much time. He likes swimming so we would go for a swim together, and work together. He is a Priest out of this world, A good man, a good friend, a good father, a prayer partner - the list is just endless.  Mervyn would jokingly say Malcolm is lazy because he does not wash the dishes but put them in the dish washer. I am enjoying my time with Revd Malcolm and the great things I am learning from this man of God. After meeting these two families (Gordon and Ferry) I knew I will have a good time here.

The people from All Saints Parish. 

I have received a very warm welcome from the good parishioners here. This is my St Matthias now, I am home so no fears. I would walk on the streets and meet people from church and they would talk to me. I am not a stranger at Londonderry but a permanent resident. They are just caring, loving and supporting. I thank God for this experience, my life has been changed. It was really good meeting with the men’s and ladies groups to talk about United Society and the Anglican Church in Swaziland. They took their time to leave their homes, sit down and listen to me. Life is much better here, if I was at home it would not be like this. I also cooked some pap for the men to eat. I let them eat with their hands. They rolled it with one hand made hole and scooped the soup, it was really good.

I have learned some Northern Ireland words and phrases:

Rabbiting. Meaning you just never shut up. (She keeps rabbiting on.)

Foundering. Meaning very cold. (I’m foundering.)

Big E. Meaning pushed out. (Give him the big E.)

Grumpy. Meaning annoyed/ bad tempered. (Mandla is very grumpy today.)

Phrase.

This is much better. If I was at home it would not be like this.

To be continued!!!!!