I am going home this weekend

Bame Piet | Thursday September 25, 2014 17:25

Buttressing that, my television recently informed me that world superpowers were on the brink of a military confrontation following the downing of an aircraft in an incident that claimed hundreds of innocent passengers.

About crooked prophets, I am still to do my own investigation, but what I saw on my TV screen last week was some rubble of a building that collapsed thousands of miles from my church.

Confirmed reports indicate that the building belonged to a church, whose prophet possesses powers to predict events, tragedies, and good news thousands of miles away from his base. Other reports are that the building collapsed after an aircraft was spotted hovering over it. Haaa, this sounds familiar – there have been some strange aircraft flying at high speed over our city as recent as yesterday! Is someone trying to collapse our structures here?

 I believe in prophets, and I shall continue believing in my prophet until the end comes, for he assured me that one night, in his dreams, he saw me driving a car. Here I am, my Nissan March has been on the road for three months now. I trust my prophet that even if I were to burn inside my car, and he assured me that there was no fire, I would not leave nor ask for help.

As time flies, I feel like it was a week ago when I was celebrating the arrival of the New Year with my nephews and nieces, that nice meal we had, and the fireworks we displayed to our neighbours. Of course this celebration of this magnitude, at least to my family, would always be followed by two months of suffering – January and March – coupled with going to bed with empty stomachs. Now, we are left with a few months, two or three before yet another celebration.

I think I have learned a few things from the previous year – the motshelo lady who nearly bit off my nose when I demanded my dividend, then the expensive Christmas clothes, then the ‘fanfare’ on new year’s eve have been evaluated. Ha, this time I am going to demand to inspect my motshelo dividend at the end of October, as this would give me ample time to approach the courts of law in the event the custodians of my money have spent it in other projects not known, or concerning me.

With the excitement of a long journey home, to meet my nieces, I have pledged to save a few extra funds, particularly on the basis that I got a call that there are two new members of the clan who arrived recently. Uncle Sporo has also phoned me several times informing me that his job was cut short after he had a squabble with one of his supervisors. In his phone call he claimed that someone was eavesdropping on his telephone conversations and the next thing he just got a letter of dismissal from his employer. He stated to me that he has always been suspicious of his cellphone, as it often made strange noises whenever he was talking to his friends and relatives. “Monna, batho bangwe ba reetsa foune yame, ga ke na go tlhola ke letsa jaanong”.

 Sporo also stated that he has recently been seeing strange people around his yard at night, and they just make funny moves before disappearing into the darkness.  He assured me that back home, rumour was rife that there were hired killers who are out to silence everyone who speaks against their party.

The last time I met Uncle Sporo in person was during winter, and he seemed to be doing well financially, after getting a job as a pipe man to a contractor that was engaged to build a reservoir in a village just 69km from home. He was speaking policy issues, his ambitions of doing public service as a headman, and councillor.

A few weeks later, I heard a rumour from one of my sisters that he was held by police in connection with stolen diesel, which he and others allegedly sold to a local tractor owner.

I have never thought that Uncle Sporo would go that far, and I dismissed the story as just another rumour. As I embark on this journey home, I look forward to getting first hand information from him and I am convinced he was tempted into this by some other lunatics. I just pray that it is not true, as it would mean another burden!

It looks like I have not been home in a  long time. My younger brother was also reported to be hospitalised after engaging in a serious fight with his wife to be over some sms the latter received. So serious was the fight, I am told, that he spent five days in hospital nursing serious injuries inflicted by the wife to be, and her siblings. Thanks to the sms, the younger brother is now staying at home and taking instructions from mom. He has even made an undertaking to find himself a job, and also to assist during the ploughing season. Whatever those people used to knock some sense into his head, it really worked wonders for our family.