AMAHLAYA ALALA INSILA

1. SUMMARY

This is a Zulu novel which treats of the struggles of Chithimpi in an effort to acquire education at the time when he was already a married man. Hluphile, a young naughty girl where Chithimpi was lodging made a fool of him and even induced her school-mates to poke fun at Chithimpi. The situation got very serious when this heartless girl put stones in his meals and even chased his horse away so that he had to return home on foot—which was a long and hazardous journey which nearly cost him his life. Yet the worst was still to come with Hluphile' pregnancy. When she had come to her wits' end as to whom should she blame for her conduct since her boy-friend had denied any relationship with her whatsoever, she decided to incriminate the innocent Chithimpi. The poor man denied this allegation but owing to insufficient evidence, the tribal court found him guilty and ordered him to pay three head of cattle as damages.

But Chithimpi, an abnormally patient man, persevered through it all and finally obtained enough formal education to enable him to work as a clerk in Estcourt. As fate would have it, years later, Hluphile fell in love with Chithimpi's son, Bongumusa, who promised to marry her. On the day of their wedding Chithimpi discovered that his son's fiancé was the very girl who had made his life so miserable, and he decided to embarrass and punish her. Indeed he induced his son to break away from her and the story ends on a climax.