In Front Zulu

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In front of the line.
Photo: Nonqaba waka Msimang.
In front is pha-mbi-li in Zulu. They do polls for almost everything to decide who is in front. Sports is about being in front like a relay race, goals in soccer, basketball, tennis, boat racing etc.

Polls are popular during a presidential race, provincial and municipal elections. Polls can be off or right on the money. Barack Obama was the first African American to be U.S. President. How did polls handle that, yes he will or never? I don’t remember and I don’t have time to do some research right now.

Being in front is a human vice. We want to be rich so we dabble in some insider trading. Accountants re-engineer the books. We ruin someone’s name to the boss so that we can get that promotion. We have become technology hostages and there is debate about which country is leading in this ‘app-titude.’

Kids want to be in the passenger seat which results in mayhem because the seat is a unicorn, for one person only. School has some interesting dynamics because kids regarded as nerds like to sit in front and listen attentively. The divas and other ‘smart’ kids sit at the back.

Pha-mbi-li. You say the first part like palm, the second like umbilical cord and the third like leak.
ZULU
ENGLISH
Phambili.
A boy’s name which means in front.
Bheka phambili.
Look ahead. Look in front.
Hamba phambili. Ngizokubona.
Walk in front so that I can see you.
Ba-phi o-Numero no-Gladys?
Where is Numero and Gladys?
Ba-hleli phambili ebhasini.
They are sitting in front of the bus.
U-phi u-Samuel?
Where’s Samuel?
Ugijima phambili kwi-marathon.
He is in front in the marathon.
Ba-phambili nge-technology.
They are ahead with technology.
Ba-phambili ngokwakha izimoto.
They are ahead in car manufacturing.
Ubani o-hamba phambili, Arsenal noma Juventus?
Which team is leading, Arsenal or Juventus?
I-Arsenal ihamba phambili nga-magoli amabili.
Arsenal is leading by two goals.

By:  Nonqaba waka Msimang.

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