Milking in Zulu

Photo credit: online pic.

Milking is se-nga in Zulu.

Looking after cattle was part of a boy’s growing up in ancient KwaZulu. Boys knew when to take cattle grazing and when to bring them back home for milking, which is called u-ku-senga.

A lot has changed because families don’t own as many animals as they used to. Urban kids don’t know how to milk cows, boys in rural areas do. They know how to se-nga, (milk a cow).

In ancient KwaZulu, boys knew which cows were not to be milked because they were heavy, and just about to give birth. That is why there is a proverb about telling lies: u-se-nga e-zi-mi-thiyo, meaning she is saying the impossible: milking pregnant cows. She is lying.

In modern times corrupt politicians, soldiers, or ministers of religion milk the public purse. They steal. Loving too much can also be a problem because it makes you blind. ‘He is milking her business and she doesn’t know,’ say her workers.

Se-nga. You say the first part like sell, the second like linger.
U-ku-senga, which is the actual process. You say the first part like ooze, the second like Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana, the third like sell and the last like linger.

ZULU	ENGLISH
Hamba u-yo-senga si-zothola ubisi.	Go milking, so that we can get milk.
Yini u-kusenga?	What is milking?
U-kusenga u-kukhipha ubisi e-nkomeni.	Milking is getting milk from a cow.
U-Mandla usesibayeni u-yasenga.	Mandla is in the kraal, milking.
Zola uzo-senga nini?	Zola when will you milk cows?
A-bafana ba-thanda u-kusenga.	Boys like milking.
U-Sandra u-senga e-zimithiyo.	Sandra is lying.
A-sambe siyo senga.	Let’s go and milk cows.
Zithulele, senga lenkomazi.	Zithulele, milk this particular cow.
U-Meya wa-senga imali yabantu.	The mayor milked the public purse.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.