Escape in Zulu

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Online pic.

 Escape is ‘sinda’ in Zulu.

'Sindisa' is to help people escape, save them so to speak.

Horrific road accidents, but some people escape miraculously.  The language even has a proverb for a narrow escape and someone would say: nga-sinda ngo-kulambisa.

If men got pregnant there would be less war. They don’t care about consequences for women: rape, murder and displacement. Sometimes parents are killed but kids escape and become homeless orphans.

The job situation was precarious even before Covid-19. Some workers lost their jobs, others escaped layoffs, also called retrenchment. Christians say Jesus helps people escape from sin. They call him the saviour: umsindisi.

Si-nda. You say the first part like sin the second one like Linda.

Si-ndi-sa. You say the first part like sink, the second like indie, the last like sun.

ZULU

ENGLISH

Nga-sinda ngo-kubaleka.

I escaped because I ran.

Ba-sinda ngo-kucasha.

They escaped by hiding.

Nizo-sinda uma ningakhulumi.

You’ll escape if you keep quiet.

Nga-sinda ngokuya eskoleni.

I escaped because of education.

U-Phindi wangi-sindisa ngoku-munca ubuthi benyoka.

Phindi saved me by sucking out the poison, after the snake bite.

We! Ma! Ubani o-zo-ngisindisa?

My mother!! Who will help me escape?

Si-bonga u-kuthi wa-sinda empini.

We’re grateful that he escaped the war.

Ni-ngalahli ithemba si-zosinda.

Don’t lose hope. We’ll escape.

Wa-sinda kuwa umgodi wegolide.

He escaped a gold mine collapse.


By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.

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