Online Reporter
Mkhululi Ncube, [email protected]
FORMER Zimbabwean Ambassador to Nigeria during the Inclusive Government and now Ward 2 Councillor for Bulilima Rural District Council in Matabeleland South Province, Mr Mabhed Ngulani, has penned two Kalanga books aimed at reviving and preserving the language.
The new books, Kalanga Dictionary and Ngatilebelekeni Tjikalanga/ Conversational Tjikalanga, are set to be launched soon.
A retired lecturer from the National University of Science and Technology (Nust), Mr Ngulani is no stranger to writing, having previously authored an English-Kalanga Dictionary and the Tjikalanga Picture Dictionary.
“The Kalanga Dictionary has taken me 13 years to complete due to the vastness of the Kalanga language. It will be out before the end of the year. Ngatilebelekeni Tjikalanga/Conversational Tjikalanga, on the other hand, is coming in October and is targeted at those who want to learn TjiKalanga.
“It’s written in a conversational style and presented in TjiKalanga with IsiNdebele and English equivalents so that anyone, anywhere, can read and understand it,” he said in an interview.
Mr Ngulani is editing the book to meet the October launch deadline. He is also engaged in farming at his homestead in Gwambe Village, Bulilima District, where he began working on the project earlier this year.
“The objective of writing these books is to promote TjiKalanga culture and language so that it does not die out. A lot of primary and secondary schools are now teaching the language, but there is a shortage of literature.
“We don’t have enough books, and we need to step up our efforts if we are to provide the necessary reading and teaching materials in all these schools,” he said.
Mr Ngulani said he manages to balance his responsibilities as a councillor, farmer, and family man by doing most of his writing at night or early in the morning.
He joined Nust in 1992 and worked in the then Business Management Department and later in the Marketing Department. He also served as Director of the Graduate School of Business before being appointed Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Nigeria during the Inclusive Government.
Mr Ngulani returned to his position at Nust after his diplomatic posting before retiring. He was elected councillor for Ward 2 in the 2023 general elections. — @themkhust
