at college certificates brandished by bums.
All our crooks are in school,
all our thieves are in school,
all our witches in school: 15
by Nontsizi, I swear you should all be expelled!
You wear red blankets in God’s very house,
you’re Christians by day, hyenas by night;
the pastor, the shepherd of God’s own flock,
scurries past you without a nod. 20
What do we make of this curious conduct?
Which voice do we choose from among this babble?
Pride is one of your Christian companions,
God wears a cloak of crocodile hide.
You Christians are suckers for every fad, 25
you cast off skin garments and dressed up like whites,
your ears are tinkling for white man’s booze,
but whites won’t touch a drop of yours.
8 Ingxoxo yo Mginwa ku Magqoboka!
Zip’ intombi zenu Izwi liyintoni.
Zigqibe lomhlaba zifuna ukwenda
Ziqeshe zindlwana zishweshwe utuli
Zibet’ onomtatsi kwa Tulandivile!
Onina balila amehlo azidudu 5
Kushiywa lusapo lumka bekangele
Beyala belila bengenakuviwa
Zintombi zemfundo nonyana bemfundo!
Kuzel’ intolongo kwapuk’ i Hovizi
Ngalamatshivela asezikolweni. 10
I Certifiketi zase Simnareni
Ziyinto yentsini ebukwa zi Jaji.
Onk’ amabhedengu asezikolweni
Onke namasela ase zikolweni
Onke namagqwira asezikolweni 15
Ningabokusikwa ndifung’ u Nontsizi.
Niko ngaku Tixo nasebuqabeni
Nigqobok’ emini kuhlwe nizincuka
Udlul’ u Mfundisi angakubulisi
Kodwa ngumalusi wemvu zika Tixo. 20
Sotinina tina xa bese njenjalo
Sibambe lipina kulo mpambampamba
Neratshi likuni nina magqoboka
Nambatis’ u Tixo ngengubo yengwenya.
Nina magqoboka ningodludla nazo 25
Nayek’ izik’ak’a nanxib’ ezomlungu.
Nite nzwi nendlebe butywala bomlungu
Kodwa yen’ umlungu akabudl’ obenu.
Every Sunday you romp on the veld,
kicking a football, whacking a racquet, 30
clothing your shame in the name of God:
Satan’s struck dumb in amazement.
You’re bereft of love, bereft of all,
yet you proclaim a God of love:
that faith of yours stands just as tall 35
as I do down on my knees.
If you ever try to come near us again,
we Reds will roast you like meat.
But I’m not saying the word of God
is entirely barren of truth. 40
Peace!
Ngemini zecawe nihamba ezindle
Nik’aba ibhola kunye ne tenise 30
Nigqishel’ ububi ngezwi lika Tixo
Nixak’ u Satana usinkwabalala.
Aninalutando aninayo nani
Kodwa nizibiza ngo Tixo wotando
Lonkolwana yenu yokusikohlisa 35
Mina ingangam ndiguqe ngedolo
Nakufika kuti tina bomaqaba
Tina sakunoja siti niyinyama.
Anditsho ukuti Izwi lika Tixo
Ukuteta kwalo akunanyaniso. 40
Camagu!
15namagqwila
Mgqwetho sees an earth tremor as a warning from God to the people of Johannesburg to mend their ways.
9 Johannesburg earthquake
Lord, you alone created all things,
you said let them be and they were;
earthquakes occur by your will,
you arrange their trembling;
mountains stand by your will 5
to crush us if we deny you.
Peace!
You rain floods on our dwellings,
scourge us with whirlwinds to bring us to know you.
Peace! 10
This earthquake’s your sign of future destruction
if we don’t repair our ways.
Listen, Joburg: if you deny me
you’ll burn like paper in storm after storm.
Mercy! 15
Don’t you see what this is, my people,
this thrashing quirt of an earthquake?
In this quake Jehovah addresses us,
distressed, a Creator abandoned.
Earthquake, slow in approach, 20
older than even the sun!
Earthquake, the voice of Jehovah,
urging return to virtue!
Earthquake, tumbling anthills;
oh! the nation’s mountains turn to each other! 25
Earthquake, the voice of Jehovah,
releasing springs for you to drink,
cracking a whip when you spurn him:
you’ll die like flies if you don’t all come back to him!
Mercy! 30
Take care, Joburg, you will be consumed
by the rager like fire on the move.
Earthquake, a knock at your door,
condemning your sins to correct you.
Mercy! 35
Do you heed this earthquake here in Johannesburg?
9 Unyikimo Lomhlaba-E-Rautini
Wazidala into zonke Wena Tixo wedwa
Ute Wena mazibeko zabako ke zona
Nenyikima ezikoyo zazidalwa Nguwe
Zizanyazanyiswa zona ngokusekwa Nguwe.
Kwanentaba ezimiyo zazidalwe Nguwe 5
Nezo zosidilikela xa singakwaziyo.
Camagu!