Nature Leaves No Empty Spaces

By Modiselucia Masuku

Like seasons, people come and go in our lives. But nature never leaves empty spaces – every space that has been left open will be filled. It is just the nature of life. Nothing in this life is ever permanent.

When Nolwazi meets Etsile, it is love at first sight, and a whirlwind romance, though plutonic, ensues. The pair become each other's confidantes, spiritual and emotional guides and pray together. But there's something unsettling about Etsile and his nanny; they are oddly too close, and this leaves a void in Nolwazi's life, and she is slowly feeling as if she is losing the love of her life.

Her devotion to Etsile is shaken when she gets a promotion at work, and meets her new colleague, Lwazi. He is everything a woman can ever ask for in a man – kind, loving, generous, compassionate and with a Greek god body to boot. There's only one snag – he is happily married. Nolwazi has one big decision to make: Does she break a happy home to mend her own?

• Language: English
• Publisher: PUBLISH'D AFRIKA
• Release date: Dec 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215488096

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Acknowledgement

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You inspired me to write ever since I was a little girl. Thank you, Papa, and my late Mamami, Alfred K. and Julia N. Masuku, Tau, Mashidikana a Mpuru, Bakgoba Koma Nageng. I am who I am today because of your true and unconditional love. You believed in me beyond my imagination and expectations. You never gave up on me regardless of my setbacks in life. You continued to call me ’Your Pride’ and those words kept me going and inspired me not to give up on myself no matter what and to keep the flag up.

To my beloved Cousin, Freddie Masuku, Auntie Lily’s son and Auntie Lillian (Lily) B.  Maseko. Both of you motivated and taught me to consider English Literature as well. Auntie thank you for the years well spent with us in the neighbourhood and being part of my upbringing. Now English seems to be the medium of instruction worldwide. Thank you for opening my mind and the world for me to see a broader picture. Thank you Cuz for all the sweet memories and for the times you spent with me ever since I was a little kid. You were always there as a Big Brother. You spent most of your time with us at your uncle’s house than anywhere else, and made me who I am today.

CHAPTER 1

The Feeling – Her Birthday

Going to this Morake royal house with Mr Caleni was the breakthrough Nolwazi needed in her endless tussle with ill-health. She was tired; the aches and pains that had beseted her body had become unbearable. Her predicament wasn’t only physical, as she was soon to discover, but also spiritual. Nevertheless, she did not expect to hear a consultation fee of R8 800 to solve her spiritual life challenges.

When they came to consult for the first time, they did not find Mr Morake but were told to step into his holy grounds, greet the elders and then leave. They did exactly that. The second time Nolwazi called from work to make an appointment, which was successful. Arriving there, they were welcomed by a handsome, tall and light-skinned man in his early fifties. He had a long beard that shook in the wind as he fired brisk, probing questions.

The Morake royal house is situated next to the Bapong-Modikwane Dam, which is a small catchment created by rainfall flowing into the Crocodile River. Residents can still be seen fishing at the Bapong-Modikwane Dam; some for leisure and some to put food on the table from the small grey fish to the huge yellowfish trout.

The dam is situated next to the main Bapong-route tarred road which snakes all the way to the public clinic. It is also an exit towards Brits through Sonop, the old Boer Town. On the adjacent side, it is surrounded by a shanty town of approximately a thousand shacks, an informal settlement that is strangely electrified. It nestles opposite Bapong Complex and measures half the size of the mall on the main off-ramp route to Sun City Casino from the N4 Highway. One man managed to drill a borehole and extended pipes to each household at his own cost. His generosity gives him a bit of extra income from the residents who pay him a nominal fee, in expression of their gratitude.

The area isn’t without its mysteries. One Christmas day, the body of a man who had been missing since the previous Saturday afternoon, was spotted floating face down in the dam. Wearing a Bafana-Bafana shirt, only his back and shoulders were above water. On the banks was a cooler box full of yellow fish trout, believed to be his.

There are no patrollers assigned to the dam, or lifesavers for that matter, hence nobody could pick up the floating body in time. There is a place where the dam is muddy and there are no boundaries, limitations, barricades or symbolic warning signs to deter people frequenting the dam.

It is clear that having people living in such close proximity to the dam is risky. But relocating thousands of shacks would be a challenge, but that does not mean that it cannot be done. Imagine if Ecotourists from overseas arrived to visit the dam, and found it surrounded by an informal settlement.

Mostly informal settlements are associated with crime, violence and unhygienic practices as there are usually no ablution facilities or water. There are also no designated parking areas or even proper designated walkways into the dams. The surrounding areas are not sheltered and there are no indigenous trees available if one needs to sit down and erect a Gazebo or camp tent. Most places that are walkways bear environmentally degraded reeds with roots sticking out. Walking in the area, one risks trampling over the short, remaining reed stems which make the pathways uneven. Bone fracture or worse is possible when one trips and falls.

A grip of fear engulfs Nolwazi. Her heart is beating fast; her feet feel like jelly and are numb. As the man asks how he could assist them, Nolwazi is still in a state of shock. Her mouth suddenly gets dry and her voice is gone.

How can I help you? he asks again, impatiently so, his voice rising a notch, which brings back Nolwazi’s saliva and voice.

We are here for spiritual help, she replies.

He then directs them to the consultation room where everything in the hut spells spirituality, elders, the Holy Spirit, God. The man who welcomes them is indeed Mr Morake, whom she had spoken to on the phone the day before. In person, Mr Morake, who tells Nolwazi his first name is Etsile, seems less intimidating than the reputation that precedes him in society. There is also something comforting about him, warmth that allows Nolwazi to open up to him. What could she do? Mr Etsile Morake has already narrated her life story as if he lives with her in the same house.