‘If you don’t want my E4…’

1 isi=ulu, there are people called bo*edleyihlekisa.

Some, like that well known politician, own this as a &hris tian name but in township lingo, it is used to refer to people who laugh with you while plotting to bring you down.

In siSwati, they are known as 0a bulal’ehleka one who smiles while throttling you . These people will give you a jar of emahewu ferment ed mai]e meal laced with Rattex but smile from ear to ear while doing so.

We eat with these people, drink with them and do all sorts of things with them as friends. When the time is right for them, they will not hes itate to sell your head to the enemy. )rom a bird’s eye view, Eswatini has many *edleyihlekisas and 0a bulal’ehlekas. Some are our friends and even family members.

2thers are colleagues in those res taurants, offices and textile factories we work in. %ank workers are not safe either.

These men and women will walk with you, run with you and dance with you but they are not happy that you are wearing a nicer dress than theirs, even though theirs is more expensive. They will want to have it as their own.

If you are more financially stable than they are, they will be with you only for what they can get out of you. Trust me, they do not love you.

They just want the perks of being seen with you.

They will be parasites who suck you of all that you have.

If you happen to fall on hard times, they will be out of your life just like that disappearing like dew in the morning sun.

If you have less, they might just treat you a bit better, knowing that you are dependent on them. They will love the thought of giving you handouts and hand me downs every now and then.

They are not giving you this out of love no. They are doing it because it makes them feel more important.

That is why when they give you something, they will expect you to sing their praises from now until &hristmas day.

UNGRATEFUL

If you do not, they will start giving you less, telling mutual friends that you are an ungrateful being.

When they give you E , they will expect you to tell the world how generous they are. To them, even E is worth celebrating.

They can even give you E and expect you to regard it as a million bucks.

If you look at the cash and frown, telling them you think that as a hu man being, you deserve more than E , they will not hesitate to tell you to give it back.

If they had transferred it to you via electronic means, they will tell you to leave it at the bank and not withdraw it.

³If you don’t want my money, leave it at the bank,´ they will say.

1ot knowing the bad blood between you two and the dispute over the un worthy gift, the bank will not know that you rejected it.

$s a result, it will not know whether to remit it to the sender or keep it as its own.

This arrogance from 0abulal’ehle ka the giver will result in the mon ey remaining in your account and getting eroded by monthly charges.

1ext thing you know, your account is in the red. Such is the case with gifts.

Salary issues are handled differ ently, with dignity and respect for the other person’s point of view. Whether you are a junior officer or senior one, you deserve fair pay for the work you do.