by Charmain Carrol
On the 6th of June 2014, I had the pleasure of accompanying the Ndlela’s to Cape Town, to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. It seems like it was just last month when I attended their wedding in Durban on the 15 of June 2013.
Archived wedding photos from 2013/06/15
On my way to Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International airport all I could think of was how long it had been since I had been to Cape Town. It was 10 years to be exact. I kept on wondering about the changes. Were there drastic changes to the place and the people I knew?
I landed at the Cape Town International Airport after 23h40 and there they were, Mrs and Bab’ Ndlela, waiting and happy to see me just as I was excited to see them. It was around 12 am in the morning when we met since we all came from different cities. They boarded they flight from Durban and I, from Johannesburg. We went to the hotel that we were booked in, in Green Market square situated at the city centre.
We got up in the morning to the buzz of the market opening as we walked down through the market browsing at the amazing stuff that was on sale, on our way to have breakfast.
We caught up over breakfast. I wanted to find out what they would like to do and which places they would like to see and visit in Cape Town. Shopping was on top of the list as we went past all the shops and window shopping, but realised that we needed hats and scarves as Cape Town was freezing cold.
I took photos of everything we did and ended up on the red tour bus and to the top of Table Mountain. Mam’ Ndlela was afraid to go on the cable car but Bab’Ndlela assured her it was okay, she would not die alone.
Finally, we got to the top and as much as it was cold they had fun meeting people and taking photos of each other, helping each other to the top of big rocks. They seemed so in love and in sync with each other. I looked at the way they smiled with each other, the way the laughed and hold hands through my camera lens. It seemed they were falling in love all over again. The could not stay away from each other.
Bab’Ndlela read everything that was on the stones, every little inscription that was there had his attention. We saw Robben Island from the Top of Table Mountain and they were both intrigued by how people had lived on the island as prisoners.
When we got back down from the mountain we had some cappuccino and scones before finishing our tour, that took us next to Camps Bay right, Sea Point, Waterfront and back to town.
The next day my friend Yolisa came to take us around as she had earlier promised. She came with her husband Zola, who was such a gentleman driving us all over Cape Town. We went to Hout Bay and ended up KwamZoli in Gugulethu.
I stood in a long queue to buy meat and some drinks but had trouble finding somewhere to sit. We went next door and waited for out meat to be done and had some drinks, while we browsed the stalls outside kwaMzoli.
Familiar faces started popping in; Zimaseka Salusalu, Vice and Noluntu had came to see me as cold as it was. We met new people too. Everyone was happy to be in our company. Mam’Ndlela was now mamMfundisi as she was recruiting ibandla (congregation) and said she would be back with uBab’Mfundisi and maybe open a branch in Cape Town.
On the 9th June 2014 we had to return to our homes. It was sad to part, but it was time for us to leave and get back to our realities.
Cape Town was awesome.
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