Zikhona Plaatjie - Xhosa Translator - South Africa Online
My name is Zikhona Plaatjie, I am 30 years of age, the second born of two children. I am married and have two boys. I was born in Eastern Cape, in a town called Butterworth also known as Gcuwa. I was raised in the rural parts of the town, in Langeni Location. I grew up doing typical girl child chores such as collecting water from the river, collecting wood from the forest to make fire, attending traditional ceremonies such as umeluko which an African celebration when a boy comes from initiation school. We usually attended a lot of different traditional ceremonies and we enjoyed the simple rural life of cooking on a wood fire, maintaining our Grandmother’s garden which produced sweet potato, cabbage, tomatoes, potatoes and spinach that she sold for profit.
My family then moved to Cape Town in 1999 and I continued with my primary school education and proceeded to tertiary schooling. I hold a BA Degree in Health Sciences and Social Services: Welfare Science from Unisa with Majors in Psychology and Social Work. I studied further and completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Child and Family Studies from UWC. I plan on pursuing a Master’s Degree in Women and Gender studies in 2019.
I am currently at the Department of the Premier as an Employee Health Wellness Practitioner which is basically managing the EHW programme for the client departments I am responsible for. I also work for South Africa Online as an IsiXhosa translator. I enjoy the lessons in between translating the articles, I have particularly most enjoyed translating Peter Magubane’s material as well as the Nelson Mandela articles and the great history lessons in between!
I have an interest in Childhood issues, parenting styles, social issues in contemporary South Africa and gender issues involving women and children. I am passionate about South Africa and I believe South Africa is a Country that is alive with possibilities for all. In my spare time I hike, run and read books. My current read is ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ by Dale Carnegie!Igama lam Ngu Zikhona, ndineminyaka engamashumi amathathu (30) ndingowesibini kubantwana ababini kumama. Nditshatile ndinabantwana abangama khwenkwe amabini. Ndazalelwa eMpuma Koloni kwidolophu yase Gcuwa, kwilali yase Langeni. Ndikhule ndisenza imisebenzi eqhelekileyo eyenziwa yintombazana nje ngoku basa phantsi, ukukha amanzi emlanjeni, ukutheza iinkuni, ukuhlakula igadi ka makhulu eyayichumile ivelisa imifuno awaye yithengisa - ikhaphetshu, amazambane, itomato, ibatata, kunye nesipinatshi. Besihamba imigidi ke kunye nezinye iziyunguma zolonwabo zesintu esasifumeleke ukuzihamba.
Usapho lwam luye lwazokuhlala eKapa ngonyaka ka 1999, apho kendagqibezela izifundo eziphantsi ndaqhubeka de ndaphuma eYunivesithi. Ndifunde izifundo zenthlala kahle kwi Yunivesithi YomZantsi Afrika eyaziwa ngokuba yi Unisa, izifundo zam eziphambili ibiyi Social Work ne Psychology. Ndaze nda qhubeka ngezifundo ngabantwana nee ntsapho kwi Yunivesithi yase Ntshona koloni eyaziwa ngouba yi UWC. Kungako ndibhalisele ukuqhubeka nezifundo ze Masters ngabantu Besifazane nezifundo ezibandakanya isini kunyaka olandelayo.
Ndisebenzela isebe le Nkulu Mbuso yase Ntshona Koloni (Department of the Premier) njenge Employee Health and Wellness Practioner, ndijongene nokuqinisekisa okokuba lamasebe aphantsi kwam abasebenzi awo bayazifumana iinkonzo ngokufanelekileyo. Ndisebenzela iSouth Africa Online njenomguquleli wolwimi lesiXhosa. Ndiyakonwabela ukufunda xa ndisenza lomsebenzi. Ndiye ndafunda lukhulu ngo Peter Magubane no Mandela, inene ndifundile nge mvelaphi yama Afrika!
Ndinehlombe ngabantwana, intlobo ezahlukileyo zokukhulisa abantwana kunye nemeko zentlala kahle eMzantsi Afrika ingakumbi ezidibanisa abantwana nabantu besifazane. Ndiyawutanda uMzantsi Afrika kwaye ndiyakholwa lilizwe apho amaphupha angafezekiswa. Xa ndingenzinto ndiyakutanda ukubaleka, ukunyuka intaba kunye nokufunda iincwadi. Okwangoku ndifunda incwadi ka Dale Carnegie ethi “How win friends and influence people”.
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