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Abantwana abenziwe ngamakhandlela Children of wax

Written by Southern African Folktale

Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager

Translated by Phumy Zikode

Read by Beauty Ngwenya

Language Zulu

Level Level 2

Narrate full story The audio for this story is currently not available.


Emandulo kwakukhona umndeni owawuhlala ujabule.

Once upon a time, there lived a happy family.


Abantwana babezwana. Behlale besiza abazali babo endlini kanye nasengadini.

They never fought with each other. They helped their parents at home and in the fields.


Kodwa babengavunyelwe ukusondela eduze komlilo.

But they were not allowed to go near a fire.


Kwakumele benze yonke imisebenzi yabo ebusuku. Ngoba babenziwe ngamakhandlela!

They had to do all their work during the night. Because they were made of wax!


Kodwa omunye wabafana wayekufisa ukuphumela ngaphandle elangeni.

But one of the boys longed to go out in the sunlight.


Ngelinye ilanga wayehalela ukuphumela ngaphandle. Abafowabo bamxwayisa.

One day the longing was too strong. His brothers warned him…


Kodwa kwabe sekungasasizi ngalutho! Wancibilika elangeni elishisayo.

But it was too late! He melted in the hot sun.


Abafowakhe babephatheke kabi bebona umfowabo encibilika ephela.

The wax children were so sad to see their brother melting away.


Kodwa baveza isu. Baphendula amafutha ayesencibilikile bawenza inyoni.

But they made a plan. They shaped the lump of melted wax into a bird.


Bamthatha umfowabo oseyinyoni bambeka phezulu entabeni.

They took their bird brother up to a high mountain.


Ngokuphuma kwelanga. Wandiza eculela ukukhanya kwasekuseni.

And as the sun rose, he flew away singing into the morning light.


Written by: Southern African Folktale
Illustrated by: Wiehan de Jager
Translated by: Phumy Zikode
Read by: Beauty Ngwenya
Language: Zulu
Level: Level 2
Source: Children of wax from African Storybook
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International License.
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