Arthur Greene
Ngenkathi uLesego Semenya enza ushintsho olukhulu emsebenzini wakhe, futhi waqeqeshelwa ukuba ngumpheki ngemuva kokuba ngunjiniyela wezinqubo, umndeni wakhe awuzange umangale nakancane.
Ubabekazi wakhe uKgomotso wake wathi kwinhlolokhono, “Ekuphekeni ufuze umama kanye nomkhulu wakonina nozala nobaba wakhe. Ukupheka kusegazini.”
Ukuthi ubengumpheki owaziwayo othandwa kakhulu, owaziwa njengoLes Da Chef, akumangazi neze. Indlela akhuluma ngayo nabhala ngayo ngokudla, kanye ne-aura yakhe yesizotha nomusa, kwamenza waba ngumuntu esimthanda ukumbuka nokumlalela.
Eneminyaka engama-39, uphinde waletha umuzwa wobusha emkhakheni wokupheka eNingizimu Afrika, okwenze ukudlula kwakhe emhlabeni ngenxa yegciwane lokhuvuthe kuleli sonto kube buhlungu kakhulu.
Imenenja yakhe uMiz Marcee umemezele izindaba zokushona kwakhe ku-Twitter ngoMsombuluko ntambama.
“Kungizwisa ubuhlungu obukhulu ukunitshela ukuthi: Umpheki uLesego Semenya @LesDaChef udlulile emhlabeni. Sicela nigcine umndeni wakhe nabangani emithandazwenu yenu. Silahlekelwe yingxenye enkulu yenhliziyo yethu. Ngeke siphinde sifane nakuqala futhi. Lala ngokuthula Lesego,” kusho uMarcee.
ULesego ukhulele e-Soweto emndenini wabafana abathathu.
Wake watshela i-eNCA ukuthi “Umama wakhe wayehlala ethi,” yiphutha labo ukuthi abaphumanga baba izingane zamantombazane.”
Uthi uchithe amahora amaningi epheka futhi ephikisana ngokudla nomama wakhe kanye nogogo bakhe ababili.
“Asizange sikhule sinenkolelo yokuthi abafana abavumelekile ekhishini.”
Ngowezi-2009, wafundela iziqu ze-Grande Diploma ye-Food and Wine.
Eminyakeni edlule wake wathi “empeleni, ngingumpheki owaziwayo futhi oziveza ubuyena.”
Ngowezi-2018, uLesego washicilela incwadi yokupheka ethi-Dijo edayiswa kakhulu kunazo zonke, enikeza izindlela zokupheka ezisuka enhliziyweni zabantu basemalokishini kanye nodaba mayelana nokukhula kwakhe. Le ncwadi ibiveze indlela ukudla okubaluleke ngayo kubunikazi bomuntu nempilo yomndeni.
Ngeshwa, wathumela imiyalezo yokugula kwakhe kubalandeli bakhe ku-Twitter. Enye yama-Tweets akhe ibifundeka kanje: “Usuku lwesihlanu. Ngisaqhubeka nokulwa naleli dimoni lokhuvuthe ngibe ngiphethwe ezinye izifo. Ngiyaphila, ukuphuza inqwaba yemithi nokuhlala ethembeni. Ngiyabonga kulabo abalokhu bengibheka. UDkt ucabanga ukuthi sengidlulile kokubi kakhulu, manje sekuyisikhathi sokululama nokuphumula.”