From Community Memory
Mrs. F Mngomezulu of uMlazi B section explains that the riverside refers to the edge of the river. River refers to a stream of running water.
The person consulted
Ms. F Mngomezulu who lives at uMlazi B section gave an explanation of how this game is played.
Who play this game?
This game is played by boys and girls for 4 years of age to 10 years.
What is used to play this game?
This game is played in a grassy area and a rope is used to demarcate the riverside. If children play in the yard they draw a line to show the riverside.
When is this game played?
This game is played at any time as long as it is not raining.
Where is this game played?
This game is played in an open spot.
How is this game played?
Children draw the river area and then stand on the riverside. One of them would shout “side” and the rest of the children would jump on to the riverside. If he/she shouts “river”, they would all jump into the river area. The leader would shout these two words interchangeably, sometimes repeating one side more than once in order to confuse the group. Those who jump into the wrong area get out of the game. Also the one who remained in the wrong area after shouting the area gets out of the game. The game continues until all of them have faultered.
Custom associated with this game
There is no cultural orientation associated with this game.
From a Masters dissertation by Victoria Mkhize for the School of IsiZulu, University of KwaZulu-Natal. Supervised by Professors P.J. Zungu and V. Prabhakaran.