Ndithe xa bendiqhuba isithuthi sakowethu, nendisithiye igama elinguNomkhehlane, ngenxa yokuguga kwaso, ndithe chu kwizitalato ezithunga isixeko saseBellville ukuya kwisixekwana iKuils River kwelo leNtshona Kapa, amehlo am atsalwa ngumbhalokazi wamaphephandaba iCape Times neDie Burger.
Le mibhalo ibixhonywe kwiipali zezibane zikagesi ecaleni kohola wendlela iVoortrekker ukuya kuma kwigophe lenye indlela ebizwa ngokuba yiNooiensfontein. Kuzo zombini ezi ndlela, ndiqale ndadlula kwipali yesibane sikagesi sixhonywe ikhadibodi enombhalo omnyama ongqindilili wephaphendaba lesiAfrikansi iDie Burger usithi, “MATIES EN TUKKIES Se JA VIR ENGELS!” Ndingekaqhubi mgama mde ukusuka kule pali, ndigqithe kwenye enombhalo wesiNgesi okwatsale umdla wam, kule ipali kukho umbhalo wephephandaba iCape Times, nawo onesihloko sesibhengezo esibhalwe ngamagama angqindilili, athetha into enye nalawo esiAfrikansi angentla, nangona wona la ebhalwe ngesiNgesi esithi: “MATIES AND TUKKIES SAY YES TO ENGLISH!” La mazwi esiAfrikansi nesiNgesi xa etolikwa ngqo esiXhoseni athi, “IMaties (Univeristy of Stellenbosch) neTukkies (University of Pretoria) zithi ewe kwisiNgesi.
Lo ewe kuthethwa ngaye kulo mhlathi ungentla, ubhekiselele kwiphulo lala maziko mabini emfundo enomsila ekwamkeleni isiNgesi njengolunye ulwimi oluza kusetyenziswa ngokusesikweni ekufundiseni, ekufundeni, ekwenzeni uphando, ekunxibelelaneni, ekuhloleni nasekubhalweni kweemviwo kula maziko mabini. Kaloku mzi kantu sazi mhlophe ukuba la maziko mabini ngalawo kwakimbali yawo ayefudula ehlohla ngolwimi ababetshila ngalo abaseki bengcinezelo abafana noVelevutha noHeletsorho.
Olo lwimi ke lulwimi olwalusaziwa njengesiBhulu okanye isiAfrikansi. Asinakuyibaleka ke nenyani yokuba sele kusamkelwa isiNgesi nje ngala maziko, ukuza kuthi ga ngoku, nangeli xesha lorhulumente wesininzi nenkululeko ka-1994, la maziko ebesahlohla kwaye etshila ngolu lwimi lwesiAfrikansi kuzo zonke iinkalo zokusebenza kwawo.
Kuthathe imigudu; izehlo zongquzulwano ezihamba noodolo phezulu, kwanokubanjwana ngezixhanti ukuze la maziko abonakale ethamba, esihla emithini exela uZakeyu kwiziBhalo, ade avulela imijelo yothetha-thethwano ukuze kuboniswane ngendlela yokubandakanya isiNgesi kwizifundo zala maziko ayefudula esaziwa njengoovimba bemigaqo yokuqulunqwa kocalucalulo eMzantsi Afrika.
Masithembe ukuba namanye amaziko asasithele ngesebe lenkawu eqhubekeka ehlohla ngesiAfrikansi kuphela, nawo aza kulandela ekhondweni, nawo aqalise ukufundisa ngeelwimi eziza kukwazi ukubandakanya nabo bafundi bangaluviyo ulwimi lwesiAfrikansi.
Ukuba oku kuyenzeka, sakutsho siqinisekile ukuba ngenene “iingcango zemfundo zivulelekile kubo bonke abemi boMzantsi Afrika nakwabo basuka kumanye amazwe.”
Undiva ndikhankanya namanye amaziko nje, kukuba umhla nezolo kuphando loosozilwimi bamaziko emfundo kuquka nabo bakwisigqeba sokusetyenziswa kweelwimi kulandelwa umgaqo-siseko kumaziko emfundo, nababechongwe nguMphathiswa wezeMfundo ePhakamileyo uBlade Nzimande, kwiziphumo zolo phando kusoloko kuvela ukuba asekho amaziko asebenzisa iilwimi ezingalandelwayo ngabafundi abaninzi, kangangokuba ngenxa yokusetyenziswa kwezo lwimi, uninzi lwabafundi luphele luvaleleka ngaphandle kuloo maziko.
Ndinambuzwana uzingayo ke ngoku apha kule ngqondwana yam ihlala ihlalutya kwaye ikhwenca, umbuzo wokuba ingaba ukwamkelwa kwesiNgesi kuphela njengolunye ulwimi lokufundisa kula maziko mabini yinto enokusenza sigcobe, sichwayite side sitshotshele entla?
Mna ngokunokwam bendakuzingca xa ezi dyunivesithi beziya kwamkela neelwimi zesiNtu zeengingqi ezikuzo njengeelwimi nazo ekuza kufundiswa ngazo. KweleNtshona Koloni apho iYunivesithi yaseStellenbosch ikhoyo, kuphuhliswe nesiXhosa kangangokuba kuphele kufundiswa kwaye kuhlolwa nangaso, ukuze eGauteng apho iYunivesithi yasePretoria ikhoyo, kwamkelwe kuze kufundiswe nangesiSotho.
Ukanti ke mawethu nani zidwesha zakuthi, kwalani ukuba enye okanye zone kwezi yunivesithi zaseMpuma Koloni zingalithathi eli thuba lokwenza imbali, ziphuhlise isiXhosa njengolwimi olukumgangatho wokusetyenziswa kuzo zonke iinkalo zemfundo, ukuze abantwana bethu nabazukulwana bethu nabo babe nethamsanqa lokufundiswa ngolwimi lwabo, babhale iimviwo ezihlolwe ngolwimi lwabo njengaba bamaNgesi namaAfrikaner?
Kwanga kungafezekiswa oku mabandla kaTshiwo, iFort Hare; iRhodes; iWSU okanye iNMMU zisiphakamise isiXhosa sakowethu side siye kufikelela kwizinga lesiNgesi nesiAfrikansi kwicandelo lemfundo ngenye imini! NeUKZN yenze njalo ngesiZulu; iRoma eLesotho okanye iUOFS zenze njalo ngesiSotho; iSol Plaatjie University ivuselele iilwimi zamaSan njengeKhoe; iUniVen neUniversity of Limpopo nazo zenze njalo ngesiPedi, isiTsonga, isiNdebele nesiVenda; iUniBop nayo ingenelele ngokuphakamisa isiTswana; ize ingashiyeki iUniversity of Swaziland neMpumalanga University ngokuphakamisa isiSwati.
Likho ithuba mawethu lokukufezekisa oku kuphuhla kweelwimi zethu kwanamasiko ahamba nazo.
Ngomanyano lwethu nangegalelo lazo zonke iiyunivesithi zeli lizwe kuquka nezo ndingazikhankanyanga, kusetyenzwa ngamxhelo-mnye kuphuhliswa iilwimi zesintu, oku kungabangela ukuba ikamva loMzantsi Afrika nelesizukulwana seli lizwe lityebe ngonaphakade, kutsho kuchukumiseke namathambo amhlophe ooMqhayi nooNeville Alexander, echukunyiswa kukuphuhla nokuchuma kweelwimi zesintu ekugqibeleni.
BUKELA – Usuku lwenkululeko: Izimvo zabantu