AbaThembu baseQhudeni

Sinabo nabanye abaThembu, bona ngabaThembu baseQhudeni, uninzi lwabo nalo kwaZulu kumhlaba waseQhudeni eMsinga.

Abanye nabo emaHlubini eMount Fletcher. Lukhona uzalwano phakathi kwabo nabaThembu bakwaDlomo ekusekweni phaya ntlandlolo!

Aba baThembu kuthiwa ngabakaMvelase, bakwaziwa nangokuba ngabaThembu baseQhudeni. Xa kuthethwa ngendlu yabaThembu baseQhudeni lidume kakhulu igama likaMkhubukeli. Kuthiwa ke uMkhubukeli umfo kaGazi, kaNdosi, kaNyandeni, kaMabaso, kwenye indlu yakhe wazala uDlaba, uDlaba ozala uKopo, uKopo ozala uMetele.

Kwenye indlu uMkhuphukeli wazala uNgoza, uNgoza ozala uNhlakomzi, uNhlakomzi ozala uNodada, uNodada ozala uMphahlwa, uMphahlwa ozala uMalaza, uMalaza ozala uDhlungwana.

Kwicala likaNodada, uNodada wazala uMganu noKhamangana, noMvelase, noTongwana, noMagwagwa. UMganu unyana omkhulu wazala uMabizela noNgcutsheni noNgqambuzana. uMabizela wazala uNgcondolwana, uNgcondolwana wazala uNkambula. UMgcutsheni wazala uMalangeni, uMalangeni wazala uMbalo. UNgqambuzana wazala uNdiki.

Kuthiwa mandulo inkosi yabaThembu baseQhudeni, ngokwesithethe samandulo yayingawaseli amasi enkomo ingayityi nenyama yenkomo nenyama yembuzi. Inyama yenkomo neyembuzi yayihlafuna nje iphinde iyithufe. Yayisitya kuphela inyama yeenyamakazi.

Bazalana kanjani abaThembu baseQhudeni nabaThembu bakaBhomoyi? Ibali lithi uThembu usuka kude ngaseSwazini, phambi kokuba eze kweli lamaXhosa. Wayenabafazi babini, owokuqala uzala uQhudeni, aze owesibini azale uBhomoyi. UBhomoyi ngulo mlibo uphuma ooDlomo. AbaThembu baseQhudeni basala eNatala.

UNgoza okanye uNgozi yiyona ndlu inkulu kaThembu, babebanye nabaThembu bakwaDlomo phaya kwaZulu phesheya koThukela kodwa uDlomo waba ngowokuqala ukushiya elakwaZulu.”

UNgoza ulandele mva ukulishiya elakwaZulu. UNgoza waziwa nangokuba nguMvelase. UNgoza ulishiye elakwaZulu ebaleka uTshaka waya kutsho emaMpondweni.Apho ufike walwa imfazwe noFaku waze wabulawa ngamaMpondo kwindawo ekuthiwa kukwaNgozi. AbaThembu bathi bathwaxwa kweloo dabi likhephu elathi lawa ababengaliqhelanga, nelathi lenza ukuba boyiswe ngamaMpondo. Uthe akufa uNgoza esi sizwe sabaThembu baseQhudeni sasala silawulwa ngunyana wakhe uNtlakomzi. Ngelo thuba wayesemncinci unyana wakhe uNodada. UNtlakomzi waphinda wawagoba amabombo wajika waya kucela uxolo kuTshaka, kodwa yona impi yakhe eninzi yathinjwa, yatsho yaba iyangena kuhlanga lwamaMpondo. Abanye abaThembu baseQhudeni bahambe bahamba bada baya kufika emaXhoseni.

Igama elithi aba baThembu ngabaThembu baseQhudeni kuthiwa ngabanye aba balisi livele ngolu hlobo: “UTshaka kuthiwa ngomnye umhla waya kuhlasela uNgoza wasebaThenjini. Umkhosi wakhe walahleka ungawuboni umzi kaNgoza. Uthe usalahlekile uthalalisa ukhangela njalo kwasuka kwakhala iqhude (NgesiXhosa esivakalayo iqhude ngumqhagi, inkunzi yenkuku). Umkhosi kaTshaka uthe wakuva iqhude likhala wabe sele usinga ngakwelo cala likhala ngakulo. Kanti kwelinye icala iqhude lavusa abantu balapha emzini kaNgoza labavundlisa libaxelela ukuba kusile.

Eli qhude labanceda batsho bawubona umkhosi wotshaba olunguTshaka, batsho babe sele besosaba bewela uThukela. Baba ke abaThembu bayasinda ngolo hlobo ekubulaweni nguloo mkhosi kaTshaka.

Ukususela ngoko ezo ntaba babehlala phantsi kwazo zaziwa ngokuba ziiNtaba zaseQhudeni. Nabo kwathiwa xa bebizwa ngabaThembu baseQhudeni.”

Aba baThembu basekhona nakwaZulu abasalayo njengoko impi eninzi yathi yabalekela emaXhoseni nasemaMpondweni.

USigodi, X. kwinqaku awalikhupha kwiphephandaba ‘Umthunywa’ ngowe-1946 ulibalisa ngolu hlobo yena ibali likaQhudeni: “Ukuxelela umhlobo wam obuza ukuba ndidibene ngani na nabaThembu baseQhudeni nabaDlomo ndingenjenje: umThembu ngunyana kaMnguni, waza wahamba waya kwakha kwiNtaba yaseQhudeni ephakathi kweMpofane neThukela. Bathi bakwanda abantu kwaphuma ingqina. Isiko labo kwakuhamba amadodana neentombi, kumkiwe iinyanga ezininzi, kukho nonyana wenkosi. Kwakukho umthetho othi ukuba intombi ithe yamitha babulawe bobabini. Zamitha iintombi kuloo ngqina, baza baqonda ukuba baya kubulawa bonke. Babona ukuba masebehamba baye kwelinye ilizwe uDlomo unyana kaThembu. Ivela apho into yokudibana kwabaThembu baseQhudeni nabakwaDlomo.

Yiyo le nto abaThembu baseQhudeni bathi xa benqula ookhokho babo bagqithele ngokuthi: Bangamabandla kaNdab’enyamakazi!”…

… Phaya phakathi kweMfolozi zombini kwakwakhe abakwaZulu besisizwe esincinci kuphethe uSenzangakhona. Lonke elingentla kulo kuphethe uDingiswayo wakwaMthethwa. UNkosi uTshaka eyinduna kaDingiswayo, uNkosi uMkhubukeli uyise kaNgoza, umThembu waseQhudeni elapho emelene noNkosi Bhungane Ntsele. Ungozi kuthiwa yinzala kaMlala. OoMashona, noBhele noKhumalo noMzilikazi baphuma kuMntungwa Nkungu.”

Ezi mbali zombini zibonisa ngokumhlophe ukuba aba baThembu babini owakwaDlomo nowaseQhudeni babekunye mandulo phambili phaya.

Nazi iifani zabathembu baseQhudeni esizifumene kudliwano-ndlebe noMnu. W.A. Ncanisa wakuQwebeqwebe eQhitsi kuCofimvaba, uthe, “NguNcanisa, nguMakinana, nguKali, nguGobodo, nguMbambisa, nguMakhohliso, nguMphahlwa, nguNkohla, nguCalaza, nguMajola, nguMayekiso, nguMafu, kubekho uMaphosa, kubekho uKolobile, kubekho uDlulane, kubekho uFodo, nguKwazi, nguMzilikazi, nguSigodi, nguDinga, nguMdingane, nguMangisa, nguNgozi, nguDikweni, nguSikolo, nguMbodlela, nguMqotywa, nguNgwane, nguMhlana, nguMhlola, nguMangisa, nguMandla, nguKhweza, nguManzini, nguBulawa, nguNdlovu, nguMlunguza, nguGxiya, nguHarmans, nguHlobo, nguKayiyana, nguMabutho, nguMahlaka, nguMakhaphela, nguMaqethuka, nguMatshoba, nguMbolompo, nguMhlamazana, nguMkhetshane, nguMlindazwe, nguMnani, nguMnukwa, nguMnyamana, nguMthembu, nguNgcaba, nguNophanjwa, nguNoveve, nguPhuthuleni, nguPhephengweni, nguRhorhwana, nguSiboya, nguSomwahla, nguTshefu, nguZibeko.”

Babongwa ngolu hlobo: Ngoza, Mpafane, Nyandeni, Ngqamzana, Nodada, Mvelase, Mganu, Qhudeni, Mkhubukeli, AbaThembu abangadli matibane, Bangadl’amatibane, Yazini indlala iwile, Qhude manikininiki, Zindala zombini bafana maziqulelane, Vukani kusile baThembu masiluwel’uThukela!

Amangcwaba eenkosi zabaThembu baseQhudeni akwezi ndawo zilandelayo: Ingcwaba likaMabaso liseMalakatha kwaZulu-Natal; ingcwaba likaZikode liseQhudeni, kwiiNtaba zeQhude kwaZulu-Natal; ingcwaba likaNyandeni liseMalakatha kwaZulu-Natal; ingcwaba likaGazi lseMalakatha kwaZulu-Natal; ingcwaba likaMkhubukeli liseMalakatha kwaZulu-Natal; ingcwaba likaNodada nalo kwiNtaba zaseMatshundu kwaZulu-Natal; ingcwaba likaNgoza nalo kwaNgozi eLusikisiki.

UNkosi uNgoza kuthiwa wabaThembu baseQhudeni kuthiwa wabulawa ngokugwaza ngomkhonto ngamaMpondo ehlamba emlanjeni ekuthiwa xa ubizwa nguNgozi, owathiywa ngaye. Akuba eswelekile wathi wangcwatyelwa phantsi komthi ophezu kwaloo mlambo. Esweleka nje indlela yakhe yayijongise ngaseMthatha apho wayefuna amabutho okwandisa umkhosi wakhe khon’ukuze alwe noTshaka kaZulu amoyise.

AbaThembu abazange bonwabe kukufa kwakhe angcwatyelwe emazweni. Basoloko belikhangela iminyaka apho likhoyo ingcwaba lakhe. Eli ngcwaba bade balikhonjiswa nguKumkani uMpondombini Sigcau wamaMpondo aseQawukeni, kwiminyakana nje phambi kokuba asweleke. AbaThembu bathe bakulifumana bahamba baya kuloo baze bawuthabatha umphefumlo wakhe ngokomoya bawuthumela kwilizwe lakwaZulu-Natala apho wawusuka khona.