‘IFort Hare mayibizwe ngoJabavu’

USAPHO lukaJohn Tengo (JT) Jabavu, umseki weMvo ZabaNtsundu, lukholelwa ukuba eyona ndlela yokugcina umzila weli tshantliziyo kukuba igama leUniversity of Fort Hare litshintshe libizwe phantsi kwegama likaJabavu.

U-JT, owadlala indima ekusekweni kweli zikomfundo, wazalwa kweyoMqungu 1859 ezalelwa eBhofolo. Ubhubhe kweyoMsintsi 1921 ebhubhela kwindlu kanyana wakhe (Davidson Don Tengo [DDT] Jabavu) eFort Hare. Ukuqalwa kweFort Hare ngo1916, uDDT yabangomnye wabahlohli ababini bokuqala, ze wasebenza kweli ziko phantse isithuba esikwiminyaka engamashumi amathathu.

Usapho lakwaJabavu lukholelwa ukuba imbali yeFort Hare ayinakuphelela ubani engakhankanyanga igama lakwaJabavu.

“Xa kuthethwa ngokutshintshwa kwegama leFort Hare, thina silusapho lakwaJabavu singacebisa ngelithi mayibizwe phantsi kwegama likaJohn Tengo Jabavu. Kuba kwa uZK Matthews wayehlohlwa nguDDT.

“Xa ufuna utshintsha igama leFort Hare, thina sicebisa ukuba ibizwe ngoJT Jabavu okanye uDDT Jabavu. Lo nto ibaluleke kakhulu kuthi silusapho,” kutsho uSiyabonga Jabavu, isizukulwana sikaJonathan James Jabavu, ongubhuti kaJT.

Kudliwanondlebe nephephandaba I’solezwe lesiXhosa ngonyaka ka2018, ingqonyela yaseFort Hare, uNjingalwazi Sakhela Buhlungu, wathi igalelo likaDDT Jabavu kwimbali yeFort Hare alinambaliso.

“UJabavu ngoyena nozala wethu apha eFort Hare. Singawenza onke amabango, oyena mhlohli wokuqala apha (kwabo babebabini) nguJabavu ngo1916, kwabo bafundi babengamashumi amabini,” watsho uBuhlungu.

Kwinyanga yoMsintsi kulo nyaka usapho lakwaJabavu luceba ukwenza isikhumbuzo seminyaka elikhulu wabhubhayo uJT.

“Sikhumbula imisebenzi yakhe ukhokho. Isizukulwana sakhe sikhona eLondon eNgilane naseUganda kwanalapha eMzantsi Afrika. Siza kudibana sisonke silusapho senze isikhumbuzo,” kutsho uSiyabonga.

U-DDT uzala uNoni Jabavu owayengumbhali osebenzele amajelo eendaba aliqela eBhritane naseUganda. Usisi kaNoni watshatela eUganda wanosapho phaya, ze yena uNoni watshatela eBhritane wanosapho phaya.

“Umzila kaJT yimfundo, ezenkcubeko kwanezopolitiko. Le nto iza kufuneka ukuba sibeneJabavu Legacy Foundation, ukuze siqhube nomzila kakhokho wethu,” utshilo uSiyabonga.