Imbali engeyiyo kwincwadi ethi ‘The House of Xhosa: Stolen Identity’

Imbali yesiXhosa ikhe yohluke ngokohluka kuba yayingabhalwanga phantsi ngoko yayidluliswa nje ngomlomo.

Ababhali bayathanda ukuthi babe neenkcukacha ezohlukileyo xa bebalisa ibali likaTshiwo kunye noGando.

Umzekelo, uSoga (1930) kwincwadi yakhe ethi The South-Eastern People uthi uGandoweentshaba owaziwa nangelikaZikolesizwe ungumninawa kaNgconde into emenza utotomncinci kaTshiwo ukanti abanye ababhali abafana noGqoba (* .d), Peires (1981) bathi uGando lo ngunyana kaNgconde, nto leyo imenza umkhuluwa kaTshiwo.

Nangona ikho le yantlukwano phakathi kwababhali, ikhe ixoleleke kuba ayiyikekelisi kakhulu imbali yesiXhosa.

Eyona nto iqapheleka kakhulu ziziphene ezivela kwincwadi kaBalfour (2016) malunga nembali yesiXhosa ingakumbi xa ethetha ngoTshiwo kunye noGando.

Injongo yencwadi kaMthobeli Balfour esihloko sithi, The House of Xhosa; Stolen identity kukuvelisa ukuba ubukhosi bamaXhosa abukhange bulandelwe kakuhle emva kukaPhalo.

Incwadi yakhe izama ukuveza ukuba yenzeke njani loo nto kodwa ekubaliseni kwakhe zininzi izinto ezithi zingavumelani nabanye ababhali nabaphandi bembali yesiXhosa.

Ngenxa yezo mpazamo ingxoxo kaBalfour yokuba umzi kaPhalo khange ubulandele kakuhle ubukhosi isala ingenayo indawo yokubambelela. Eli phepha lizimisele ngokuqale liveze iziphene ezivela kule ncwadi malunga nembali yesiXhosa ngexesha likaTshiwo kunye noGando, liphinde liveze ukuba ubukhosi bukaPhalo ukuya phambili balandelwa ngendlela eyiyo.

Ukuze uzibone kakuhle ezi ziphene kufuneka ndibalise eli bali likaTshiwo kunye noGando ngale ndlela alibalisa ngayo uMthobeli Balfour.

Uthi imbali yesizwe samaXhosa iqala eDededi apho esi sizwe sasihlala nabanye abeNguni. Igama elithi Xhosa lona livela kubaThwa xa babethiya inkosi [yawo] amaXhosa.

Eli gama lithetha ukuthi indoda enomsindo kuba le nkosi yayihlala isilwa nabaThwa. NgokukaBalfour (2016: 103) ngulo Xhosa owathabatha abalandeli bakhe eDedezi bacanda amathafa behamba besima kwiindawo ezifana noMzimkhulu apho kuqikelelwa ukuba uXhosa wabhubhela khona.

Ehla esonyuka njalo amaXhosa ethatha kubheka kooMthatha, kooMzimvubu bade babe bayahlala eMgazi phakathi kwemilambokazi emibini, umlambo uMzimvubu nomlambo uMbhashe. Kulapha apho uthi ufumane amangcwaba eenkosi zamaXhosa.

Uqhuba athi uTshiwo owakhuliswa nguMdange ufune ukutshata uNoqazo intombi kaGando. UTshiwo noGando bayazalana, ababhali bembali abaninzi bathi esi sibini ngoonyana bakaNgconde.

Loo nto ichaza ukuba uTshiwo wayefuna ukutshata umtshana wakhe. NgokukaBalfour (2016:* . ix) le nto yaba ngunobangela wemfazwe phakathi kukaTshiwo noGando. Uqhuba athi emva kwale mfazwe uGando wemka nabalandeli bakhe. Akacacisi ukuba ngubani owaphumelela loo mfazwe okanye yintoni eyabangela ukuba uGando ibe nguye ohambayo.

Asikwazi kuqikelela sithi uGando khange ayiphumelele loo mfazwe kuba ngokukaBalfour (2016) uGando wemka neenkomo ezininzi nabalandeli abaninzi. Asikwazi nakhona ukuthi uTshiwo khange ayiphumelele imfazwe kuba wakwazi ukusala eMgazi yaba nguGando ohambayo.

Ayicaci eyona nto eyamkisa uGando eMgazi kodwa uBalfour (2016) uthi bathiywa igama elithi ngamaKwayi nguTshiwo kuba bekwaywa eMgazi. UTshiwo noMdange basala eMgazi.

Uthi uBalfour (2016) amaXhosa asala noTshiwo eMgazi akhange alandele ndlela eyiyo yobukhosi ingakumbi emva kokuba uTshiwo ebhubhe engenayo indlalifa.

UBalfour (2016:* .xi) uthi uPhalo ngunyana kaLibele wamaLeta. Ugqibezela ngelithi le ndlela yobukhosi ilandelwe eMgazi engeyondlela ilungileyo ixhaswa nangababhali bembali abafana noPeires (1981:* .xi) kwincwadi yakhe ethi The House of Phalo. Yiyo loo nto incwadi kaBalfour (2016) isithi: The House of Xhosa, Stolen Identity.

Isiphene sokuqala kule ncwadi kaBalfour kukuba athi uXhosa nguye owahamba nabalandeli bakhe beshiya iDedesi. NgokukaSoga (1930) asingoXhosa owahamba nabalandeli bakhe besuka eDedesi behambe behlala. USoga (1930:* .109) uyibeka ngolu hlobo le nto; “This movement took place somewhere about 1660-70, for that time corresponds with the reign of Sikomo, who is supposed to have led the Xhosas from Dedesi to the sea.”

UBalfour (2016:* . 103) osebenzisa kwale ncwadi kaSoga yena uyibeka ngolu hlobo, “Xhosa was the first born son of Mnguni and he left with his supporters driving their cattle with to form a new tribe according to the first Xhosa historian J.H Soga” .

Uya kuqaphela ukuba ngeli xesha kuphethe uSikomo kudala uXhosa wabhubha kuba yena waphatha kunyaka we1535. Uze athi uSoga (1930) zonke iinkosi ezaphatha emva kukaSikomo zangcwatyelwa eDedesi. Loo nto ivelisa ukuba uXhosa akakhange aphume eDedesi kuba naye waphatha phambi kukaSikomo.

NgokukaGqoba (* .d) kunye noPeires (1981:) uGandoweentshaba kunye noTshiwo bazalwa nguNgconde. Ibali elibaliswa ngaba babhali liphantse ukufana neli lixelwa nguBalfour (2016) kodwa zikho iindawo ezithi zohluke.

Okokuqala abukho ubungqina bokuba uTshiwo wade waba ulwa noGando njengoko esitsho uBalfour (2016:* .x) okwesibini uGando khange azihambele eMgazi koko wagxothwa kuba esohlwaywa ngenxa yesenzo esenziwa yintombi yakhe.

Kwafikelelwa kwisigqibo sokuba inkosi ayikhonjwa, akakho umntu onegunya lokohlwaya inkosi ngoko ke ityala laphela lisiba lelikaGando wabe uyakwaywa kanjalo.

Bonke abanye ababhali abafana noGqoba (* .d); Soga (1930); Peires (1981) bathi uGando nabalandeli bakhe bakwaywa emva kokuba uTshiwo etshate intombi kaGando ongumfo wabo.

Oku kukwaya akunakwenza namlo nto nje kuthetha ukuba isizwe sikaGando sakhutshwa kwisizwe samaTshawe ukususela ngoko saziwa ngokuba ngamaKwayi.

Eyona mfazwe icacileyo iphakathi kukaGwali owayesisandla sikaPhalo kunye noMdange umalume kaPhalo. Le mfazwe yabangelwa kukuba uGwali wayefuna ukoxutha ubukhosi bukaPhalo kuba uPhalo eselusana (Qgoba, * .d; Peires, 1981; Soga, 1930).

UBalfour (2016:* .xi) uqhuba athi, “The branch of Tshiwo, which was left behind at Mgazi, was the branch of amaXhosa which followed the incorrect genealogy of Tshiwo and when he died without leaving an heir they installed Phalo, son of Libela of amaLeta.”

Uqhuba athi uTshiwo noPhalo bazenza iinkosi zamaXhosa bengezizo. Ngokokwakhe uTshiwo wazalwa emva kweminyaka emine ebhubhile uNgconde nto leyo ithetha ukuba uTshiwo lo akanguye unyana kaNgconde. Akatsho ukuba uTshiwo uzalwa ngubani xa engazalwa nguNgconde.

Ngokobungqina obukhoyo ngembali yamaXhosa ukulandelelana kobukhosi buveliswa ngolu hlobo: UTshawe uzala uNgcwangu, uNgcwangu azale uSikhomo, uSikhomo azale uTogu, uTogu azale uNgconde, uNgconde azale uTshiwo, uTshiwo azale uPhalo.

Loo nto ivelisa ukuba uTshiwo ubhubhe enayo indlalifa egama linguPhalo. Into eyathi yenzeka kukuba uTshiwo abhubhe engekazalwa uPhalo, (Qgoba, * .a; Peires, 1981; Soga, 1930). noGqoba (* .d) uyavuma ukuba uTshiwo wazalwa sele ebhubhile uNgconde kodwa uthi uTshiwo ngunyana kaNgconde. Loo nto ichaza ukuba uTshiwo akazalwanga emva kweminyaka emine ebhubhile uNgconde.

Akukho nto ikhe ivakale ngoLibela kodwa ngokuqinisekileyo akukho apho kuvela khona ukuba uzala uPhalo, uPhalo uzalwa nguTshiwo nto leyo emenza inkosi emva kukaTshiwo.

Abukho kwakhona ubungqina obuthi uGando wakhe waba yinkosi. Sele ekwaywa nje yinto yokuba khange abe yinkosi.

UGqoba (* .d) uyatsho ukuba uTshiwo uzalwa endlini enkulu. Ngokwesiko langoko unyana ozalwa endlini enkulu iba nguye inkosi. Nangona uGando engunyana wokuqala kaNgconde loo nto ayimenzi nkosi kuba uGando uzalwa endlini yasekunene hayi endlini enkulu.

UBalfour (2016) ukholelwa ukuba kukho imbali yamaSukwini, amaGqwashu neyamaNqarhwana eyafihlwa ngabanqolobi kuba befuna ukunciphisa imbali yendlu enkulu kaGando.

Uthi loo nto yabangela ukuba kudume imbali kaTshiwo kunye noPhalo abazenza iinkosi bengezizo. Akachazi ukuba abanqolobi babeza kuzuza ntoni ngokufihla le mbali.

Uthi uBalfour (2016) isizathu sokuba iinkcukacha azichaza kwincwadi yakhe zingafani nabanye ababhali kungokuba bona ababhali bembali yesiXhosa ngabanqolobi abayibhala gwenxa ngabomu imbali yesiXhosa ngeenjongo zokuxabanisa amaXhosa.

Ingxaki kukuba kwalo Balfour uphinde asebenzise aba babhali abagxekayo ukuxhasa ingxoxo yakhe, umzekelo uBalfour ugxeka imibhalo kaPeires (1981) esebenzisa ubungqina abuthatha kuAlbert Kropf ongahlukanga kakhulu kuPeires.

Uyophinde uqaphele ukuba iinkcukacha ezininzi ezivela kuPeires (1981) ziphinde zivele ngobunjalo bazo kuGqoba kwincwadi yakhe ethi Isizwe Esinembali: Xhosa Histories and Poems 1873-1888.

Loo nto ichaza ukuba into yokuba imbali yesiXhosa yajikwa ngabanqolobi bezilungiselela bona akuyonyani kuba nanku noGqoba ongumXhosa engqinelana naba babhali.

Zininzi kakhulu izinto ezingeyonyani kule ncwadi ngembali yamaXhosa ingakumbi ngexesha likaTshiwo noGando. Eli phepha livelise ukuba ayisiyonyani into yokuba umzi kaPhalo walandela indlela engeyiyo yobukhosi.

Kuyacaca mhlophe ukuba uPhalo wayengunyana kaTshiwo, nangona wazalwa sele ebhubhile uyise.

Phantse bonke ababhali ababhala ngembali yeenkosi zamaXhosa bayavumelana ukuba uTshawe uzala uNgcwangu, uNgcwangu azale uSikhomo, uSikhomo azale uTogu, uTogu azale uNgconde, uNgconde azale uTshiwo, uTshiwo azale uPhalo.

Akukho namnye uthetha ngento yokuba uPhalo akuyiyo inkosi esemthethweni. Singaphetha ngelithi okwangoku umzi kaPhalo ngumzi owalandela indlela eyiyo yobukhosi.

*UPhilasande Mfaba ngumfundi waseRhodes University, kulo nyaka wenza izifundo zakhe zeMasters – unyaka wesibini kwicandelo leelwimi zesiNtu.