AmaTshatshu nezinye iindwendwe zigcwalise iholo lethala leencwadi kuKomani ekuqaleni kwale veki. Ibiyimincili. Kukho incwadi entsha phez’ kwetafile. Onke amehlo ethe ntsho kuyo.
“Kudala sisithi asinanto ibhaliweyo ngamaTshatshu. Ikhona ngoku. Sakutsho sithi ‘bantwana bam, ikhona incwadi ethetha ngooyihlo!” ibe lilizwi lombulelo likaNkosi Mncedisi ‘Jongulundi’ Gungubele emva kokuba uAnne Mager noPhiko Velelo besungule incwadi yabo engu “The House of Tshatshu” kuKomani.
Le ncwadi iqalwe ukuphandwa phaya kunyaka wamawaka amabini aneshumi (2010), uAnne Mager esengumhlohli kwiYunivesithi yaseKapa ngoko.
Uthe apha ekuhambeni wadibana noPhiko Velelo owayeliphakathi lenkosi yamaTshatshu kwinkundla yamatyala, xeshikweni amaTshatshu esilwela ubukhosi bawo. Kulapho baqala khona ukusebenzisana.
Benyuka besehla, bethetha nabantu, bevumbulula amathala eencwadi, bebhala konke abakuqokelelayo.
Ithi into: UBawana, owayekhokela amaTshatshu ngonyaka wewaka elinamakhulu asibhozo namashumi amabini (1820), wayeyinkosi yokuqala yabaThembu ukuwela umlambo iTsomo ayokutsho kumda womntla-ntshona.
Le ncwadi iqala apho, phambi kokuba ichaze ukuba ngoobani amaTshatshu.
AmaTshatshu ke asekunene kwindlu kaThembu; aphuma kuDlomo. Inkulu kaDlomo kundlunkulu nguHala. Kwindlu yasekunene ibe nguMawose. UMawose azale uTukwa.
UTukwa uzala uXhoba, uXhoba ozala uMvangxeni. UMvangxeni wayekhahlelwa ngelikaTshatsh’olithafa kwaze ekuhambeni kwexesha kwathiwa ngamaTshatshu.
UTshatshu azale uBawana – lo wawela waya kwicala lomntla-ntshona. UBawana azale uMaphasa. UMaphasa azale uGungubele. UGungubele azale uGcuwa. UGcuwa azale uSobantu. USobantu azale uJongulundi’ oyinkosi namhlanje.
“Iye yakhona iyantlukwano nokuphikisana ngembali nomnombo wamaTshatshu. Abantu abayikhumbuli ngokufanayo imbali yabo. Nabo bayazi ngokubaliselwa. Mna noPhiko silandele iziganeko zamandulo ukuze sikwazi ukuqiniseka ngezinto esibhale ngazo kule ncwadi. Sithethe kakhulu nabantu kunye noNkosi Jongulundi!” kutsho uAnne Mager, owakhulela kuKomani, nowaziwa ngelikaNoluthando phaya. Iinkosi zamaTshatshu zaphulukana nobukhosi bazo kowe-1852 emva kokubethwa ngamaNgesi kwiimfazwe zangoko kumntla-ntshona weMpuma Koloni. Ukusukela ngoko zange abeka nkosi ngokusesikweni. Emva kweminyaka elikhulu elinamashumi asithandathu kubekwe ngokusesikweni uJongulundi.
Le ncwadi ikwangena nakwimbali yeTambookieland (amaKhoi awesithi ‘Tambookie’ xa ebiza abaThembu). Ikwabalisa ngoYiliswa noNonesi, ukufika komcinezeli eMpuma Koloni nengcinezelo yeenkosi nabantsundu ngoko.
Ithetha ngoonyana bakaGungubele, ingene kooMatanzima kunye nobukhosi bamaTshatshu ngokubanzi. Imbali iyilanda kunyaka we-1818 ukuyokutsho kulo wamawaka amabini aneshumi elinesibhozo (2018).
UMager noVelelo bathe bakugqiba ukunika esi sishwankathelo sencwadi kwangenwa kwiingxoxo zembuyekezo yomhlaba wakuKomani. “Sifuna lo mhlaba sime kuwo apha edolophini. Ngowethu!” – iholo lafudumala, iinkosi zakhalaza ngokujongelwa phantsi nokuba ngabantu abanuka iqaqa kutshanje nangona yayizizo ezazisilwela abantu zigcwalise isiQithi sikaNxele (Robben Island) mandulo.
Zime ngazwi linye kumba womanyano lweenkosi nokuba inkosi nganye bekumele ukuba ibhale ngembali yobukhosi bayo. Kulapho sikhumbule ukuba uninzi lweencwadi ezingembali yamaXhosa, zibhalwe ngabelungu. Iinkosi nabo bantsundu abanolwazi, ababhali.
Sithe sakubuza uVelelo lo mbuzo wawukhaba ngelithi: “Thina sihleli nje, silele! Nam ndingumbhali osakhasayo. Ndifunde kubo [abelungu] ukubhala. Ingxaki sonqena ukufunda! Ukuba ufuna ukufihlela umntu omnyama imali yifake kwincwadi, soze ayibhaqe. Ukuba uyifake phantsi kwebhedi uyakuyibhaqa. Umntu omnyama uyonqena ukufunda! Siyonqena nokuphanda.”
Siqonde ukuba lo mbuzo – wokungabhali ngembali kwabantsundu – masiwubhekise nakuMager ophendule wathi: “Ingxaki iqala pha esikolweni! Ezikolweni kugcwele imbali yooJan van Riebeeck neenqanawe zabo eziziDrommedaris! Ayikho imbali yabantu bakweli kwiincwadi zasesikolweni. Ukanti ukuba abantu bangafundiswa ngembali yabo ezikolweni ndiqinisekile bakubanawo umdla kwezi zinto kwaye nabo baqale ukuzibhalela.”
Incwadi le isafumaneka ngesiNgesi kuphela kodwa abapapashi bayo (UCT Press) bathembise ooVelelo ngelithi ukuba iintengiso zale ncwadi zenze ingeniso, nakanjani bakuyiguqulela esiXhoseni.
* Le ncwadi inamaphepha angamakhulu amabini anamashumi asibhozo (280) kwaye ixabisa iR320 kooBargain Books nezinye iivenkile zeencwadi.
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