Ngamani amaNgwevu?

Aba bantu ngamaphakathi akomkhulu emaTshaweni kwaXhosa, ngokwemveli basuka kwisizwe samaMpondomise, apha kwaXhosa bangabangeneleli, ukutsho oko isizwe somnye umlibo. AmaNgwevu la asuka kuMhaga; uMhaga uzele uNxuba; uNxuba wazala uRhudulu. AmaNgwevu la ngamaRhudulu kodwa apho maninzi khona asemaXhoseni nalapho anobuphakathi.

Le nto yenzeka ngolu hlobo: AmaNgwevu la angamaMpondomise ngemveli, aze abengabantwana beembambo apha emaXhoseni. Kaloku kuthiwa mandulo umntu oshiya amawabo waza wasinga kolunye uhlanga ngenkonzo, ubeye agcine isinqulo sakowabo kube kuphela, ize ngobuzwe asel’eba seso sizwe akhonze kuso. Yiyo le nto nebangele ukuba iziduko ezininzi zithi saa kwizizwe zamaphondo ngamaphondo. Inkosi yona kaloku ibivuya, kuba lisiko layo ukuzala iintsana namaxhego, liwuhlabile ilanga umhlaba.

Lithi ke ibali, ngaminazana ithile kwaphunywa ingqina sisizwe sonke. Ngalo mhla uTshawe wabulala iphuthi, kwaze ke ngomthetho nesiko kwafuneka uTshawe ehlomlele umkhuluwa wakhe uCirha. Koko uTshawe akavumanga ngelithi inyamakazi le incinane, kodwa uCirha uphendule ngelithi, “Ineempondo nje indala”.

UTshawe wale kwema ngaye kwesi sithuba, kwacaca ukuba xa lingavakali ilizwi lenkosi enguCirha makubhenelwe ezintongeni. Uthe akuba egodukile uCirha wafika kwangoko ekhaya esisifu, wayihlanganisa imikhosi esithi kuphela kwento anokuyenza ukulisusa ihlazo nesithuko asifumeneyo. UCirha ucele uncedo kumntakwabo wendlu yasekunene uJwarha ovume ngokulula ukumncedisa kulo mlo wakhe noTshawe.

Naye uTshawe akemanga ukwenza awakhe amalungiselelo okulwa, akwabi kudala zahlangana iinto ezinkulu. Ithe xa iqinileyo imfazwe uTshawe wacela amaMpondomise ukuba amphe izandla kwaze kwakhutshwa amaRhudulu imiHaga iyokumncedisa uTshawe. Athe kuba afike amaRhudulu la kukudala zibambene kwaye eliqela elivakalayo waboyisa uTshawe abantakwabo abanguCirha noJwarha, baba ke ubukhosi bamaXhosa buwela kuye ngolo hlobo. Enye into eyamonzakalisayo uCirha kukuba inkulu yakhe uBonga ikhwemte, ithi endaweni yokuncedisa impi kayise uCirha isuke ibengakwicala likaTshawe.

Uninzi lwamaRhudulu alubanga saphindela emaMpondomiseni koko lisuke lakha amanxiwa apha emaXhoseni lazibiza ngokuba ngamaXhosa. Ngawo la namhla kuthiwa ngamaNgwevu, kuba kuthe xa kuthethwa ngabo kwamana kusithiwa, “Ezi ngwevu”. Yade yaba ligama labo elo.

UBomela, B.M. ongumfo wasemaNgwevini uyangqina kwincwadi yakhe ethi ‘Umntu akanambulelo’, ngobukho bamaNgwevu kwelasemaXhoseni. Wabhala wathi: “Xa ulapha ke eNqabarha usemalunga neemayile zosibhozo ngaphandle kwedolophu. Le lali imiwe ke ngamaNdongela angamaNgwevu ngokweziduko. Athe tshitshilili ahlohla indlela aya kunqandwa ngumzi wabefundisi ngezantsi. Izalamane zaba bantu ngamaCirha. Kwakuthe jize imizana yawo ngakwicala eliya edolophini.”

AmaNgwevu la ngabantu ababehamba neenkosi. Yayingumsebenzi wabo ukwandlalela iinkosi apho kuthe kwalalwa khona. NgamaNgwevu ekwathiwa ayakuma ezantsi kwindlu yekumkani, amkele umkhumbi xa uthotywa, ungeniswa kwindlu yawo.

… Kuthe ngethuba lokuthotywa komkhumbi amaNgwevu athabatha izikhundla zawo, ayamkela ibhokisi ayithi chu kuhle, ayibeka egumbini kwingqameko elenziwe bucala apha edlakeni mayela ezantsi.”

Abantu basemaNgwevini emaRhudulwini nabasele bengamaXhosa xa bezibonga bathi bafakelela neendawo ezithi bangamaTshaka.

Bathi xa bezinqula bangoo: Ngwevu, Rhudulu, Tshangisa, Magwaza ngomkhonto, Mhlatyana, Mphankomo, Sinuka, Bhodlinyama, Tshaka, Zulu, Nxuba,Wawushode, Cikolo, Khwethane, Tywayi, Nxanye, Tyeka, Bhoyi, Singanga, Solinjani!

Abanokwaliwa mhlana kukuhle, Abanokuthandwa mhlana kukubi, NgabakwaBhayi lesheleni liyadul’asinamali, Oonontombi ziyancaza zicel’intshongo nesixhaxha, Kanti zon’ezindala azincazi ziyazirholela, NguNgcengane noGaduka amawel’ukuzana, NguNjuza noNab’amawel’ukuzana. Zulu buya basebenz’endlini, Madoda fihlan’inkqayi izulu liyezisa, Zulu-Khaya labangcwele, Ungandishiyi Tshangisa xa usiy’ezulwini, Kuba mna ndiyingqeqhana yakho, Ndakuhlamb’ezantsi kwakho, Ngabantu bakude abo apho kuliwa ngemikhonto namakhakha, KwaZulu eNkonjeni kwaTshaka!

AmaNgwevu la alihloniphe kakhulu izulu , kuthiwa xa amaNgwevu enomcimbi kuze kuzise izulu likhatshwa yimibane etsho linge liyakrazuka kukho nomoya ovuthuzayo, loo mcimbi lithi: “Makube chosi, kube hele, nkomo zikaTshangisa, zikaSikhomo, zikaZulu!”

UJongilanga, D.M. kwincwadi yakhe ethi, “Ukuqhawuka Kwembeleko” uyasibonisa umfanekiso wale nkolelo yamaNgwevu ekusikelelweni kwemicimbi yawo lizulu, ubhala athi: “Yazola indalo phezu komhlaba, kwalawula imibane. Langa izulu liyakrazuka kuba imibane yayixananaze esibhakabhakeni okwendledalana zeebhokhwe neenkomo ngakumthombo wamanzi ngexesha lembalela. Yanga ngumhla apha uSamson wakha wachitha amaFilistiya ngomhlathi wedonki. Satsho isichotho kwanga kudala. Zatyityimba iindlela neentlambo, ziqukuqela zityekezela imilanjana nemilambo enamagama. Lasuka ilizwe lalulwandle ngamanzi.

Akukho mziwawonwabe…”