Ngamani amaNkabane?

Esi siduko samaNkabane sesinye seziduko zamaXhosa omthonyama. Isizwe samaXhosa sesinye sezizwe zabeNguni. Xa kuthethwa ngezizwe zabeNguni kuqukwa zonke ezi zizwe: amaXhosa nezizwe zawo; amaZulu nezizwe zawo; amaSwazi nezizwe zawo; amaNdebele nezizwe zawo; amaMpondo nezizwe zawo; amaMpondomise nezizwe zawo; abaThembu nezizwe zawo; amaHlubi nezizwe zawo.

Ezi zizwe mandulo phambili phaya kuthiwa zazimi emntla we-Afrika kanye phaya eKenya ngakulaa machibi makhulu kuthiwa zi ‘Great Lakes’, kodwa ke akukho lula ukuyazi gqibi indawo ababesuka kuzo.

Imbali yaba bantu ibibaliswa ecaleni kweziko xa kothiwe umlilo idluliselwa ngomlomo komnye umntu. Olu lwazi ke beludluliselwa kwabanye, ngabanye ngomlomo lude lufikelele kwizizukulwana ngezizukulwana.Xa bethetha babesithi basuka eMantla okanye bathi baphuma eMbo apho kusadliwa ngendebe endala.

Izizathu zabo zokumka emantla zininzi: yayingamadabi okulwa ngamafa; impi eninzi yemka kuba ifuna ukuzimela eyayo imihlaba; yayikukuzingela iinyamakazi kwanokufuna amadlelo emfuyo; babebaleka izizwe zama-Arabhu ezazihlasela abantu zibathimba zihambe ziye kubathengisa kubeLungu njengamakhoboka.

Uphando lufumanisa ukuba igama likaNkabane livele ngethuba lokulawula kukaTshawe. Ababalisi beembali bathi uNkabane uzalwa nguTshawe kwizindlu zakhe zamaqadi okanye zesizinde. Wamzala ngethuba amaXhosa ayeme eNatala, uTshawe eyikumkani apho. Athe amaXhosa ukumka kwawo apho, amshiya uNkabane kwindawo yaseMgungundlovu apho wayeme khona sele ezidalele nesizwana esibizwa ngokuba ngamaNkabane, esasinobukhosi.

Eso sizwe samaNkabane sathi satshatyalaliswa kukungamanyani kwaso nokutyholana ngobugqwirha. Bathi bafuduka kwaZulu besesaba izizwana zamaZulu ezazisuka emaNtla okanye eMbo zize kuma kulo mhlaba wakwaZulu. Singayitsho eyokuba amaNkabane azifudukela engakhange ahlaselwe. Ngeli xesha kwakuphambi kokuvela kweMfecane kaMatiwane wamaNgwane noTshaka wamaZulu. AmaNkabane abhaca alandela ezinye izizwe zamaXhosa. AmaNkabane ahlangana nesizwe samaXhosa sesilawulwa nguTshiwo, sime phakathi komlambo uMthatha neNciba.

AmaNkabane ukumka kwawo kwaZulu awemkanga eyimbumba, ahamba eziintsalu. Amanye ashiyeka ngasemva. Le ndlu yamaNkabane isafumaneka nakwisizwe samaZulu, xa siyiphawula sifumanisa ukuba ngabantu bomlibo omnye nale ndlu yamaXhosa. Phaya kwaZulu ngokwembali aba bantu bangamaNkabane babesondelelene kakhulu nesizwe samaZotsho Aba ke kwaZulu xa bethakazelwa kuthiwa: Nkabane, Gawu, Khutane, Mthombotshi, Nobeshu, Qaza, Mahlunguhlungu!

Athe amaNkabane amanye efika emaXhoseni, afika sele abubhangisayo ubukhosi bawo awayenabo eMgungundlovu, waze uTshiwo wawadibanisa amaNkabane kunye namaCirha, namaKhwente namaBamba wawanika umzi obizwa ngokuba ngamaNdluntsha.

Le nto kuthiwa yenzeka ngolu hlobo: “…uTshiwo lo wayeneqela labafazi belingana nemizi yabo. Ibe iyindlu enkulu neyasekunene zombini zinamaqadi azo; kwada kwakho neyekhohlo. Uzeke umfazi onguNoqazo ekugqibeleni, indlu entsha engathiywanga gama limbi lithethiweyo ngaphandle kokuthiwa kukwaNdluntsha. UNoqazo lo ke akazalanga nkwenkwe, ekuthe kunjalo akafakelwa mntwana wasebuhlanti ngokwesiko; koko wabekwa njengenkosi ngokwayo.

Suka ke izizwe eziphaleleyo nezichithwe zezinye zaseziyowela kuye kuvela ubukhosi babantu ekuthiwa “ ngamaNdluntsha “ isibizo. Izizwe eziphambili kumaNdluntsha la ngamaCirha, amaBamba, amaNkabane nezinye. Kuthe emva kokufa kukaNoqazo ezi zizwe zayigcina inkundla yobukhosi bazo bobuNdluntsha. Nako kubizwa imbizo ligosa elithile lekomkhulu elisesikhundleni senkosi engumfikazi.Kwaza ke kwanyulwa intsika endlwini ibhinqiswe amanqashela eqhiya, nencebeta zibe lapha nesikhaka sokubhinqa ngokwenkosikazi kakade; athathe umntu aqavise esithi, “Inkosi le inibizile, inibizele ukuthi nokuthi.” Nanamhla oku eli siko lisaqhutywa emva kokuba kudlule ikhulu leminyaka. AmaNdluntsha ngoku aqhekezene aziqendu zibini, saseso saphantsi komphakathi othile. Esinye isiqendu siphethwe nguBhoza wasemaBambeni. Esinye naso kwaBomvana phantsi koMsasa kaMpangashe umNkabane eMgazana.”

UNgqangweni, S.K. kwincwadi ethi, ‘Emqwashini,’ ubalisa ngolu hlobo ngendlu yamaNdluntsha: “UNoqazo wayengazalanga, kodwa waye wahlulelwa isizwe aza kusilawula; wanyulelwa namaphakathi. Wanikwa abantu bezizwe ezibhujelwe ziinkosana zazo, kwadalwa indlu entsha kaTshiwo, yabizwa ngokuba ngamaNdluntsha. Amasalela ale ndlu ngamaNkabane kwaBomvana, namaBamba kuGatyana.” Umnombo kaNkabane singawuzoba ngolu hlobo: uMnguni, uXhosa, uMalangana, uNosiyamntu, uTshawe, uNgcwangu noNkosiyamntu.

Bazithutha bathi ooNkabane: Nkabane, Ndluntsha, Majeke, Noqazo, Bhuqa, Mayeye, Mzilanto, Sigade, Ntshinga, Rharhabe, Gcaleka, Khawuta, Mthi weembotyi, Nkomo zakwaNtleki, Mabandla kaRhanjana, Swazi olumaqhinaqhina lwakuloNomathokazi, Nabel’emntwini, Ntong’emnyama egawulwa ezizweni, Abantu bomlambo wakwaDyabhuza, Mfaz’obele linye, Mabandla angalal’endleleni, Izuba elinakazi lenkomo zakwaMalangana, Uhasa badimbaza kulo, Kanti noko liyabaqumbela, Sikhumba sisongwa sicombuluka! Ingqangula eyaziwayo yasemaNkabaneni nguMnu. R.M.M. Malinga.