Sikhumbula: uLindani Bekwa

ULindani Bekwa ongcwatyelwe kwidolophu yaseBhayi ngoMgqibelo, ebenguvul’ iingcango obengengomsasazi kanomathotholo nje kuphela. Ebengumakhi woluntu, itshantliziyo lezentlalo kananjalo nomzekelo kwabaninzi.

Walibon’ ilanga ngowe-15 kweyeSilimela ka1970. UBekwa ukhulele kwilokishi yaseJoza, eRhini, waze wafunda kwalapho kweso sixeko seeNgcwele, efunda kwisikolo samabanga wabaqalayo iSamuel Ntlebi Primary, Makana Higher Primary, waze waya kuphumelela ibanga lematriki kwisikolo iNombulelo Secondary School ngonyaka ka1990.

Ufumene uqeqesho njengentatheli kwi-arhente yeendaba yeMpuma Koloni (EC News Agency). Ibingomnye wabo basungula isikhululo sikanomathotholo saseRhini – iRadio Grahamstown phaya ebutsheni beminyaka yoo-1990, nesisikhululo sasekuhlaleni esaba ngumbele wokwanyisa izikhululo zikanomathotholo zikazwelonke. IRadio Grahamstown ibe yiyo unobangela wokuba indawo yaseRhini yaziwe njengomthombo wokuvelisa abasasazi bakanomathotholo, nanjengoko ikhuphe abasasazi abafana noKeith Ngesi, Lulu Haarmans no-Elvis Mali phakathi kwabanye.

Lo kaBekwa uzibandakanye nesikhululo sikanomathotholo Umhlobo Wenene FM ngoka1995 – njengomsasazi ophantsi koqeqesho. Kube lapho athe wazibalula njengomfundi weendaba ophum’ izandla, kananjalo nanjengomzekelo kwabaninzi abane phupha lokuba ngabasasazi.

Kwaba lithamsanqa kum ukwazana naye phaya ngeminyaka yoo-1980. Sasihlala kwingingqi enye kwilokishi yaseJoza, eRhini. Nangona wayethe kratya ngeminyaka emine kum ngobudala, wayengeyona nkwenkwana esondeleyo kum ngokweminyaka nangokuhlala.

Ngethuba yena nomntakwabo omdala, uSimthembile, kwakufuneka beye kwaluka ngo1990, uBekwa wakhetha ukuba ndibe linqalathi lakhe, nasekubeni ndandisele ndikwisikolo samabanga aphezulu kwaye ndisalelwe yiminyaka emine ndoluke nam.

Entabeni sasino nomathotholo kunye nemagazini njengezixhobo zokuzonwabisa. Wofika sisabelana ngenqaku elithile ukufunda okanye yena alifundele ngaphandle ukuze sive, emva koko silishukuxe kananjalo sihlalutye amabali neendaba. Wayene ngqondo ekhumbula ngokumangalisayo kwaye enengqondo ehlalutyayo.

Wasibonakalisa isiphiwo sakhe sise ngamakhwenkwana alula. Ngelixa thina sasisese bumnyameni ngezakhono esiza kuzikhetha xa sikhulile, sasisazi sonke ukuba uLindani, wayesekhondweni lokuba ngumsasazi.

Phakathi kwiminyaka yoo-80, ngelixa apho abaninzi bethu babeyabula elokishini ngethuba loqhankqalazo ezikolweni, uBekwa waba negalelo ekusungulweni kweSantos Football Club. Oku kwanceda ekubekeleni kude ezingxakini abanye baselokishini. Waye kwisigqeba seGrahamstown Soccer Association iminyaka eliqela.

Okungaziwayo ngalo kaBekwa kokokuba wayenabo nobuchule bobugcisa kuye. Ngoka1989, wadlala indima ephambili kaAlbert kumdlalo kaTom Stoppard othi ‘Albert’s Bridge’ njengenxenye yomdlalo weqonga weqela lesikolo samabanga aphezulu. Yayi kokokuqala ngqa ndibona umntu endimaziyo kumabonakude. Ebe ligugu kusapho lwakhe, igugu kubaphulaphuli boMhlobo Wenene kwane gugu kwilizwe jikelele.

UBekwa ube ngumntu ozingca kakhulu ngolwimi lwakhe kwaye elukhusela. Ndikhumbula mhla enditsalela umnxeba emva kokufunda incwadi kaMfundisi uFrank Chikane ethi Eight Days in September, emalunga nokususwa esihlalweni kowaye ngumongameli uThabo Mbeki. Into eyamsusayo ukuba anditsalele umnxeba kukungathandi indlela asophule ngayo isiXhosa lo kaChikane kula ncwadi.

Ekumndwendweleni kwam kwikhaya lakhe kwiKrisimesi edlulileyo, ndaphatheka kakubi kakhulu ukumbona ekwisimo esibi sempilo. Wayevuyela nje ukuchitha usuku nosapho. Lwathi luphela nje olo suku wabe sele ebuyele esibhedlele.

Ngethuba ndimtyelela ekhayeni lakhe kwinyanga ephelileyo, ebeziva kwaye ebukeka engcono kakhulu, ebesele ethetha ngokubuyela emsebenzini ngenyanga kaTshazimpuzi. Ebemkhumbula unomathotholo. Ukunduluka kwakhe emhlabeni ngoLwesibini, umhla we-7 kweyoKwindla 2017, kuze nomothuko kananjalo nokuhlutha isizwe into enexabiso.

Ilizwi lakhe lithe cwaka ngonaphakade, kodwa iqela labasasazi athe wabaqeqesha, banabo ubungqina bokuhlakanipha kwakhe njengomsasazi kanomathotholo.

Ushiya ngasemva abazali bakhe, inkosikazi yakhe, abantwana ababini kananjalo abantakwabo ababini noodade abathathu.

Hamba kakuhle Zotsho!