Ubomi bukaMqhayi

Molweni nanamhlanje bathandi nabaxhasi bephepha-ndaba lamihla le, I’solezwe lesiXhosa. Namhlanje ndithe mandikhe ndinirhabulise ndinishwankathelele ubomi beqhawe lweelwimi zesiNtu uMnumzana S.E.K Mqhayi.

Umnumzana Samuweli (Samuel) Edward Krune Mqhayi wazalelwa kwiNtili yeTyhume, kwaGqumahashe ngomhla wokuqala kweyoMnga ngonyaka ka-1875. Uyise uZiwani wayeliphakathi lakomkhulu kwaNgqika. Ukhule eyinkwenkwana enengqondwana yayo elilolo, eliso libukhali, nesebenza nzima. Ebenemfeketho ethi maxa wambi imfake ezinkathazweni, ade afake namaqabane akhe kwinkathazo ezinkwanjalo. Ukhule engumfana okrelekrele osithandayo isikolo.

Ubukrelekrele bakhe buye baqaqamba kwibanga lokuqala esikolweni kuba waye wadluliselwa kwibanga elingentla engekapheli nonyaka. Oku kwenzeka ngenxa yenkxaso aweyeyifumana koodade bakhe endlini. Xa wayenethoba leminyaka uyise, uZiwani, wafudukela kuCentane apho uSamuweli achithe iminyaka emithandathu. Eli ibe lithuba lendyebo kuye kuba uye wafunda lukhulu ngobomi nangamasiko esiXhosa. Eyona nto ithe yatsala umdla wakhe ngamatyala axoxwa komkhulu.

Ubomi bakhe esikolweni buye banamagingxigingxi kuba kwafuneka ayeke aze oluse imfuyo. Lo nto azange imphathe kakuhle kuba yena wayesithanda isikolo. Ngeli xesha lokwalusa kwakhe imfuyo wayesithi akubona incwadi nephepha eliphephetshwa ngumoya alichole aligocagoce ukulifunda oku, nokuba libhalwe ngesiNgesi nokuba kungesiXhosa. Walunonophela ngokukodwa ulwazI olujongene nezibhalo.

Emva kokuba uyise efudikile kuCentane oodade bakhe baya kumphuthuma wayokuhlala eQonce. Uphinde wabuyela esikolweni apho wayakufunda eDikeni. Ufunde apho kwade kwafika ixesha lokuba aqeqeshelwe ubutishala. Kuhambeke kwada kwafika ixesha lokuba angeniswe ebulungwini becawa. Ubephantsi kweempembelelo zamadoda abalulekileyo esingakhankanya kuwo noyisemkhulu uKrune, obehlala eTyhume.

Imisebenzi kaS.E.K Mqhayi ibe bubutishala noBunzululwazi.

Ubutishala ubuqeqeshelwe eLovedale apho athe wahlohla khona okwethutyana waze wemka waya kuxelenga eMonti, kodwa umphefumlo wakhe wawungekho ebutishaleni. Nangona wayeyitishala wayeyigxeka imfundo yaseNtshona kodwa ekwayincoma ngezinto eyathi yazizisa kweli lase-Afrika, kodwa eyisele iso into yokuba le mfundo yayiqaqambisa amaKoloniyali nobungangamsha baseNtshona.

Ukufundisa kwembali yabaNtsundu yinto awayeyibethelela ngamandla, kuba wayesithi imbali, ayikokushicilelwa kweziganeneko, yindlela abenza ngayo izinto abantu nekufuneka zinikwe ingqwalasela ngobunjalo bazo. Le mbono yakhe iye ivele kwiincwadi azibhalileyo zeenkokheli zalapha e-Afrika. Ube ngunobhala webandla likaMfu. uW. B. Rubusana , noweLiso Lomzi.

Esi ibe sisiqalo kwimicimbi yezinto zentlalo neyobudlelane beentlanga, ngokukodwa ezimhlophe neziNtsundu. Uqale ukubhala ngokuthi emana ethumela amanqaku kwiphepha lesiXhosa, IZwi Labantu. Amanqaku akhe okuqala abe “Ngelizwe lamaNdlambe” nango “Ntsikana”. Akubanga kudala wabizwa ngokuba “yiMbongi yakwaGompo” waza emva koko “wayiMbongi yeSizwe”. Uthe emva koko wabhala incwadana ebizwa ngokuba nguSamson..uye wancedisa ekuhleleni ‘Imvo zabaNtsundu’ okwethutyana. Waye wacelwa nguMnu. W.G Bennie owayeengumhlohli omkhulu wemfundo yabaNtsundu efuna uncedo lwakhe kwiingongoma ezithile ekusetyenzisweni kwesiXhosa, nemigaqo yokwakhiwa kwaso namagama. Uye walilungu lebhodi eyayisingathiswe umcimbi wokuhlaziya iBhayibhile yesiXhosa.

UMqhayi ubhale ngokuphangaleleyo imibongo nezibongo, apho ebethetha ngezinto eziphangaleleyo. Ebekholise ukubhala ngembali nangezinye izihloko esingakhankanya kuzo, iNyani, iThemba, uThando kwakunye noBuntu nendlela yokuziphatha. Ebebalasele ngokuba yimbongi yomthonyama ethi idibanise amasiko nezithethe zakwaXhosa kwizibongo nemibongo yakhe. Umsebenzi wakhe ubungaqwalaseli ukuhlala neenkosi kuphela, ebekwazichaphazela nezopolitiko, ingakumbi emva kokuba abaMhlophe bathatha ulawulo lomhlaba wabaNtsundu. Ezi zizinto ezimenze wahluka waza waqaqamba kwezinye iimbongi.

Impembelelo enkulu ize kuhla kwakupapashwa incwadi ‘Ityala Lamawele’ ngomnyaka wama-1914, elithe kamva laziindidi ezimbini, elide nelifutshane, apho kuyo athe wajonga indlela ethi lichotsholwe ngayo ityala kwakunye nendlela ekugwetywa ngayo, ngamagama apheleleyo ujonga ubulungisa. Ngokoluvo lwakhe umthetho nobulungisa zizo ezithi ziqulunqe imo yokuhlala nendlela yokuziphatha kwabantu. Uveza indlela nenkqubo ethi ligwetywe ngayo ityala kwaXhosa. Le ncwadi yamtsho waduma kubantu bakowabo.

Ezi ziincwadi zakhe ezithe zabaluleka: IMihobe neMibongo, USamson, UDon Jadu, UBomi buka J.K Bokhwe, USoGqumahashe, IBandla Labantu, UMhlekazi uHintsa, INzuzo , ISikhumbuzo sikaNtsikana, U-Aggrey um-Afrika (uguquko lwencwadi ka-E.W Smith).

Ebudaleni bakhe wamisa umzi wakhe kwiNduli kaTilana, ngakuloo mendo uphakathi kweQonce neMonti. Uyithiye igama elithi “yiNtab’ozuko”. Zibe ninzi iintlanganiso aya kuzo, buthakazelelwa ubukho bakhe kuzo, ngokukodwa njengeMbongi.

Ulishiye eli phakade “eNtab’ozuko” ngomhla we-29 kweyeKhala, 1945, wangcwatywa khona apho emva kweentsuku ezimbini.