Umthanjiswa womLungu owaguqula iingqondo

Amadoda angabasebenzi ezidolophini athi xa ebulisana ekhwela izithuthi ngezithuthi zokuwasa emakhaya ngexesha leholide, ‘Inde indlela sakuhamba ngokuhamba’.

Ngalo mhlathi ungentla ndithi makhe ndilandise abantu bakuthi ngalo mba wokubaluleka nokungabaluleki kweelwimi zesiNtu. Apho uninzi lwabantu lucinga ukuba xa umntu efunda ngolwimi lwenkobe sokuze loo nto imse ndawo.

Wathi omnye umfo sincokola ngenkqubela yesizwe sakuthi esiMnyama sisithelekisa nesizwe esiMhlophe, ‘UmLungu mdala intlanzi uyifaka etotini ayivalele ungazi nokuba ibingene kweliphi icala’.

Oku ke kundikhumbuza indlela esi sizwe siMhlophe esisebenzise ngayo isiXhosa ukuzakhela iwonga, indumasi, imbeko, nobutyebi.

Phambi kokuba ndingene emxholweni ndinga isizwe sakuthi ndingasikrobisa kwijoyini yakwaTEBA eyayigaya amadoda ezilalini aye kusebenza emigodini kwilizwe loMzantsi Afrika.

Eli gama lithi Teba yayiligama lomLungu owayejoyinisa amadoda aNtsundu. Elona gama lakhe lesiLungu lamanyhani yayinguHenry Mellville Taberer, kwaye wayenesiphiwo sokukwazi ukuthetha iilwimi ezininzi zabaNtsundu ezithethwa kuMazantsi eAfrika.

Iiofisi zakhe zokujoyinisa zazibizwa ngokuba kukwaTeba. La majoyini akhe wayewalanda kwezi ndawo zilandelayo: Botswana, Swaziland, KwaZulu-Natal, Mozambique, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Transkei, Ciskei.

UHenry Mellville Taberer wazalwa ngowe7 Oktobha 1870, ezalelwa kwidolophu yakuQoboqobo eMpuma Koloni. Wayengunyana kaMfundisi C. Taberer.

Ngokwasesikolweni wafunda eSt Andrew’s College, eRhini, (dolophu leyo kwezi mini yaziwa ngokuba yiMakhanda), ukususela ngoJanuwari 1883 ukuya kuJuni 1892.

UngumLungu enjalo, ezalelwa kuQoboqobo wayezazi zonke iilwimi zesiNtu ezazithethwa ngamadoda awayewagayela iijoyini zakwaTeba ezisebenzisa ukuchumisa ishishini lakhe nokudala ubudlelwane nentembeko kubantu abaNtsundu bezizwe ngezizwe awayesebenza ngabo.

Umthanjiswa wethu nguMfu. Henry Hare Dugmore nowaziwa ngokuba nguH.H. Dugmore owayengumfundisi wasemaNgesini wothunyelo (missionary), umfundisi owayethunyelwa kubantu besinye isizwe abangekabi nayo le nkolelo yakhe yesizwe sakhe.

Lo mthanjiswa wazalelwa eNgilani, ezalwa nguIsaac noMaria Dugmore. UHenry Hare Dugmore wabhaptizeshwa ngophawu lomnqamlezo kaKrestu ngomhla wesi5 Juni 1810.

Usapho lakwaDugmore lalishiya elaseBritane leza eMzantsi Afrika emva kokuba lathi lahlwempuzeka ngenxa yokungakwazi ukuhlawula ityala lemali yesizalwane salo elalisimele xa sithatha elo tyala.

Olu sapho lakwaDugmore lakhwela inqanawa ekwakusithiwa yiSir George Osborn ngowe1820 beyinxalenye yeqela lamaSetlani awayekhokelwa nguGardner.

Ngowe1830 uH.H. Dugmore wazibandakanya neWesleyan Methodist Church, wafundela ukuthanjiswa njengomfundisi ozeleyo. Kwathi ekupheleni kowe1830 watyunjwa njengomfundisi oza kungena kwindawo eyayishiywe nguMfu. William Boyce eMount Coke eQonce.

UH.H. Dugmore waye wafunda ulwimi lwesiXhosa labantu awayeza kusebenza phakathi kwabo ngokukhawuleza waze waluthetha ngokungathi uluncance ebeleni. Walusebenzisa ekwenzeni umsebenzi wobufundisi awayewuthunyiwe.

Waba ngomnye wamadoda aMhlophe okuqala ukwenza inguqulelo yokuqala yeBhayibhile kulwimi lwesiXhosa. UH.H. Dugmore waqamba into eninzi yamaculo esiXhosa ecawe yobuKrestu, amanye awo asasetyenziswayo nanamhlanje lihlelo lamaWisile namanye amahlelo.

Ngowe1860 uH.H. Dugmore wayishiya iMount Coke (Mkhubiso) waya kutsho kuKomani nalapho wabhubhela khona ngowe1896. UMfu. H.H. Dugmore wayekwangumbhali weencwadi esingabalula ezi, The Reminiscences of an Albany Settler (1858); Verse (1920); The Book of Psalms Translated into Kafir Language – Incwadi Yamaculo kaDavide ikhunyushelwe kokwamaXosa (1852); Igospeli Engcwele Ngokubhala kukaMalaki (1842); Henry Hare Dugmore Papers.

Inkitha yabefundisi abaMhlophe bothunyelo abasuka kumazwe aseYuropu naseMntla Melika babemtyelela ukuza kusenga ulwazi kuye ngesimo sabantu abangamaXhosa.

Elinye lamaculo akhe lelo liculwa ezikolweni zabaNtsundu xa kungena isikolo apho abaNtsundu babubulela iBritane ngokubaphathela imfundo ibahlangula kubuqaba nobumnyama.

Apho kuboniswa ukuba ookhokho bamaXhosa babhubha balishiya eli lizwe bengakhange bayonwabele imfundo esuka eYuropu kumaBritane.

Lihambisa lithi: “Namhla ndivuyile mina, Ngalo ithamsanqa lam; Balingane, nithini na? Manise nivuya nam. Nkosi, ndiyakudumisa, Ngokuba undifundisa; Ndaye ndiya kuzoyisa, Zonke ezi ncwadi zam. Xa ndihleli esikolweni, Kuba mnandi futhi kum; Xa ndingen’etyalikeni, Ovuyayo oko ndim. Nkosi, ndiya kudumisa, Ngokuba undifundisa; Ndaye ndiya kuzoyisa zonke ezi ncwadi zam. Kwela lizwe lakowethu Ezi ncwadi asazazi; Babehlel’oobawo bethu, Olu vuyo bengalwazi. Nkosi, ndiya kudumisa ngokuba undifundisa; Ndaye ndiya kuzoyisa zonke ezi ncwadi zam. Ma ndihlale ndibulela ngalo ithamsanqa lam; kude kube kukuphela kokuhlala apha kwam. Nkosi ndiya kudumisa, Ngokuba undifundisa; Ndaye ndiya kuzoyisa zonke ezi ncwadi zam.”

Eli culo lelinye lezinto ezadala umhlantla nethanda elikhulu phakathi kwabantu abaNtsundu.

Kwaqala kwadaleka amagqobhoka nabahedeni abangamaqaba angakholwayo aza kutsha esihogweni esivutha umlilo ongacimiyo bezanyiswa ngefolokhwe ende kaSathana. Amagqobhoka aqala azikhwebula ekwenzeni amasiko nezithethe zakwamakowawo.

Baqala abantwana bawo babavalela kumakhaya awo ukuze bangadibani nabantwana bamaqaba abathukayo. Abantwana bawo bathi basuswa ukuba basondele kwindawo apho kwenziwa khona amasiko afana neentonjane namadini.

Bayalwa kwathiwa bangabokusondela kwiindawo ezineendibano zabantwana babantu ababomvu ezifana nemitshotsho, iintlombe, iimbutho nemijadu.

Eyona nto kwathiwa mabayiphakamise kakhulu zizithethe zesiLungu eziluphawu lwempucuko neziza kubenza abona bantu baphucukileyo elizweni. Konke oku ngamandla engoma kaH.H. Dugmore neyayibethelela ukuba abantwana bahlambeke ingqondo, bangaluthembi uhlanga lwakowabo. Iziseko zenkcubeko yabo zakhangeleka ziyinto ephantsi.

Baphela besazi ukuba eyona Nkosi nguKumkani nekumkanikazi yaseBritane, noThixo uYehova oziqu zithathu. Yantle phofu loo nto kodwa ke ngekukuhle ngakumbi ukuba ezi zithethe bezibekwe kwibhanti enye.