Ngamani AmaBamba?

Umlibo waba bantu bangamaBamba ukusuka kuXhosa ulandwa uthiwe: UXhosa uzala uMalangana; ozala uNkosiyamntu; ozala uNgcwangu; ozala uTshawe; ozala uSikhomo; ozala uTogu; ozala uNgconde; ozala uTshiwo; ozala uPhalo. Aba bantu bayinzala kaTogu, kuthiwa ngethuba lokuyeka kukaNgconde ukuphatha bathi babanjiswa ubukumkani nobukhosi bamaXhosa, ukuze bananyathelwe leli gama lithi: ‘Mbamba’. Emva kwamaBamba kwathi kwaphatha uTshiwo.

AmaBamba abizwa ngokuba ngamaNdluntsha. Uthi uSoga, T.B.(1936) xa ecacisa ngento yobuNdluntsha: “…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 mntana 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.”

UJabavu, D.D.T kwincwadi yakhe ethi, ‘Imbumba yamanyama’ xa ethetha ngamaBamba, ubalisa uthi:”UJames Mafuma, umBamba, uthi amaBamba la alizuza igama lawo malunga ngelixa likaNgconde, ngokuthi ubukhosi bamaXhosa, okuya inkosi yayisakwayiwe, bubanjiswe umphakathi onyulwa kumaNgutyana asemaMpondweni kaNkosi uThangana owayemi ngaseLusikisiki, nonzala yakhe iselapho nanamhla. Nango amanye eDutyini naseBizana.”

UNgqangweni, S.K. kwincwadi ubalisa ngolu hlobo ngendlu yamaNdluntsha: “UNoqazo wayengazalanga, kodwa waye wahlulelwa isizwe azakusilawula; wanyulelwa namaphakathi. Wanikwa abantu bezizwe ezibhujelwe ziinkosana zazo, kwadalwa indlu entsha kaTshiwo, yabizwa ngokuba ngamaNdluntsha. Amasalela ale ndlu ngamaNkabane kwaBomvana, namaBamba kuGatyana.”

USebe, L.L. kwincwadi yakhe ethi, ‘Ucamngco’ usibalisela ukuba bekusithi xa kwaluswayo amakhwenkwe akomkhulu apha emaXhoseni umdlanga uqale kwinkwenkwe yasemaBambeni. Ubalisa uthi: “Uyakuyiva indoda yomXhosa isithi, “Mna ndaluka ngobani” esitsho ke exela igama laloo nkosana, loo mntwana awaluka naye, abe ke ngolo hlobo ubuxelile ubuntanga bakhe, iminyaka yakhe yobuntu ukutsho.

Nantsi ke into enomdla apha kuthi, iminyaka yobuntu bakho ayithathelwa kulaa mhla wokuzalwa kwakho: emadodeni kususelwa kulaa mhla waluka, kanti kwababhinqileyo uyakuva bethetha ngamasu. Sinjalo isiXhosa.

Xa siphanda ke kumadoda amadala, naxa sifunda ezincwadini ezibhaliweyo nangabantu basemzini, sifumanisa ukuba bekuzanywa ukuba kubekho inkwenkwe yasemaBambeni kweli butho laluswayo.

Andizukwazi ke mawethu ukuba unobangela yintoni na, kodwa kuthiwa le nkwenkwe yasemaBambeni umdlanga ubuqala kuyo phambi kokuba koluswe inkosana.

Uyabona ke thina singabantu abaneenkolelo zethu. Hleze kuthi kanti lo mdlanga ubukhe wahlangana namagqwirha wathanjiswa izinto ngezinto ukuze inkosana le yohlanga, ukuba kuqalwe ngayo ukwaluswa, ibe sesichengeni sabenzi bobubi sishiyeke isizwe singenankosana. Kwakuchekrwa amaBamba ke kuloo ndawo.”

Aba bantu babongwa bathiwa: “Ngabantwana bakaKrila abo, amaBamba, Kub’abambel’umzi kaXhosa ubukhosi asiyontsomi leyo, Ziinkomo zakwaThangana ezo, KwaRhasi, KwaTakashe, KwaMbombo. KwaBhodlinja, KwaHayeni, KwaFithi, KwaMcefane, AmaBandla akuloYono, KwaKhonkotha ntloko yenja, Ndizakuphothulela ngokuhlwa, Ngamabandla akwaKhawuta komkhulu lawo, AkwaNgconde, AkwaBolose. NgamaNdluntsha ke lawo, Inzala kaNoqazo, KaGuntu Nqeno, Iinkomo zikaPhalo, ZikaNgqika, ZikaRharhabe, ZikaGcaleka, ZikaSarhili, Nkomo zibomvu, Nkomo zimdaka zasemlanjeni, Nkomo zimdaka zaselwandle, Mangaphi amaqhinga mBamba? Mahlanu nangaphezulu! Nkomo zikaJukuty’um….. omde engawusingisi mntwini, Oobhabha phezulu njengenkonjane ehlotyeni nasebusika, OoDizadala kade bemkhwahlaza, Bathi bakugqiba bampakaza, Ukuze balibona bodwa ilizwe, Izinto ezidla ngendeb’endala , OoGuga sithebe kudal’usophulela, OoMakad’enethwa ziimvula engenadyasi, Makad’etyiwa zizinj’engenantonga, Thambodala kade bemqongqotha, Ugaga oludal’oluman’ukuqongqothwa, Inkab’amalang’idyongwe efolosi, Goduka Nonqane wafa yingqele, Kukud’ezulwin’asiyi kufika, Kuya kufik’abaneempondo!”