Imvelaphi yabaThembu
Masiqale ngelithi abaThembu asisizwe esizimeleyo nesingabusi phantsi kwesinye isizwe ngokolawulo lwemveli. Oko kukuthi sinobukumkani baso. Imbali yemvelaphi yabaThembu ayahlukanga kuleyo yezinye izizwe eziNtsudu zalapha eMzantsi Afrika.
Nayo le mbali igujululwa ekubeni abaThembu athi gqi eMntla-Mpuma wezwekazi i-Afrika. Nakubeni kunjalo kukho abanye ababalisi abade bachaze ncakasa namagama eendawo aphuma kuzo abaThembu. Naso esi sizwe sibalelwa ekubeni sisizwe saseMbo, naxa kwalapha kubaThembu ufumanisa ukuba kukho abangathandi ukuzidibanisa neMbo okanye nabaMbo.
Mayivele kwalapha ekuqaleni ukuba abaThembu bakhe babizwa ngokuba ngamaTambuki (Tambookies). AbeLungu ke batyhola ngokuba yayingabaThwa abathiya abaThembu ngelo gama. Kodwa ke kwabona abeLungu babuye bakhuphe imbali yokuba amaTambuki yayiluhlanga labaThwa elalizinze kwesa sithili saseTsomo. Ihambisa ithi abaThembu babephila kunye nolo hlanga kuloo mmandla. Akukho nto itshoyo ke ukuba kwaze kwathini ze eli gama linamatheliswe nabaThembu. AbeLungu ke abakhe bayivume lula into xa ingenaziphumo zihle. Bakholwa kukuyityikila kolandelayo ongenguye owolo hlanga labo.
Xa kulandwa imvelaphi yabaThembu kukho ukungangqinelani kwababalisi. Umzekelo, uMnumzana H.M. Ndawo kunye noHenderson Soga babalisa ukuba uXhosa, uMthembu kunye noChibi ngoonyana bakaMnguni abafika behamba naye ukusuka kuMntla-Mpuma wezwekazi i-Afrika. Kuthe besakuwela umlambo iZambezi uXhosa noMthembu bahamba eyabo indlela beqhuzuka kwiqela likaMnguni, ze uChibi wahamba noyise uMnguni. Aba babhali bayangqinelana kule ndawo. Kubanye ababhali akaveli nangonwele uMnguni. Kuphinda kubekho abaThembu bakwaZulu-Natal. Nakubeni benayo indawo kaBhomoyi noMvelase iphinde iduke esithubeni ekungqinelaneni ngabo balandela esi sibini.
EkaGqirha W. Rubusana imbali ihamba eyayo indlela ngelithi uMthembu noXhosa noMpondomise baphuma kumnombo omnye, uNjanya kaMbulali, uMbulali kaZwide, ingenguye uZwide wamaNdwandwe. Uthi uNjana wazala uMalandela noMpondomise kunye noMalangela. AbaThembu baphuma kuMalandela, amaMpondomise kuMpondomise ze amaMpondo namaXhosa kuMalangela.
Akukho kuphikisa nanye kwezi mbali ngaphandle kokubonisa ubunzulu bomonakalo owenziwa yimbali yomlomo. Kukubonisa nokuthi kuthe kwakufika usiba nalo lenza onzima wona umonakalo kuba loo nto izotywe ngalo ihlala undohlala. Umonakalo wenzeka ngakumbi ngexesha lamakoloniyale nelocalulo ngokobuhlanga, i-Apartheid. Nakubeni kwasekuqalile ukubhala ngaloo maxesha, kodwa umongo wento ebhalwayo okanye ebhaliweyo kwakunyanzeleke ukuba ihambelane neemfuno zabashicileli kunye nezinto ezazivumelekile kubalawuli borhulumente welo xesha. Umzekelo, uMthembu omkhulu, Imbongi Yesizwe Jikelele, uMnumzana S.E.K. Mqhayi wakhe wakhwina ekhalaza embombozela xa kwakufuneka ejike imiba ethile kwimibhalo yakhe. Xa embombozela wathi bacinga ukuba bangamfundisa ukubonga. Abo wayethetha ngabo yayingabamHlophe.
Nangoku wayethi xa ebagxeka abengathi uyancoma kanti kwezo zincomo zakhe uyagxeka, ibe ngolo hlobo ibasithele intsingiselo yalo ntetho yakhe abamHlophe. Iingcango zivuliwe ngoku kubabhali. Kungani ukuba bangabhali imbali yezizwe zabo ngolwimi lwabo? Koda kube nini sikhalazela ukwenziwa kwembali yomlomo ngookhokho bethu sibe sisenza yona thina kuqala? Kodwa ke okona kubalulekileyo kukuba abaThembu basisizwe esinobukumkani baso.
Iikumkani zabaThembu
Nalu uluhlu lweekumkani zabaThembu ukusukela kulowo kukhumbulekayo nokuqapheleka ukuba baqala kuye:
Makhe siphefumle ngo Ngubengcuka. UNgubengcuka uzimanye nomaFaku oliMpondo laseNyandeni. Elokukhahlela lale nkosazana yaba ngu-Ah!! Nonesi. Undlunkulu kaNgubengcuka ubusakuba kule ndawo kumi kuyo iQueens College namhlanje kwidolophi yakuKomani (Queenstown). Nakubeni uKumkanikazi Nonesi wandlandlathekiswayo nje ngamaNgesi ukususwa kwakhe kweli bhotwe, uhlonitshwe kakhulu sisizwe sakhe sabaThembu. Ekungazini ke nokuba la magama ooQueenstown, Queens College, Queens Park athiywa ukuhlonipha uQueen Nonesi na, okanye kukugquka umkhondo kuba amaNgesi ezinye indawo ayezithiya ngoQueen Victoria.
Noxa kunjalo kukho indlela kwintaba ephuma kuKomani eya eCacadu (Lady Frere) eyathiywa ngaye uKumkanikazi Nonesi kwakudaladala. Emazantsi aloo ntaba kwakhiwa isikolo esilolu hlobo kuthiwa yiTVET College. Esi sikolo kuthiwa yiQueen Nonesi.
Kuhle ke nokuphawula ukuba uNgubengcuka ube ngukumkani wokugqibela apho abaThembu bebenekumkani enye, kungekabikho abaThembu baseMpuma nabaseNtshona. Phaya ngakwidolophu yaseMthatha kukho ilokishi egama layo kuthi yiNgangelizwe. Elo ligama lomnye wabazukulwana bakaNgubengcuka owayesakuba yikumkani yabaThembu. Zininzi ke iindawo nezakhiwo ezikwiziphaluka zabaThembu ezithiywe ngamagama eenkokeli zabo, ngakumbi kulaa mmandla wawusakwaziwa ngokuba yiTranskei.
Kwakhona ke kukho impazamo eyenziwa ngabantu, le yokuthi xa kuthethwa ngeekumkani bacinge ukuba kuthethwa ngeenkosi. Ikumkani iphethe isizwe sonke, kanti ke inkosi yona iphethe inqila ethile yeso sizwe. Zininzi iinkosi ebukumkanini ibe yona ikumkani inye. Nokuba isizwe singohlulwa sibe ziikumkani ezimbini, ikumkani yesizwe ngasinye kwezo kumkani izakuba nye kodwa iinkosi zona zibeninzi.
Imimandla yabaThembu
Ayiloculo okanye akuyongoma ukuba xa kuthethwa ngemimandla yabantu abaNtsundu apha eMzantsi Afrika simane sisithi uhlanga okanye isizwe esithile sikho kuwo onke amaphondo eli.
Loo meko injalo. Kukwanjalo ke nakubaThembu. Bakho kulo lonke eloMzantsi, kwaye banelungelo lokuba babekho kwiinkalo zonke zelizwe kungekho kubukulwa ukuba abamelanga kubakho kwezo ndawo. Kodwa ke ikhona imimandla apho bafumaneka khona ngokobuninzi. Eminye yaloo mimandla abaThembu bayizuza ngokuthi babe ngabokuqala ukufika nokwakha kuyo. Eminye bayifumana ngokuyilwela ngalaa maxesha akudala kwakusiliwa iimfazwe ukuze kuzuzwe imihlala. Okokugqibela, le mimandla bayifumana ngokududulwa ngabeLungu baze bayithatha loo mihlaba babelana ngayo, kwaye beyibanga ngokuba yeyabo.
Ngokwembali abaThembu bafumaneka phakathi kwemilambo uMthatha noMbhashe. Zininzi ke iidolophu zabaThembu ekungenakuba lula ukuzibhala zonke. Kaloku ngoku sekukho neendawana esezakhiwe ezazifudula zingekho mandulo. Obunye ubume bezi dolophu bachatshazelwa lungenelelo ngamaKoloniyale, kwade kwaguqulwa nemida.
Mandulo phaya kunikwa ingxelo yokuba iziphaluka ezazisenza umhlaba wabaThembu nguMthatha, Mqanduli, Ngcobo, Gatyana, Mjanyana neDutywa. Kwakhona kubuye kuthiwe izithili zabaThembi ngexesha lamakoloniyale zazimi ngolu hlobo: Emjanyana, Engcobo, Mqanduli, Umtata, St Marks, Southeyville ne Xalanga.
Kukho nembali ethi imida yabaThembu yanwenwa yada yayakutsho komaKomani, Cacadu (Lady Frere) ukuya komaCala noma-Elliot ngenxa yokuba abaThembu babebaleka ukuhlaselwa nguTshaka ngexesha leMfecane.
Nalapha kule mbali yabaThembu ngaske siyise iso le ndawo yeMfecane kuba ichaswa kwangabeLungu ukuba ayizange ibekho. Into ababhali bembali ekudingeka bayiphande sisithwangube seZwekufa. Kulapho amaNgesi namaPhuthukezi ayetshabalalisa khona abantu abaNtsundu, ngakumbi abaMbo, ngeenjongo zokuma imihlaba yabo nokubenza amakhoboka.
Okunye okunokukhankanywa kukuba imida yabaThembu yenziwa ngamaMpondo, amaMpondomise, amaBomvana kunye namaXhosa. Ezo zizwe zingabamelwane babaThembu. Singasuke sabelane ngale mephu yamandulo ebonisa indawo yabaThembu:
