Ukufa kumi emnyango kukhweba nababhali

Umbhali: Zongezile Matshoba

Unkqonkqozisiwe ucango lokufa wavulelwa naye umbhali ophume izandla uSimphiwe Nolutshungu. Ezo ndaba zixhela umphefumlo zehle ngowokuqala kweyeDwarha mhla esohlukana unaphakade nento yokubhala. Izihlobo nezalamane zithe wayi-wayi ukuya kuva imbali yobomi bakhe ibaliswa ngowe-14 kweyeDwarha ka2023 mhla kugxwala emswaneni kwinkonzo yokubekwa kwikhaya lakhe lokugqibela Ezibeleni, cebu kuhle kuKomani.

Ibeyimibongo namabali, izithethi ngezithethi zivuyisana nobomi abuphilileyo. “Ubuchule bokutyatyadula ngosiba wabubonakalisa eselula,” umzobe watsho umkhuluwa wakhe uVuyisile Nolutshungu. “Hayi, sasinedrama sisengabantwana.” Uhambise watsho. “Ngobunye ubusuku sixelelwa ukuba zesikhe silale. Saphendula ngelithi ibhedi iyajikeleza. Kaloku sasisoyika kuba sasilala sivuke omnye ejonge ecaleni eli lixa omnye ejonge ngezantsi.”

Kwekhu, ngubani ongayaziyo into yokuphethuka nokukhabakhabana kwabantwana? Nangona yayingoyena umncinci uSimphiwe, kodwa uVuyisile noThandi babengxoliswa ngokungaboneli kuye ngokuthi afunde iBhayibhile ukusuka kwiphepha lokuqala ukuya kwelokugqibela.

Ethethela oogxa bakhe uMnumzana Njili ngelixa bona bengqonge loo bhokisi alele ethe zole kuyo okaNolutshungu uthe, “Sisengabantwana esikolweni wayelihlekisa ke lo mfo, akugqiba angahleki tu yena. Wayekrelekrele ingakumbi ekubaliseni, ekubhaleni, ekubongeni nasekuhlalutyeni. Loo nto yayisifaka engxakini kuba thina sasibonwa njengamanqenerha angafundiyo.”

Ebengumlinganiswa ogqamileyo okaNolutshungu kumabali abahlobo bakhe. Wayengowokuqala ukuthenga anxibe iidimasi neqhina kuba ngeloxesha yayiyinto enkulu.

Waba ngowokuqala ukuphangela eofisini esebenzela umzi wakwa-Old Mutual. Waba ngowokuqala ukuba beve ukuba ufunda edyunivesithi eRhini. Nokudlulela ayo kuphangela kwidyunivesithi yaseKapa yaba yinto ebukwayo nebonelwayo xa elowo ebona loo lokishi nentlalo yaseZibeleni.

Lo mbhali ulishiye eli limagada ahlabayo egqibezela izifundo zakhe zobugqirha (PhD) kwidyunivesithi yaseKapa. UGqirha Hleze Kunju nokwaxelenga kwalapho umzobe njengomfundi nomsebenzi obezimisele kakhulu, kwakunye nombhali ogqwesileyo.

• Ukuthumela ebhekileni amadoda esela - ukudelela.
• Ukundityhalisa imoto edumayo - ukundibhanxa.
• Ukuphuma kwindlu yangasese uhlafuna - ukungabhadli.

La ngamanye amaqhalo amatsha nesiwashiyelwa lusiba lolowo wakwaNolutshungu, udize njalo uGqirha Kunju. Esakumbiza Rhadebe ngelo lixa wayelikhankatha likaNolutshungu kwidyunivesithi yaseRhodes phantsi kwezifundo zeMasters kubuGcisa bokuBhala, uzobe ukumazi nkcakasana okaNolutshungu uGqirha Kunju.

Erhabulisa kobo budidiyelwe ngomonde ngulowo kaNolutshungu, okaKunju uhambise ibhekile wamcaphula wenjenje:

ULWIMI LWAM LWAKWAXHOSA

... Mna ndedwa ndakulwa kubuy’ uNxele

Ndityityimbe kuvakalelwe ubumnyama bam

Ndilondle olu lwam ‐

Ndilondlele izizukulwana zeAfrika

Ndakuma ke phantsi kwethunzi lezigxeko ‐

De kukhanye nasemqolombeni apho ...

ENDIMTHANDAYO

… Ilizwi lakhe kukukhanya,

Ubukho bakhe yimpilo ehlaziyekileyo,

Uncumo lwakhe yinyanga ebusuku,

Intliziyo yakhe izele imfihlo yothando, ...

Kuyacaca gca ukuba eneneni okaNolutshungu ebecinga ngesiXhosa, ephupha ngesiXhosa, enebhongo neqhayiya ngolwimi lwakhe. Usiba lwakhe lukwasizobela umfo ebenothando yowakwakhe nobenenkathalo ebantwaneni bakhe. Kona ukufa yinto nayo ebebhala ngayo engenaxhala.

Kufa ulivumba elitsarh' umphefumlo,

Kutsho kuthiml' ingcwaba.

...

Wena kufa ulizothe,

…

Hamba uhambe ke ngoko,

Kufa okukufa kokufa,

Kufa ndini,

Kufa suka!!

Wayengoyiki nto futhi engonqeni okaNolutshungu kuba wayesele wawubhalayo nombongo okhumbuza abazili emva komngcwabo wakhe.

Nangona usiba lwakhe libonakala lungqengqile, luphumle de kufike mntu wumbi athabathise apho aphele khona okaNolutshungu.

Iidyunivesithi ezinjengeStellenbosch nalapho uGqirha Simthembile Xeketwana afundisa esebenzisa ezinye zeencwadi zikaNolutshungu aziphazamanga. Ijelo losasazo Umhlobo Wenene nawo wawungaphazami mhla wawusenza incwadi yakhe ethi Ubuze Benimba kwinkqubo yabo ethi Ufundo Lwencwadi ngonyaka ka2019.

Umfundi kwidyunivesithi yaseKapa uSilulundi Coki wenza izifundo zeeHonours, ngoku udlulele kwezeMasters ephengulula umsebenzi kaNolutshungu, kwaye usekhondweni elililo. Alizange liphazame nephephandaba elingaphaya kwekhulu leminyaka likho, iGrocott’s Mail eRhini xa lalimana lipapasha imibongo yakhe.

Lona iphephandaba I’solezwe lesiXhosa lisihlafunisile kuba sisamumathe nangoku oko lamnika umhlathi othi ‘Ungangeni Andinxibanga’ nalapho ebemana ukusithi qhuzu-qhuzu ngamabalana.

Umsebenzi wakhe kulwimi lwesiXhosa ukwagximfizwe isitampu ngokuthi awongwe lukhuphiswa iAvbob Poetry Project (2019) newonga iSALA (South African Literary Award, 2017).

Mayibe zintloni kubafundi nakubabhali besiXhosa abangamaziyo uSimphiwe Nolutshungu. Abesilungu bayamazi futhi bayalingqina usiba lwakhe ukuba belungantywantywi lutekete namhla wayethula umsebenzi othi Nolutshungu Avenue apha eAmazwi eMakhanda ngowama2013.

I-Amazwi ilindile futhi iya kwamkela nabani na ofuna ukwazi ngokuthe vetshe ngalombhali nemisebenzi yakhe. Okungenani ke, lowo uthandabuzayo uyakunceda acofe uGoogle kuba kuthiwe inyathi ibuzwa kwabaphambili.