THOBEKA MDA
Le nyanga yoMsintsi, yinyanga esikhumbula nesibhiyozela ngayo amafa esizwe sethu (national heritage) singuMzantsi Afrika. Kwabaninzi le nyanga, ngakumbi usuku lwama24, yimini yokunxiba izinxibo zohlanga lwakho. Utsho ubone ke ubumbejembeje bezinxibo – amaXhosa, amaVenda, abeSuthu, amaNdebele njalo njalo.
Kanti ke, amafa esizwe awaphelelanga kwisinxibo, isinxibo yenye yezinto ezininzi kumafa esizwe. Ndivuye kakhulu ukuva ukuba uMphathiswa wezeMidlalo, ubuGcisa, neNkcubeko, Obekekileyo uMnu. Gayton McKenzie, uthe kule nyanga imibhiyozo yeSebe lakhe iza kugxila kumagorha namagorhakazi abhubha elwela inkululeko, phantsi komxholo: “Amadabi okuchasa ingcinezelo akhokelela kwinkululeko.”
Kwizichazi-magama nakuMthetho osekiweyo wamagugu eMzantsi Afrika, amafa esizwe aquka konke oko esikufumene njengelifa kwindalo, nakwezembali, ukuze sikonwabele, sikudlulisele kwizizukulwana ezizayo.
La mafa adluliswa kwiintsapho ekhayeni, luluntu olusingqongileyo, kwiindawo abantu abakhulele kuzo, kanti nangokuxatyiswa kubhiyozelwe sisizwe sonke. Loo nto yenza ukuba umntu ozalelwe eMzantsi Afrika, abe nebango kwilifa loMzantsi Afrika, neleAfrika iphela, ngoba kulapho akhiwe khona.
Amafa esizwe aquka: okubambekayo – iindawo nezakhiwo ezinembali, izikhumbuzo ezimisiweyo, amaziko ogcino lwezinto zakudala nakuquletheyo (museums, archives); ezendalo – imilambo, iingxangxasi, amathafa, amahlathi, izilwanyana zasendle nezasekhaya, izinambuzane, izityalo, imithi, iintaka; okungabambekiyo kodwa kuyabonwa – amasiko nezithethe, imidlalo, umculo, imixhentso nemidaniso, iintsomi, amabali, ubugcisa.
Ngako oko ke, ilifa lesizwe soMzantsi Afrika, liquka izakhiwo iUnion Buildings, isiqithi iRobben Island, isiseko semveli soluntu iCradle of Humankind, imiqolomba iSudwala Caves, eSikhobeni (Hole in the Wall), Cape Point, Swartkrans neKromdraai, iiNtaba zoKhwahlamba, iNtaba yeTafile, iMapungubwe Cultural Landscape, ubugcisa babaThwa obusemaweni (Bushman’s Kloof rock art), St Lucia Wetlands, imigodi yegolide neyedayimane, imbabala, ingonyama, inyathi, ixhwili, ingxangxosi, ixhalanga, iprotea, ifynbos, iilwimi ezithethwayo nezibhaliweyo, iingoma - “Imbube,” “Igqirha lendlela;” ilaphu isiShweshwe, ipapa, umngqusho, iti ibholani, ibobotie, koeksisters, njalo njalo.
Imvelaphi yethu yiyo eyenza ukuba sibe ngaba bantu esingabo. Imbali yemvelaphi yethu yiyo eyenza ukuba izinto sizibone ngohlobo oluthile, izinto ezithile sizixabise, ezinye sizoyike, njalo njalo, ngokwahlukileyo kwezinye izizwe ezingenayo le mbali sinayo.
Njengoba sisazi nasemakhayeni ethu neentsapho zethu, ezinye izinto ezidluliselwa kuthi ngelinye ixesha iimfuza, asizithandi sonke, umzekelo, intloko embhoxo, impandla, amehlo abomvu krwe, ibala lesikhumba, iinyawo ezinkulu njalo njalo.
Ilifa lemveli lethu sonke boMzantsi Afrika, nalo linezinto esingazithandiyo, esineentloni ngazo, ezicaphukisayo, kanti kuninzi nesizingca ngako. Imbali yethu inokufika kwabavangeli baphesheya, abemi abasuka eHolani, iilwimi zaba bafiki baphesheya, uHendrik Verwoerd, umthetho wocalucalulo, ukohluthwa komhlaba kubemi bemveli bathathelwe nawo onke amalungelo ngabemi abangabafiki, ingcinezelo ngokwasenyameni, emoyeni nasengqondweni; ukufuduswa kwabantu ngenkani kwiindawo ababehlala kuzo, baye kufakwa kumagobhoza ezindlu.
Imbali yoMzantsi Afrika inoShaka, iimfazwe, amagorha emfazwe nalwela amalungelo abantu – ooRobert Sobukwe, Donald Woods, Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko; oovulindlela – Christian Barnard noqhaqho-ntliziyo lokuqala olwaba nempumelelo emhlabeni wonke, Mark Shuttleworth, Raymond Ackerman; ineqela lombhoxo eliphumelele indebe yehlabathi kwakane!
Ilifa lethu esilifumene ngowe1994 ibiziidolophu nezixeko eziphucukileyo, iidyunivesithi, iindlela zaselwandle, ezasemoyeni nezezithuthi zasendleleni, iinqwelomoya, oololiwe, iibhasi, izibhedlele, imizi-mveliso, izikolo zamabanga aphantsi naphezulu, iikliniki, iiposi, iibhulorho, amaziko namathanga ezilwanyana, izikhumbuzo ezimisiweyo, umbane, amanzi emilanjeni, nangena ezindlini ngemibhobho, iiholo zoluntu, inkqubo yogutyulo lwelindle, oomasipala njalo njalo.
Kulapha kwiziseko zophuhliso kanye apho kubonakala ngathi abaninzi kubemi boMzantsi Afrika abaqondi ukuba ngamafa ethu. Ngenxa yokuba uninzi lungaqondi ukuba zonke ezi zinto zezethu sonke, xa sibhiyozela imvelaphi namafa esizwe, azijongwa ezi zinto. Kanti ke zezethu, kunjalonje zakhiwa zasetyenzwa sithi bemi boMzantsi Afrika, nangona babekho nababephuma kwamanye amazwe ngokuza kuxelenga.
Lo mba wokungaxatyiswa nokungaphathwa kakuhle kwezakhiwo nokusingqongileyo, kuye kundikhumbuze umbhali waseMelika, uBooker Washington, kwincwadi yakhe ‘Up From Slavery,’ ebhala ngokukhululeka kwesizwe sakhe, amaMelika aNtsundu ebukhobokeni. Uthi lo kaWashington, ukukhululeka kwala Melika ebukhobokeni kwaye kwacaca ukuba babengaqhelanga ukuba ngabanini nto, bengazanga baba ngabaninimzi.
Ngexesha lobukhoboka babesebenzela abaphathi babo, bekhonjwa pha naphaya ukuba basebenze. Xa bekhululeka babengazi ukuba imizi inonotshelwa njani ukuze ihlale ikwimeko elungileyo. Ngoba abanini-makhoboka babengasebenzi tu, besetyenzelwa ngamakhoboka, amakhoboka akubona okwakusebenza, kulungiswa izinto, njengento eyenziwa ngamakhoboka, baze bathi bakuphuma ebukhobokeni bayeka wonke loo msebenzi.
Kwaye kwabonakala ukungazi nto ngokuba ngumninimzi, ngoba kuloo mizi bayifumanayo emva kwenkululeko, iingcango zazikrikriza, iifestile ziphumile, iindonga zixobuka, ukhula lugcwele iiyadi kungekho nto ilungiswayo.
Oku kubaliswa ngokaWashington, siyakubona apha eMzantsi Afrika, emva kokuphela komthetho wocalucalulo saze safumana inkululeko ngowe1994. Lonke eli lifa esilifumeneyo asilibangi silibhiyozele silinonophele.
Uninzi lwabantu abaNtsundu ababecinezelwe ngumbuso wabeLungu, ngathi alukaqondi ukuba uMzantsi Afrika ngoku ngowethu sonke. Oku kubonakala ngokuba xa kukho ugwayimbo, abaqhankqalazi bakhawuleza batshabalalise batshise izakhiwo, izithuthi, izikolo, iikliniki, ezizezabo, ngathi batshabalalisa izinto zomcinezeli.
Enye exakayo kukuba abantu balahla inkunkuma kwiindawo abahlala kuzo, kwizikhululo zezithuthi zabo, kwiidolophu zabo, kwizitalato zabo, ngokungathi ayizondawo zabo.
Abangabaphathi ababecinezelwe ngaphambili bona batyhuthula okoko kwizikhundla abakuzo, nabo ngathi abaqondi ukuba la maziko namaSebe abawaphetheyo alilifa labo nabo. Njengoba bona bebefumene izakhiwo eziphucukileyo neenkonzo ezizizo, batyhuthula kangangokuba iingcango ziyakrikriza, oovimba baze, akukho nto eza kufunyanwa zizizukulwana ezilandelayo.
Iphupha lam kukubona abantu bakuthi, isizwe sam, sibhiyoza ngale nyanga sibuka konke esakufumana njengelifa kwindalo, nangemisebenzi yabangaphambili. Ulondolozo luyafuneka!
La mafa ngathi singawaxabisa ngolu hlobo sixabise ngalo izinxibo zeentlanga nezizwana esizizo. Ukuxabisa la mafa emveli bekuya kwenza ukuba siphume sicoce izakhiwo neendawo zembali, sibaliselane ngamagorha angaphambili, nako konke okuhle esizingca ngako, okwenza ukuba sibe silapha namhlanje, sinako konke oku esinako.
Izizukulwana ezilandelayo nazo beza kuzuza ngoba beza kufumana konke oku kusekho.
Eli nqaku lezimvo libhalwe nguThobeka Mda, unjingalwazi odla umhlala-phantsi.