Uhambo lwaseMzantsi Afrika: Kubuhlungu, kwaye kuyagujwa

Uhambo lwaseMzantsi Afrika lwaqala ngokwenene, hayi kwisikhululo seenqwelomoya, hayi naxa ndibona okokuqala i-Table Mountain ngefestile yehotele, kodwa xa isikhephe sase-Robben Island sasisuka kancinci elunxwemeni. Umoya wasolwandle waseKapa unamandla, njengesandla esityhalela umntu emva kwixesha elidlulileyo. Emva kwesikhephe, i-V&A Waterfront eyayikude kakhulu yayisakhanya, kodwa i-Table Mountain yayithe cwaka ngasemva kwedolophu, amafu ehla encochoyini, njengempophoma emhlophe eyehla kancinci eluphahleni olusicaba. Umkhokeli wathi, eli fu libizwa ngabantu balapha ngokuthi "yilaphu yetafile." Ndayibukela igubungela idolophu, ngequbuliso ndaqonda: ubuhle boMzantsi Afrika, abuzange bube kukufihla ubuhlungu, kodwa kukuvumela ubuhlungu kunye nelanga zibekho ngaxeshanye.

Eyona nto inzima e-Robben Island kukuthula. Isisele awayehlala kuso u-Mandela asizange senziwe sibe nomdlalo, sincinci, siphantsi, sicocekile, phantsi kukho umatrasi omncinci, ekoneni kukho ibhakethi yentsimbi. Abakhenkethi badlula besemnyango belandelelana, izinyathelo zabo bezincipha. Owayesakuba libanjwa lezopolitiko owayesengumkhokeli akazange enze mvakalelo, wakhomba nje inqwaba yamatye wathi, abantu abaninzi bonakaliswa ngamehlo lilanga apho. U-Mandela kamva waphuma ejele, akazange athathe amashumi amabini anesixhenxe eminyaka ayenze impindezelo, kodwa wayenza itafile yeengxoxo. Oku kuvakala njengesivakalisi esinokubakho kwiincwadi zeengcaciso, kodwa ukuma phambi kweso sisele sincinci, kufana nesigqibo esinzima umntu azenzela sona ngokwakhe: andikwazi ukuvumela inzondo ukuba iqhubeke ilawula eli lizwe.

Emva eKapa, i-Bo-Kaap ikukhupha ngequbuliso kwingwevu ngemibala. Izitrato ezingaphantsi kwe-Signal Mountain azinamagquma makhulu, kodwa izindlu zikhanya kakhulu: okuluhlaza okwengca, okubomvu okufana nentyatyambo, okutyheli okufana nelamuni, okuluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka, ngokungathi umntu othile wahlula inkululeko yaba yipeyinti, wayiqaba eludongeni ngendlu ngendlu. Apha yayiyindawo yoluntu lwase-Cape Malay, izinyanya zabaninzi zaziswa e-Cape of Good Hope ngurhwebo lobukoloniyali. Kuthiwa, emva kokupheliswa kobukhoboka, abahlali ekugqibeleni bakwazi ukuba nezindlu zabo, ngoko ke bapenda iindonga ezimhlophe ngowona mbala ugqamileyo. Kwakungekhona ukuba abakhenkethi bazifote, kodwa ukuxelela ihlabathi: umnyango wam, ifestile yam, ubomi bam, ekugqibeleni abusalawulwa ngomnye umntu.

Kodwa uMzantsi Afrika awukuyeki kwiiposikhadi kuphela. Endleleni eya e-Soweto, izakhiwo eziphakamileyo zase-Johannesburg zihlehla kancinci, ezitratweni kuvela izindlu zamacangci, iindawo zokosa inyama, iindawo zokulungisa iimoto kunye neendonga ezinemizobo. Isitrato i-Vilakazi sixakekile, ngaphandle kwendlu ka-Mandela kukho abantu abathengisa izikhumbuzo, kufutshane kukho abantwana abakhaba ibhola eluthulini. Amapali ngamatye amabini, imigca yasecaleni yinto yokucinga. Umfana omncinci onxibe ijezi endala ye-Bafana Bafana, ezinyaweni zakhe zikhawulezile, edlula umntu abuye ahleke. Abadlali akufani nokuqeqeshwa, kodwa kufana nethuku: kwindawo engenanto engagqibelelanga, banikela imizimba yabo elonwabeni.

Ulonwabo lwase-Soweto alulula. Isikhumbuzo sika-Hector Pieterson sikufutshane, imifanekiso yokuvukela kwabafundi yango-1976 isenza umntu angakwazi ukuthetha. UMzantsi Afrika lilizwe elibuhlungu kwaye eligubhayo, kwaye ibhola yeyona nto ithetha ngokunyanisekileyo. Ayenzi ngathi amanxeba akakho, kwaye ayivumeli abantu ukuba bajonge amanxeba kuphela ngonaphakade. Xa ibhola iqengqelekayo, ubuhlanga, ulwimi, umvuzo, imbali zisekhona, kodwa ubuncinci imizuzu engamashumi alithoba, abantu bayavuma ukukhwaza kwicala elinye.

Ngorhatya ukuya e-Stellenbosch, amasimi ediliya atyhila omnye uMzantsi Afrika. Entilini ukukhanya kuyathamba, imiphongolo ye-oki, izindlu ezinodonga olumhlophe, imithi yediliya echetywe kakuhle, konke kuhle njengomzobo omdala wase-Europe. I-Pinotage eglasini inevumba lecuba kunye neziqhamo ezimnyama, kude abasebenzi bagqiba usuku lomsebenzi, izithunzi zolulwa kukutshona kwelanga. Ubuhle apha bunomva ontsonkothileyo: ubukoloniyali, umhlaba, abasebenzi, ulwabiwo lobutyebi, konke kufihlwe emva kwebhotile yewayini. Ukutshona kwelanga kuthambile, kodwa ubuthambile ayisomphendulo. Eyona nto imangalisayo ngoMzantsi Afrika, kukuba akaze akuthengisele ubuhle kunye nembali ngokwahlukeneyo.

Ngobo busuku engceni yewayini kwakukho umntu oculayo kancinci, udini lweglasi lubonisa umgca wokugqibela wegolide, ngokungathi namanxeba amadala athambile.

Ngentsasa elandelayo ukuphinda unyuke i-Table Mountain, amafu ayempophoma esuka encochoyini, idolophu, itheku, i-Robben Island kunye nommandla wewayini okude konke kwacinezelwa kwaba yimephu enkulu. Ukuma encochoyini ubukele iKapa, kukho imvakalelo yobubanzi obungakholelekiyo: ngapha lulwandle, ngapha yidolophu, ngapha zizintsalela zentolongo, ngapha yindawo enemibala. Ubunzima bohambo lwaseMzantsi Afrika bulapha. Kunzima ukuthi nje buhle, kuba ecaleni kobuhle kukho ukungalingani; kwaye kunzima ukuthi nje bunzima, kuba ecaleni kobunzima kuhlala kukho abantu abaculayo, abadanisayo, abavula izimbawula, abakhaba ibhola ekutshoneni kwelanga.

Ngoko ke xa iNdebe yeHlabathi ka-2026 izisa iindaba zokuba i-Bafana Bafana ingene ngokumangalisayo kwabangama-32, andimangaliswa kukuba eli lizwe lalifana nokuvuselelwa kombane. Ibhola laseMzantsi Afrika lakha latsalwa ngaphandle kwemidlalo yehlabathi lucalucalulo, kwaye ixesha elide laphinda-phinda ukuthula, ukuphuma, ukungajongwa. Kodwa ngobo busuku, iibhari, iiteksi, irediyo kunye neevenkile ezincinci ezikoneni zase-Soweto zonke zazikhwaza igama elinye. Ukuvuka kwe-Bafana Bafana ayizondaba nje zezemidlalo, kufana nesimemezelo sesizwe esifike emva kwexesha: sisekhona, singoyiswa iminyaka emininzi, kodwa asisokuze singabikho ngonaphakade.

Emva kwexesha ndadibana nomqhubi onxibe ijezi yeqela lesizwe ezitratweni zaseKapa. Wathi, iNdebe yeHlabathi ka-2010 yenza ihlabathi labona uMzantsi Afrika, oku kungena kwabangama-32 ngo-2026, kwenza uMzantsi Afrika uziphinde wazibona. Ngaphandle kwefestile yemoto, iindonga ezinemibala zase-Bo-Kaap zadlula, amafu e-Table Mountain aphinda aqala ukuhla. Wakhulisa irediyo, umchazi wayephethe igowuli lokuwina, ilizwi lakhe lichulumancile laphantse laqhekeka. Andizange ndiziqonde ngokupheleleyo izivakalisi ezixube isiXhosa nesiNgesi, kodwa ndaliva olo hleko.

Xa ndishiya uMzantsi Afrika, engqondweni yam yayingeyondawo ethile, kodwa yayiliqela lemifanekiso edityanisiweyo: ukuthula okungafuniyo ukuhamba kwisisele sase-Robben Island, imibala ekhwaza ngokuvakalayo ezindongeni zase-Bo-Kaap, iinyawo zabantwana base-Soweto ezileqa ibhola eluthulini, iglasi ye-Steenbosch engazange igqitywe ekutshoneni kwelanga, kunye nokugqunywa kwedolophu ngokucothayo ngamafu e-Table Mountain. UMzantsi Afrika ayisiyondawo elula ukuya, kodwa yindawo eyenza umntu anzulu. Ufundisa umhambi into enye: uxolelwaniso ayikokulibala okudlulileyo, kodwa kukukhumbula okudlulileyo, kwaye usazimisele ukudlulisela ibhola kumntu osecaleni kwakho.