II. ENTSHWANA-TSATSI

AbeSuthu aba, abazixeli buni babo, ngaphandle kokuba bathi bangabeSuthu. Kodwa phambili phaya babesithi bangabaPeli, besusela kwigama lenkosi yabo yMopeli, owayesithi xa sukuba ezibongs:-

"Ke Mopeli moholo,

Oa Ra-se-apara-Leoma.

Ka kea ikapesa, ke apesitsoe."

"NdinguMveli-ngqang'omkhulu,

WakwaSombophi-luduma.

Andizambathisanga, ndambesiwe."

Le ntsomi ibalisiweyo kwisahluko sokuqala, abazani nayo abeSuthu, sithi esiyifanekisayo. Kuthiwa bakha bema ithuba elinobomi kufuphi nelamaSwazi kulaa mihla bafudukayo kwelasentla. Le nto ibonisa ukuba baakhweza umlambo uZambesi ngenx'engasekunene. Kulapho kanye baye bathiwa igama lokuba ngabaShunta, sisizwe esasilapho ngelo xesha-ngokutsho komfundisi uEllenberger. Uhambisa athi, yayingamaSwazi. AmaSwazi laa ayengekabikho kule ndawo akuyo ngoku; apho afike mva, sezimkile izizwe ezazilapho. Ukuba Ukuba amaSwazi athi esi sizwe ngamaShunta, makube ezi zizwe zimbini zazingekawuweli umlambo uZambezi; kodwa abesuthu abasalinakani eli gama. Nakuba ibali lisithi babesaziwa ngokuba ngabaPeli, kucacile okokuba yayingengabo bonke ababizwa njalo. Bambi babezibiza ngamanye amagama. Ekundulukeni apho, amabombo bawabhekise ngasentshona-langa, bahamba besakha, belima, bevuna, bada bathi ngelikade baya bamisa kwindawana ethile, emva kwenzima enkulu. Kwabe kukho kuyo le ndawo iingcongolo, ilichibi elimcangalabe, likhabele kuhle empumalanga. Bekukho nentatyana, ebuphakamo bungayanga ndawo. Ibisisicatyana ngaphezulu. amahlathi abengekho, ngaphandle kwemithi yeminqumaeyayihlome iyingqaqele kakuhle. Xa liphumayo ilanga beselingathi lithaphuka elwandle. Iqolomba elibanzi belikwalapha. Lo mhlatyana asikukho nokuba uye wabatsala iingqondo abemi bawo. Bemke kakhulu nombono omhle nongaqhelekanga, lo wokuphuma kwelanga, ekuyiloo nto abaye bathi ukuwubiza yiNtswana-tsatsi (impuma-langa). Baye badala amasiko amaninzi. Ingcongolo yaba yincwadi ebalaselayo ekube kufundwa kuyo, iibigqiba iindaba, kuqondwe oko kuthethwayo kuvalwe imilomo. Inxenye yamasiko aye eepheselele kwawabeNguni, aabo babashiyayo kwelasempuma-langa. Yaye ingengabo bonke abeSuthu abafikayo kule ndawo; abanye babethe saa kwiindawo ngeendawo, bada baya kuthi chithithi entla lee kule ndawo ngoku kuthiwa yiTransvaal. Kuye kwamiwa ke apha, kwakhiwa, kwabuswa, kwalinywa, kwavunwa, kwazalwa abantwana, kwaluswa, kwathonjiswa, kwendiswa, bakhula abantu bada abanye baluphala kulawula umanyano. Ilizwe lasempuma-langa apho babevela khona, lalishushu iimvula bezingazanga zanqamka nanini. Lalithwe shinyi ngamahlathi]] amakhulu angabanisi-mvula. Ingca yayikhula ibende, kunkceknceza amanzi emithombo kwiindawana ezithile. Nakubeni libe lingenasiphako mayelana nezi ndawo zikhankanyiweyo, ngenxenye kube kukho ukuqhwalela kumemi balo. Iimbewu zokulinywa phantsi emhlabeni bezinganelanga. ngesi sizathu ke kube kungekho nto ingakanani ilinywayo, ngaphandle kwamazinga namathanga. Umbona wona uze kufika mva usiza nabarhwebi abamhlophe ababevela eDelagube. Ngako oko ke elo laseNtshwana-tsasi alibatsalanga kuyaphi ngezemveliso yomhlaba, ngenxeni yobunqantosi balo. Kwelo balishiyayo bekungent'ingamayeza ubuninzi: ambiwa phantsi emhlabeni, naxotyulwa emithini emahlathini. Wonke umntu wayengathi uligqirha nongelilo; ayede aphathwe naziintombi, zikwazi ukuphosela aabo bafana bazikhathazayo, bengekho ezintliziyweni zazo, kulunge. Kweli laseNtshwana-tsatsi bekunqabile ukufumana loo mayeza abekholisa ukubonwa kweliya lishushu. Ngoko ke bekusithi umntu akubhaqa iyeza, azi ukuba uzuze into elixabiso elikhulu nelithamsanqa. Isithixo somntu ontsundu liyeza. Abaninzi babewafunda ukuwazi ngokuxelelwa ngabanye, bambi bekusithi belele nje ubuthongo baliphuphe iyeza, kuthi kusisa bavuke baye kulimba, igqabi libe leliya abelibona ephupheni, kanti uxelelwe nomsebenzi walo. Kuthe ngenxeni yokungabikho kwamayeza kakuhle kweli, lawo babefudula bewazi kwelo lasempuma-langa, bakhathazeka abonwaba konke. Baphupha beboniswa amayeza , baza ke ngoko nkqi abafeketha. Apho sukuba kukho indyebo kulalwa obentlombe, kanti apho kulawula intswelo kovumbuluka ubulumko nolwazi. Baye abalala buthongo bentlombe abemi baseNtshwana-tsatsi. Bema ngenyawo, bafunda ubugqi ngaloo mayeza baye bawalama, nawabone ephupheni. bafunde bade begqi ngeyeza lezulu, bayazi cace nendlela yokuthumelana ngalo, kwayiloonto nangeyeza lesichotho. Bafunde kunene nageyeza lokubethelela umzi nokuba yindawo esukuba yalathelwe ukumiwa kwenxiwa. nelenza umntu abesisilumko kanti ebevele engesiso, nelenza umntu abengonenceba nelimenza akhuseleke ezintshabeni zakhe. Ngesi sizathu sodwa baye bahlala kakuhle bekhuselekile ngakweli cala.

IIntombi ezi ke zona bekuthi ziselula zenziwe imikhala ebusweni ngokuqatshulwa ngesitshethse; luphawu nesiko elo. Bezizinxiba ngethithana (inkciyo) eyenziwe ngomkhwinti, ibidibanisa isinqe siphela. Amakhosikazi wona abesika izikhaka ebe zizide ngemva apha, kanti ngaphambili bezitsho ziye kubetha entla kwamadolo; besithi ukuzibiza kwazo zi"zibhedu". Amakhwenkwe namadoda abeshubela. Inkomo ibifuyiwe kwanembuzi, ilizwe eli okwalo lilihle ngembono yamehlo; konwatyiwe ngabadala nolutsha; bondele ngenyameko kwiinguqu-nguqu ezenzeka phezulu esibhakabhakeni naphezu komhlaba. IIntombi zazide zivakalise uvuyo lwazo zitsho zithi, zihlabela:-

"Sizakuqamba ke ngoku,

Siqamb'ingoma emnandi

Nakuba sisenkangala

Kungekho bemi kufuphi

Phulaphula siyathetha!

SingabaseNtswana-tsatsi

Siduda sichwayitile

Akukho apha nalapha

Apho bathaphuka khona.

Ookhokho noobawo bonke.

Bawel'imilamb'emihle

Bayithiya namagama,

Bada baza kufik'apha.

Ngoku sihleli kamnandi

Kwilizw'elihle loobawo,

Jonga nalo iqolomba!

Nants'intaba yeminquma

Nechibi elinombiza

Elityityimba imizi,

Yombelelwe yingcongolo,

Phofu kungekho nomoya

Oshukumis' amanz'alo.

Ukududuma kwezulu

Nokutshawuza kombane

Ezo nto azisothusi,

Kuba sinaw'amagqirha,

Akaphez'ukusinyanga

Ewe gxebe Ntswana-tsatsi,

Uyimbalasane kuthi.

Sigcine siphile sonke.

Ngomnye umhl'ongaziwayo

Siyakuzal'amaqhaji,

Aya kuxhob'izikhali

Akhusel'izwe lethu

Ad'adume kulo lonke.

Yiyol'ingoma ngasentla

Yezwe elihle loobawo."

Kuhlalwe kwahlalwa kule ndawo konwatyiwe,kwaza kwabuya kwavela into eyabetha letha elo, alabisakuba namtsalane uyaphi. Yintoni? Kungesizathu sendlalaeyayibangwa yimbalela edla ngokuba kho kwelo, kuze kuthi kunjalo abantu aabo babe bengenazo ngokwaneleyo iimpahla zokulima umhlaba. "Makuthiweni na ke?" bavakale besitsho. "Makufudukwe!" kuvele bambi abatshoyo. Ngelifutshane bathe bemxhelo mnye , babuya bachithakala eNtshwana-tsatsi ngenxa yembandezelo yendlala. Olona luhlala lube lulibinzana ngabaKwena (Kuena), nabaFukeni (Fokeng) babekho. Yinto eyaziwa nguye wonke ubani ukuba ikakade layo le nto indlala idla ngokuphethu-phethula iingqondo zabantu, bacinge nzulu, belungelelanisa amacebo abo.

Ayize nakanye yenze libukeke ilizwe nokuba bezihleli zikho ezinye iindawo ebezilihombisile. Baye bee saa ke abemi baseNtshwana-tsatsi. Bakho abade baya baphathelela eThaba-Mohale (Magaliesberg), beleqwa yindlala. AbaKwena ababanga naxesha liphi bekwelo besoyika iintshaba ezazingabawelayo nangaliphi na ixesha, kuba babengebaninzi ngokokude babe nakho ukumelana nazo ethafeni. Behlile baza bawela umlambo iLigwa bephethwe yinkosi yabo uMonaheng ogama limbi linguKali into kaTshulwana, befuna umhlaba wokuma. Ngayo le ndlela bada baza kufika kweleentaba, eli sithi kuseLusuthu ngoku. Inzala kaMonaheng yiyo le, nguMotlohelwa (Monyane), uMotloang, uMgodeli, nabezinye izindlu babekho.