Ukukhula kwe Komkhulu Lase Mapungubwe

Ukwanda kwe K2

©Roger de la Harpe
Pha kwiminyaka yoo1220 AD, abantu base K2 bagqiba ekubeni bafudukele kwindawo engcono. Izinto zazibahambela kakuhle. Babeshishina kakuhle namasimi abo echumile. Babona ngathi ilixa lifikile lokuba bakhe ikomkhulu elilungele nokunyukela kwabo emantla. Oku kufuduka kwakungenziwa nje kukusindwa yimali. Yayiyinto entama ukutshintsha phakathi eluntwini. Njengoko uThomas Huffman (Ingcali ngezentlalo yabantu esebenza eWits University) eyibeka, “Ubutyebi obuninzi obenziwa ngoshishino e-Indian Ocean, babangela ukungalingani, kwaye iintsapho eziphetheyo zaba kumgangatho ophezulu kunezinye iintsapho. Ngaphezulu, abantu baye besanda, ngoko ke ukuphila ngolimo kuphela kwakuzakwenza umahluko phakathi kwezityebi namahlwempu uye usiba mkhulu. Kwathi kufika umnyaka ka 1220 AD, uluntu lwase K2 lwabe sele lunabantu abajongelwe phezulu ngenxa yemali.” Imali yahlala imosha izinto!

Lithetha Ukuthini Eligama?

©Roger de la Harpe
Isiza abasikhethayo selikomkhulu labo litsha, yabayinduli ende nethe thantalala ngaphezulu. Nemi kumgama nje omfutshane ukusuka emntla mpuma wase K2, kwelinye icala le Nduli yase Bambandyanalo. Yayililitye eliphakame kangangama 30m, ama 300m ubude nobubanzi obuphakathi kwe15m ukuya kuma 50m. Umlambo iLimpopo wawumalunga ne 1km ukuya emantla.
Asiyazi ukuba babeyibiza ngantoni lenduli. Igama langoku, elithi ‘Mapungubwe’, leza nexhego elidala eliyimfama elalibizwa ngo Mowena. Eli xhego lilo elakhomba abantu abamhlophe kulenduli ngomnyaka ka 1931. Kuba ke eligama ingelolwimi lwesi Sotho,Shona okanye IsiVenda, kunzima ukwazi eyona ntsingiselo yalo. Eyona ntsingiselo ixhaphakileyo yethi ‘iindawo yoodyakalashe’, nesuka kwigama lesi Sotho elithi pungubye kwakunye negama lesiVenda elithi punguvhe, omabini lamagama athetha udyakalashe. Lodyakalashe kuthethwa ngaye ke, kucingelwa ukuba ubhekisele kumlawuli onamandla owayehlala kulendawo. Uhlanga lwama Lemba lona ke luguqulela eligama njenge ‘ndawo apho ilitye laliphalala okwamanzi’, kwaye kusenokwenzeka oku kwakubhekusele kwisinyithi esasinyibilikiswa kulendawo kudala dala. Eli gama lisenokuthetha ne ‘ndawo yolwazi’ ngokuka Matole Matshekga, intloko ye Kora Heritage Institute. Kwaye abanye bakholelwa ukuba eligama layamane nesimamva solwimi lwesi Shona-bwe, ka Zimbabwe. Gama elo libhekisele ‘kumatye okanye izindlu ezihloniphekileyo’.

Indawo Elungele Ikomkhulu

©Photo courtesy of Mapungubwe Museum, Pretoria University
Noba babeyibiza ngantoni na, lenduli yindawo eyayikulungele ukuba likomkhulu. Yayimqengqelezi kakhulu emacaleni, kwaye kwaye kukho imigangatho emine ukunyuka, yonke lemigangatho kwakulula ukuba koyiswe kuyo utshaba xa babenokuthi bahlaselwe. Kodwa nangona obu bukhosi babukhuseleke ngendalo, babungakhethelwanga ukuthintela ezinye iintlanga ezize kuhlasela. Eneneni, akukho bungqina bokuba abantu base K2 babekhe basemfazweni ngethuba behlala kulendawo. Kwaye kukhangeleka ngathi lonke eli xesha lali zolile.
Endaweni yoko, mhlawumbi lenduli yayikhethelwe ukuthintela abantu abangengobasebukhosini. Ngeli xesha, intlalo yoluntu yayisele itshintshe ngendlela yokuba abantu basebukhosini babeziva ngathi kufuneka bahlalele qelele nabantu ababaphetheyo. Yaze ke inkosi, usapho lwayo ncakasane, amaphakathi, kunye nonogada afudukela kwizindlu ezakhiwe kulenduli. Abanye abantu njee bahlala kwizindlu zooronta ezintsha ezakhiwe emazantsi kwale nduli. Isikhakhamela se ‘Inkosi yenqaba’ uqobo.

Ukohlulwa Ngokwezikhundla Nobutyebi

©David Fleminger
Ukwahluka ngobutyebi nezikhundla phakathi koluntu lwase K2 kwaye kucaca mpela. Kwakuqala ngqa kwimbali yase Afrika ukuba kwenziwe izinto ngoluhlobo-nangona kwakungagqibelisi. Uluhlu olude lweenkokheli ezilawula ngegquda zase Afrika zenza umngcelele zilandela ezinyaweni ze Mapungubwe. Ezi nkokheli zahlalela kude le nezikhalazo zabalandeli bazo. Phofu kuyafana nakwi nkosi zakumazwe ase Europe. Okanye kwantloko yolawulo yalemihla.
Akucaci ncam ke ukuba lentlalo intsha yase Mapungubwe yayiyintando yenkosi ethile enamandla okanye mhlawumbi yabasisigqibo esithathwa luluntu ukuba kohlulwe ukuhlala ngokwezikhundla nangobutyebi. Kusenokwenzweka nokuba izizathu zalentlalo zazimayelana nezenkolo zakwamoyo, kuba kucingelwa ukuba lenduli yayisanyanyaniswa nokwenza imvula kunye neminye imisebenzi yamasiko aqinisa ubukhosi. Nokuba sesiphi na isizathu, kukhangeleka ngathi lendlela yasebenza kwaye intlalo yase Mapungubwe yaqhubeka kangange minyaka engama 75 elandelayo. Le mpucuko imfutshane ‘yelixa legolide’ yahlala nje kwinkosi enye mhlawumbi nelandela yona, okanye ngaphezu nje kwenkosi ezimbini ezilandelelanayo. Kodwa ngela xesha, abantu base Mapungubwe babexakeke kakhulu.

Amalungiselelo no Kukhula Okukhawulezayo

©Roger de la Harpe
Into yokuqala eyenziwayo, kukulungiselela induli inkosi. Umhlaba wathuthwa, wanyuswa lenduli ukuze kugangathe umhlaba onamatye ongaphezulu kule nduli. Kwaze kokhiwa ooronta benkosi naye wonke umntu owayezakuhlala nenkosi (usapho, amaphakathi, kunye nonogada). Kwaye kokhiwa nendlela zokuya kulenduli. Kweyona ndlela inkulu inyukayo, nesasetyenziswa ngabakhenkethi namhlanje, kwaqhekezwa imingxunya kwaze kwafakwa iipali ezimfutshane ukuze zisebenze njengamanqwanqwa okucangcatha. Kwaye kwapakishwa namatye ukuze athotywe ezintlokweni zabantu abangenamvume yokunyuka kulenduli. Ezinyaweni zalenduli kwakukho ooronta abahrangqileyo ababehlala ababehlobene kancinci nasebukhosini, ze ezantsi koko kuhlala abantu njee abangeyonto ebukhosini.
Aba bantu babehlala kwinani lengingqana ezisondelelene nale nduli. ‘Indawo yokuhlala’ nganye yayinenkokheli yayo. Ubungqina obuphandwe ziingcali zokuhlala kwabantu buveze ukuba kwakusele kukho ilali eMapungubwe, neyayisele yakhiwe ngaphambi ngomnyaka ka 1220. Kusenokwenzeka ke ukuba lelali yatshiswa ukuze kwakhiwe ngokutsha izindlu zabantu ababesuka kwindawo yase K2. Yayingumkhwa oqhelekileyo kulo mmandla wonke ukutshisa izindlu ezindala esele zidilika, ze kuphinde kwakhiwe ezinye kwakulendawo. Amalahle atshone lee emhlabeni kwindawo esemazanzi enduli yase Mapungubwe abonisa ukuba oku kwenzeka izihlandlo ezininzi ngethuba lokukhula okukhawulezayo kweli komkhulu.

Translated by Zizipho Silwana