Ukukhula Kwekhulumbe ye-Mapungubwe

Ukwandiswa kwe-K2

©Roger de la Harpe

Cishe ngo-1220 AD, abantu baseK2 banquma ukuthuthela endaweni engcono. Izinto zazihamba kahle kubo, ngohlelo lwabo lokuhweba kanye nezinsimu zabo eziphumelelayo. Futhi isikhathi sesifikile, bazizwa, befuna ukwakha inhloko-dolobha eyayifanekisela nokuphumelela kwabo.
Lokhu kuthutha akuyona nje indaba yokufuna ukubukwa. Kwakukhombisa ukuguquka okukhulu emphakathini. Njengoba uThomas Huffman (umvubukuli osebenza eyunivesithi i-Wits) ethi, "Umcebo omkhulu owenziwa ngezokuhwebelana kwe-Indian Ocean waphumela ngendlela okungakaze kube khona, futhi imindeni ebusayo yaba yiklasi ephezulu. Ngaphezu kwalokho, inani elikhulayo labantu, elisekelwa ngezolimo, lalizosiza ekuqiniseni ukuhlukana komphakathi. Ngo-1220 AD, umphakathi we-K2 wawushintshe kusukela kubudlelwane osekelwe ekuhlaleni komphakathi kuya kubudlelwane obusekelwe emakilasini ezenhlalakahle. "Thembela imali ukuze ibhidlise yonke into!

Kuyini Igama?

©Roger de la Harpe

Isayithi abakhethele kuyo inhloko-dolobha yabo entsha yayinde, intaba eyithafa phezulu esendaweni eseduze nje nenyakatho, empumalanga yeK2, ngaphesheya kwentaba yeBambandyanalo. Kwakuyichobe elingamamitha angamashumi amathathu ukuya phezulu, amamitha angamakhulu amathathu ubude futhi phakathi kwamamitha ayishumi nanhlanu namashumi amahlanu ububanzi. Amabhange oMfula iLimpopo ikhilomitha eyodwa ukuya enyakatho.
Asazi ukuthi babizani leli gquma. Igama lesimanje, elithi 'Mapungubwe', lisuselwa kumuntu omdala oyimpumputhe igama lakhe linguMowena, oqale wabonisa abantu abamhlophe lentaba ngo-1931. Njengoba leli gama lingacacile ukuthi lingulimi lwesiSuthu, iShona noma iVenda, kunzima ukucacisa incazelo yalo. Incazelo ejwayelekile kunazo zonke yindawo 'yezimpungushe', kusukela kwabaSotho-izwi pungubye kanye neTshiVenda igama elithi punguvhe, kokubili kusho impungushe. Impungushe icatshangwa ukuthi ibhekisela kumbusi onamandla owayehlala khona. Isizwe samaLemba, kodwa, ahumusha igama ngokuthi 'indawo lapho idwala ligeleza khona njengamanzi', futhi lokhu kungabhekisela ekusebenzeni kwamandulo ekusebenzeni ngensimbi encibilikisiwe. Kungase futhi kusho 'indawo yokuhlakanipha' ngokusho kukaMatole Matshekga, oyinhloko yeKora Heritage Institute. Futhi abanye bakholelwa ukuthi kuhlotshaniswa nesijobelelo seShona u-bwe njenge-Zimbabwe, okubhekisela 'kumatshe ahlonishwayo noma izindlu'.

Indawo Enhle Yenhloko-dolobha

©Photo courtesy of Mapungubwe Museum, Pretoria University

Noma yikuphi ababekubiza, leli gquma kwakuyindawo enhle yokwakha inhloko-dolobha. Izinhlangothi zazehlela kakhulu, futhi kwakunezinkomba ezine kuphela eziphezulu, konke okungavikelwa kalula. Noma kunjalo, naphezu kokungahlali kahle kwalokhu kunqaba kwemvelo, kwakungakhethiwe ukubayinhloko yokuvikela isizwe ekuhlaselweni. Eqinisweni, abukho ubufakazi bokuthi abantu baseK2 baxabana nanoma ubani futhi isikhathi sonke okwakungajwayelekile.
Esikhundleni salokho, intaba yayikhethiwe ukugcina izikhonzi phandle. Ngalesi sikhathi, isahlukaniso sasesifinyelele isimo esokuthi umbuso wasebukhosini unomuzwa wokuthi kufanele uhlukaniswe ngokomzimba nezikhonzi zabo. Ngakho-ke, inhloko ephakeme, umndeni wakubo, abacebisi kanye nabagcini bathuthele ezindlini ezakhiwe phezulu kwegquma eliphakeme. Abahlali base behlala ezindlini ezintsha ezakhiwa emasimini azungeze phansi kwentaba. Khuluma nge-'nkosi yendlu enkulu eyinqaba'.

Ukuhlukaniswa Kwekilasi Kuyabusa

Ukuhlukaniswa kwezenhlalakahle emphakathini we-K2 ngaleyo ndlela kwaba ukuhlukaniswa kwendawo. Lesi kwakuyisikhathi sokuqala emlandweni wase-Afrika ukuthi isimo sengqondo esinjalo sivele sibonakale - nakuba bekungeke kube sekugcineni. Uhlu olude oludabukisayo lwabaqashi base-Afrika kusukela ngaleso sikhathi balandela isibonelo samaMapungubwe futhi bazimisela ngokuzihlukanisa okwakhiwe, kude nokukhala kwabalandeli babo. Kungashiwo okufanayo ngamakhosi aseYurophu, ngalokho. Noma yikuphi manje izenzo zempoqamandla.
Akucaci ukuthi ngabe ukuhlinzekwa okusha eMapungubwe kwakuyintando yenkosi enamandla kakhulu, noma ngabe yayiyingxenye yesinqumo esihlangene sokugxilisa ukuhlukaniswa kwamakilasi emphakathini. Kungenzeka nokuthi kwakunezinhlobo ezingokomoya, njengoba kucatshangwa ukuthi le ntaba yayihlotshaniswa nemvula kanye neminye imisebenzi engcwele eyayilondolozwe ubukhosi. Kunoma yikuphi, uhlelo lubonakala lusebenza futhi isiko samaMapungubwe sakhula iminyaka engamashumi ayisikhombisa nanhlanu. Lesi sikhathi esifushane sobuhle obukhangayo 'Isikhathi seGolide' sahlala nje kuphela ukubusa kwenkosi eyodwa noma amabili, mhlawumbe inani engaphezulu, kodwa ngaleso sikhathi, abantu baseMapungubwe babematasa kakhulu.

Amalungiselelo nokukhula okusheshayo

Into yokuqala okwakudingeka yenziwe kwakuwukulungisa intaba yenkosi. Amathani amaningi enhlabathi ayethwala ebekwa entabeni futhi asetshenziselwa ukulinganisa amadwala angalingani. Izindlu zakhelwa ubukhosi (umndeni, abacebisi nabalindi), futhi imigwaqo yokufinyelela phezulu kwegquma yayilungisiwe. Endaweni yokunyuka, esisetshenziselwa izivakashi zanamuhla, inkotho zanqunywa edwaleni futhi amapulangwe ambalwa ayefakwa kuwo, ukuze enze izinyathelo. Bavikela futhi le mizila yokufinyelela ngokufaka izinqwaba zamadwala angaphonswa phansi emakhanda kwanoma yiziphi izivakashi ezingamukelekile.
Ngaphansi kwegquma kwakukhona izindlu ezincane-ezasebukhosini obusezingeni eliphansi, futhi ngaphesheya kwalokho kwakuhlala abantu abaningi bomphakathi, behlala endaweni eziningana. 'Isigaba' ngasinye sasingaba nenhloko noma siyinhloko. Ubufakazi bemivubukulo buveze ukuthi kwakukhona idolobhana elincane eMapungubwe ngaphambi kuka-1220, futhi lokhu kungenzeka ukuthi kwashiswa phansi futhi kwakhiwa kabusha ukuze kubelikhaya labonke abantu abavela ku-K2. Umkhuba wokushisa izindlu ezindala lapho beqala ukuhlala, futhi ukwakha izindlu ezintsha endaweni efanayo kwakuvamile kuso sonke isifunda. Izinsalela ezijulile ezitholakale eningizimu yeMapungubwe zikhombisa ukuthi lokhu kwenzeke izikhathi eziningana ekukhuleni okusheshayo kwenhloko-dolobha.

Translated by Nsika Khoza