Vurhangeri bya Matimba
Mapungubwe i ndhawu wa xikhale ya nhluvuko wa Afrika lowunga humelela swinene etibuweni ta nambu wa Limpopo kusuka hi 900 AD kuya fika 1300 AD. I vurhangeri bya khale swinene elbyi tivekaka e sub-Saharan Africa xikan’we na nhlohletelo waku hangalaka kuya fika eka ndhawu leyikulu, kufikelela swiphemu leswi namuntlha kunga Afrika Dzonga, Botswana na Zimbabwe.
Kuyisa emahlweni, endzhaku, Mapungubwe yihundzuke vurhangeri bya matimba lebyi abyiri na ntirhisano navaxavisi va khale ka Chinese, Arabic and Indian, lava ava xaviselana kun’we na East Coast ya Afrika kusukela kuringana kwalomu ka 4000 wa malembe lawa yanga hundza.
Loko mfumo wa Mapungubwe wutawa swinga languteriwangi hi 1290 AD, vaaki varhurhile kuya lava madyelo ya rihlaza, tani hi ndhawu yo duma ya stone city xale Great Zimbabwe. Sweswi se swa amukeriwa leswaku khale ka vanhu va Mapungubwe vawela eka vanwana va varhangi vale mahlweni eka tinxaka ta namuntlha tama Shona na va-Venda (kumbe va hoxe xandla eka rixaka rava Sotho-Tswana nakona). Swaha tetano, Mapungubwe yitlanga xiphemu xale xikarhi eka xivandla xa nkoka xa matimu ya hina lawa ya rivariweke khale.
Doroba leri Lahlekeke
Kungari na mhaka ya layini ya matimu, hambiswiritano, Mapungubwe na vanhu vayona ava vonaka valahlekela hivutitivi, hinkwako eka tinxaka tale kusuhi lava ava tshama endzhawini liya xikanwe na lava vaha kufikaka kusuka e Europe. Hambi endzhaku kaloko yitlhele yi kumiwa nakambe ekusunguleni kava 1930s, xitori xa Mapungubwe axi tekeriwa ehansi tani hi xiphemu lexihlamarisaka swinene eka vunyami byale ndzhaku bya Afrika, naswona axiyisiwe emakorhweni ya matimu. Kambe leswi hinkwaswo swa cinca.
Hi lembe ra 1994, xikan’we na mfumo lowuntshwa wa xidimokirasi, kuvile naku tsakela kuntshwa eka matimu lawa yanga tshama yatshikiwa ya mfumo wa xi Afrika (i.e. xinwana na xinwana lexi khumbhaka kufika ka van Riebeeck). Kuvile na kutsakela nakambe ka kuma swilo leswingata vuyisa vutinyungubyisi hi Afrika leyi hundzeke lokunga vaka rivoni ra ‘African Renaissance’. Mapungubwe akova thikithi ntsena.
Vurhangeri bya Xintu bya Ndhavuko
Nkoka wa ndzhawu leyi wuhundza naleka mindzelekani yalaha kusuhi. Hindlela yaleyo, endzhaku ko endla swikombelo leswihumeleleke, ndzhawu ya ndhavuko wa Mapungubwe yi vuriwe World Heritage Site number 1099 hi January 2002.
Tani hi ICOMOS (the International Council on Monuments and Sites) vatiyisisile eka xivikuo xa vona eka UNESCO, “Mapungubwe yina nkoka wukulu swinene leswi yikombisaka hakona kuwa na kupfuka ka vuhosi byosungula bya ndzhavuko wale Dzongeni wa Afrika.
Eka ndzhawu yona yaleyi kuna masalela ya mintsinda yinharhu, vutshamo bya nkarhi nyana, na misava leyinga laha kuhlanganaka milambu ya Limpopo na Shashe, laha kunona ka misava yakona aku seketela nhlayo yikulu ya vaaki eka mfumo lowu.” “Xiyimo xa Mapungubwe eku tsemakanyeni ka N’walungu/Dzonga na Vuhuma/Vupela dyambu e dzongeni wa Afrika swipfunete eka kuva yi kota kulawula vuxavisi exikarhi ka East African ports kuya e India nale China xikan’we na kwala Dzongeni wa Afrika. Kusuka eka tindzhawu tayona tale makaya yikote ku tshovela nsuku na timhondzo ta tindlopfu – swilo leswi kalaka swinene eka tindzhawu hinkwato – leswi switise rifuwo rikulu swinene eka swilo swofana na Chinese porcelain na vuhlalu bya nghilazi bya Persian.”
“Kuwa ka Mapungubwe loku akunga languteriwaka kutisiwe hi maxelo lawa ayaya ya onheka kutani swiendla leswaku kutshikiwa ntsindal, leswivulaka leswaku masalela ya vuhosi ya vuye ya hlayiseka. Xiyimo xa Mapungubwe tani hi ndzhawu ya matimba e Dzongeni wa Afrika swisukile e N’walungwini kuya Great Zimbabwe na Khami. Mapungubwe ayi fanele ku voniwa tani hi murhangi emahlweni eka vurhangeri lebyi mbirhi.”
Ndzhawu ya Ndhavuko
Se Mapungubwe yilulamerile kuva yi tlhomiwa risiva kuva National Heritage na World Heritage status. Xana rito leringe ‘cultural landscape’ ringhena kwihi? Kusukela hi 1992, mbhurisano lowufaneleke exikarhi ka vanhu na vambango wa ntumbuluko switekiwe tani hi misava ya ndzhavuko, naswona Mapungubwe yiringanerile nhlamueslo yaleyo.
Tani hileswi Jane Curruthers, mutivi wa matimu wohlonipheka, aswivekisaka xiswona: “Mapungubwe ahiya ntumbuluko, kambe yi akiwe hi vanhu leswaku yitava xikombiso xa vanhu lava hanyaka eka yona. Xikongomelo xa vaaki vosungula akuri ku tirhisa, kutirhisiwa hi xiheri na kutirhisa swibyariwa kutiyisisa xiyimo xa vanhu, tipolotiki na ikhonomi.”
Carruthers uya emahlweni a tshaha mutivi un’wana, P. Fowler, loyi ange: “ndzhawu yikulu ya misava hinkwayo, kantsongo kumbe swinene, ‘misava ya ntumbuluko’ (na) i wun’wana wa mbuyelo wa nkoka swinene waku nghenisiwa ka misava ya ntumbuluko ehansi ka World Heritage Convention leswaku swita pfuna ku tlakusa hinkwako kulemukisiwa lokukulu ka misava hiku angarhela”. Naswona hinkwerhu hipfumelelana na swona!
Translated by Ike Ngobeni