Iimfazwe Ezijikeleze iSterkfontein

Inkosi yamaZulu Enamandla

©Roger de la Harpe
Kwiminyaka yoo 1820 kwilizwe loMzantsi Afrika, inkosi yamaZulu enamandla, uShaka, wanyukela esihlalweni sobukhosi ngakunxweme lwase mpuma loMzantsi Afrika. Ummandla wonke wawungu qulukubhode wengxwaba ngxwaba. Endaweni yokuzifaka ebungozini bokulwisana nomkhosi onamandla wamaZulu, iintlanga ezininzi zawafulathela amakhaya azo zafuduka. Olu fuduko lwenza ezintlanga ukuba ziphehluzelise nezinye iintlanga. Le yenye yonobangela bexesha elaye labizwa nge Mfecane.
Njenge nxalenye yokuhlasela komkhosi ka Shaka, wathumela omnye wamahlakani akhe, uMzilikazi ukuba anyukee ngasentla ukuya kuthomalalisa inkosi yabeSotho, uRanisi. uMzilikazi wagqiba kwelokuba uyawathanda lamathafa athe thantalala kwaye waye nengxaki nokubetha iintlanga zabe Sotho kunye nabeTswana ezizolileyo ukuba zithobele umthetho wamaZulu.
Ngoko ke, wagqiba kwelokuba aqhezuke kuShaka azenzele esakhe isizwe. Esi sizwe wasibiza nge Matabele (okanye amaNdebele). Lo ka Mzilikazi wayenalo noloyiko lokungonyamelwa ngu Shaka, ngoko ke wathatha abantu bakhe baya kutshona ngasentshona, ku mmandla ongakwi Cradle of Humankind.

iLost City

©Roger de la Harpe
Waseka ikomkhulu lakhe eliyi Kungwini, kufuphi nendawo yase Pretoria namhlanje waze wazakhela nekhaya e Dinaneno kufuphi ne Dama laseHartebeespoort Dam. Igalelo leentlanga zalendawo inoba lali likhulu njengoko iqela lemiqolomba ekwi Cradle of Humankind libonisa ubungqina bokuba iinkomo zazifihlwa kuyo ukuzikhuela emehlweni ahralaoyo ohlanga lwa Matabele.
Kukho nembali yabahambeli abamhlophe kulo mmandla nababalisa ngee lali ezibiyelwe ngezitena, ezilali zazikhangeleka zingasahlali bantu. Bamb bathi kulapho usomaqhuzu we hotela uSol Kerzner wafumana khona icebo lokwakha i’Lost City’ kwi Sun City resort.
Kukho amathandabuzo okuba abantu bohlanga lwama BaPo babehlala ngale ndlela nabo. Ngomnyaka ka 1832, umkhosi wamaZulu wade wamfumana uMzilikazi, kwanyanzeleka ukuba aphinde afuduke.
Kweli tyeli waqhubeka wahamba ngentshona waya kumahlathi ase Zeerust. Bathi njengokuba besiya befuduka,uMzilikazi kunye nomkhosi wakhe wayeye angquzulane naye nabani na ohlala kue mimmandla, kuquka nohlanga lwama Griqua, olwama Kora kunye namabhulu ayesuka eKoloni. Ngomnyaka ka 1836, amaBhulu alwa noMzilikazi kwimfazwe ye Vegkop ekugqibeleni aye amoyisa (ngoncedo phofu lweqela lezinye iintlanga) kunyaka olandelayo.
Oku kwaqhubela isizwe saMatabele ngaphaya koMlambo iLimpopo baya kuma kwilizwe elibizwa nge Zimbabwe namhlanje. Kweli lizwe kulapho uMzilikazi waseka ubukumkani bakhe obutsha, kwaBulawayo kwiiNduli ze Matopo.

iDifeqane

©David Fleminger
Nangona kukho ubungqina bokulwa phakathi kweentlanga zabeSotho/Tswana kwiminyaka ephambi koShaka noMzilikazi,ukuzinza kulo mmandla ngoku wawusele uphasalakile. Abantu bazibhaqa sele betsala tsalana ngoshishino kunye nezinto zendalo. Oku ke kwabizwa nge Difeqane (ixesha longquzulwano) kwaye abona bantu baxhamlayo kolu dushe yaba ngamaBhulu, ona ayengena ngxaki nokuthatha imihlaba logama abeSotho/Tswana besaphazanyiswe ngumloo.
Ashiyeka eseka iifama zemveliso. Njengokuba amaBhulu esiya efika, iintlanga zale ndawo zazibhaqa ziphakathi kwenyama nezipho. Kwathi kusiba ngumnyaka ka 1850 ummandla wonke wawusele uyinxalenye ye Zuid-Afrikaanse Republic, bashiyeka abemi bale ndawo benge namakhaya.
Enye yentlanga ezaphucwa imihlaba yeyama Po, neyayine nkokheli enyamezelayo egama lingu Mogale. Iintaba ze Magaliesberg zithiywe ngaye, kunye nedolophu yase Krugersdorp, neyabizwa nge Mogale City. uNkosi Mogale wayelityendyana lomfana ngethuba aMatabele engena ngendlovu yangena kwimihlaba yookhoko bakhe kufuphi neentaba ze Magaliesberg.
Nangona wazama ukugonyamela, esi sizwe sanyanzeleka ukuba sibalekele emzantsi ngaphaya kwe Vaal. Athi xa efika amaBhulu, uMogale wathethana nawo, baze bencedisana bathumela umkhosi ozayokududula aMatabele emke eMagaliesber.
Ukubabulela ngoncedo lwabo, amaBhulu athiya lommandla nge Nkosi Mogale, kodwa awazange amnike umhlaba wakhe. Ndaweni yoko, anika oluhlanga lwama Po imisebenzi kwifama zalamaBhulu ezintsha. Abe sele ezinza onwabela iziqhamo zokubila kwebunzi lwaba bantu.

Ukuvela Kwe Golide

©David Fleminger
uMogale akazange akuthande oku kungcatshwa, waze waqala ukuzibandakanya neendlela eziphikisana namaBhulu. Kunge kudala amaBhulu aqala ukugrogrisa uMogale ngomkhosi waphinda kwakhona wathatha abantu bakhe wafuduka waya kuma eThaba Nchu, kufuphi nase Bloemfontein. Iminyaka eli 15 elandelayo, uMogale wenza uxolelwano kunye namaBhulu waze wabuyela eMagaliesberg kunye neqaqobana labantu bakhe.
Kodwa izinto azizange zibe lula. Kuqala, amaNgesi athabatha iTransvaal ngomnyaka ka 1877, ababuyisela kuphela emva koloyiso lwabo olothusayo kwimfazwe eyi First Anglo-Boer War yango mnyaka ka 1880. Kwiminyaka embalwa emva koko, kwafunyanwa igolide eWitwatersrand (kuquka nelinye iqela elafumaneka kwingingqi ye Cradle of Humankind).
Ukuvela kwe golide kunga lindelwanga kumhlaba obukade ubonwa njengo ngenamsebenzi kwezolio kwenza ukuba amaNgesi aphinde asingise ngentla kwakhona. Kungekudala baphinde benza isibhengezo sokuphinda bawuthathwe lomhlaba kwakhona. AmaBhulu ayengenalo elinye icebo ngaphandle kokuphinda angene emfazweni.

Anglo-Boer War yeSibini

©David Fleminger
Le Anglo-Boer War yeSibini yathatha ixesha elide kune yokuqaa kwaye kwaphalala igazi nangakumbi. Le mfazwe yathatha iminyaka eliqela yanika nehlabathi ii concentration camps zokuqala. Kwaliwa iimfazwe eziliqela kwiindawo ezohlukeneyo zelizwe, kuquka nakwiinduli ezinqumla ye Magaliesberg (eyona yabankulu yimfazwe ebizwa nge Battle of Dwarsvlei, kufutshane nase Maropeng).
Indawo yase Magaliesberg yayiwanceda amaBhulu ekuvaleleni ngaphandle amaNgesi. Kwaye le ndawo yayikukuphela kwendlela umkhosi wamaNgesi ase Joburg aqhakamshelana ngayo namanye amajoni ase Rustenburg. Isikhumbuzo sale mfazwe ikrakra neyayinde sisabonakala kwingingqi ye Cradle of Humankind nge Barton’s Folly kufutshane ne Hekpoort.

Translated by Zizipho Silwana