Umboniso woku Chasana Nengcinezelo
Kumabhulu akulawulo eMzantsi Afrika, uNelson Mandela wayelibalekile. Kwakunjalo kwilizwe lonke: kunyaka wokuqala we Tyala I Revonia Trial iNew York Times yashicilela indaba apho igama lika Mandela lalivela khona; kunyaka olandelayo, lavela kanye, nalapho yayi yinto enokwenza no Winnie Mandela.
Wasebenza ngokuzimisela ukugcina igama lika Mandela noko akholelwa kuko, ngokwenza njalo wacatshukelwa kakhulu ngama polisa okhuseleko. Ze kwathathwa isigqibo zinkokheli ze Congress Alliance ephesheya okokuba abekwe esweni uMandela: Amandla wakhe awongwa amenza umzekelo obukekayo. Ithathe ixesha kodwa igama lakhe laye leza ngaphambili langumzekelo womlo ochasene nobuhlanga.
Oku kwazibonakalisa ngendlela ezincinci: Ngelanga le hlobo emveni kwemini ndaqhuba ndisiya eposini ekufutshane eGoli ndiyokuposa incwadi eya kuMandela entolongweni. Indoda emnyama ndancedwa yiyo ekhawuntarini. Waye diniwe esitsha ngapha kwalo khawuntari, ekhedamile. Ndamnika ke le ncwadi, wayijonga ngokudikwa – Kodwa wathi akubona igama, waphila ngoko mzuzwana. Waqala wahlala, amehlo akhe akhazimla, wandinikeza olona ncedo lumangalisayo.
Ukubonakala Kokubaluleka kuka Mandela
Ngonyaka ka 1970 nasekuqaleni konyaka ka 1980 urhulumente wobuhlanga waqalisa ukuvuka ukubaluleka kuka Mandela njenge nkokheli. Njengokuba ekhula urhulumente wayesoyika okokuba uzakufela entolongweni abeligorha elichasene nocalucalulo ngokwe bala.
Inzame zokokuba akhululwe entolongweni zenziwa ngumtshana wakhe u Paramount ukumkani uKaiser Matanzima no Joan Koetzee wamapolisa okhuseleko. Konke oku yayikokuba uMandela ashiye uMzantsi Afrika ahlale eTranskei, leyo ke yayisaziwa nge Bantustan iphethwe ngu Mathanzima.
uMandela akazange avume. uMandela nabahlobo bakhe abahlanu (5) abasenyongweni basuswa eRobben Island basiwa apho imeko zokuphila zingcono khona, kwi ntolongo iPollsmor. Ususela ngeminyaka yo 1985, abaphathiswa be khabinethi baqala ukumndwendwela bengena imihlangano yabucala wathathwa wayokubona uMongameli u P.W Botha.
Abahlobo Bandwendwela ePollsmoor
Emva kweminyaka yokubhala izicelo, ndande ndavunyelwa ukundwendwela imizuzu nje engamashumi amane anesihlanu (45min) ndaxelelwa okokuba ndivunyelwa okokuba ndimbone njengomhlobo hayi intatheli, ndathembisa okokuba andingekhe ndibhale ngolundwendwelo.
Kwakungekho lula kum oku, kwaye kumele abantu endisebenza nabo eRand Daily Mail bakwamkele oku. Ndandise ndimazi unogada wesisele sika Mandela, uWarrant Officer James Gregory. Eminyakeni ukuqala nge Robben Island, unkosikazi wam, u Anne nam sathumela izipho zokutya zithumelela uMandela ngexesha lika khisimusi.
Emveni koko ngomnye unyaka ndaxelelwa okokuba kuzakwabelwa namanye amabanjwa esiqithini. Ndatsalela iofisi zentolongo bakungqina ke oku. ‘uthetha ukuthi xa ndithumele ikilo yelekese nizakunikeza amabanjwa ayi 1400?’ ndabuza ‘Ewe’ yatsho impendulo. Yayi yimpambano kele, kodwa ke sasivumelekile ukuthumela imali eyayifakwa kwingxowa mali yakhe yase ntolongweni. Exesheni, senza okufanayo sisenzela abanye ababe banjwe no Mandela, uWalter Sisulu no Gavin Mbeki.
Ndaxelelwa ke okokuba ngexesha lika khisimusi bangabhala konke abakufunayo onogada bahambe baye evenkileni ekufuphi bayokuthenga. Ngeholide yethu esiyityela ekapa rhoqo ngonyaka, sasiqhuba siye kwintolongo iPollsmor siyokushoya izipho. Ndandisebenzisana no Gregory kwaye wayehlala eluncedo enembeko.
Iincoko Ezinga Kholelekiyo
Ekhaya erhawutini ngenye intsasa yango Mgqibelo, uWinnie watsala umxeba ekhathazekile: wayexelelwe okokuba uMandela unesifo somhlaza kwaye efuna okokuba mna ndimqinisekise ngokukhawuleza okokuba ezindaba zaziyinyaniso okanye ubuxoki. Ndatsala umnxeba kwintolongo yase Pollsmoor, ndafumana uGregory.
Wwandiqinisekisa okokuba oku bubuxoki, wasandula kumona loka Mandela kwaye wayephilile egqiba ukutya isidlo sakusasa esise mpilweni. Wandicela ke uGregory okokuba lomyalezo ndiwudlulise ku Winnie, wavakalisa ke okokuba imbi into yokuba abantu bahambise indaba zobuxoki eziloluhlobo.
Ndambulela ndamcela okokuba andibulisele kulo ka Mandela ,wathi uyakukwenza njalo. Kwakungakholeleki okokuba ndithetha nonogada ngebanjwa elalisaziwa elizweni. Ndabeka phantsi umnxeba ndathi ku Anne, ‘le ke yeyona ngxoxo yemfono – mfono iphambeneyo endandikhe ndanayo'.
Ukundwendwela Ngexesha Letyala
Nndandilungiselela ukundwendwela uMandela, ndathatha isigqibo sokuba ndizakuthetha konke endandifuna ukuthetha ndingathuli. Ndangeniswa kwintolongo iPollsmoor ndamkelwa ngu Gregory: Watsho okuba bonke bakuvuyele ukundwendwela kwam. Ndaqonda nje okokuba olundwendwelo lwam yayilele tyala.
Abomthetho babefuna ukubona okokuba kwenzeke ntoni ngoba iminyaka emininzi yayilusapho olwaluvumelekile ukubona uMandela. Ndethuka ndatsho okokuba ndakulandela imithetho nokuba ithini na. ungaxhalabi wathso uGregory; ‘Ixhego’ liyakwazi okuvumelekileyo kwaye sasingaumelekanga ukuthetha ngemeko zasentolongweni. Yaba yimini ekhethekileyo ebomini bam: Ndahlala phantsi esitulweni phambi kweglasi enkulu, kwangena uNelson Mandela, izandla zakhe ziphezulu ebulisa.
Wahlala kwelinye icala le glasi sathetha ngezikhwazisi, ezazisenza amazwi ethu iengathi ayingowethu. Inwele zazingwevu ubuso bakhe bushwabene. Kodwa waziqokelela wakhangeleka omelele njengelaxesha ndandimgqibele ngalo kwiminyaka engapha kwamashumi amabini adlulayo. Ndethuswa kukuzimisela kwakhe. Le yindoda eyayidlule kwizinto ezininzi de yazimisela yabanzulu exesheni. Wayethetha nge gunya. Wayenembeko ku Gregory no Gregory enembeko kuye, kodwa nangona wayelibanjwa uMandela, yayinguye ophetheyo.
Ukuba Ngcono Kwemeko ka Mandela
Wayelungise uluhlu lwezahloko kumhlangano wethu: Wayefuna ndincede ukuvula indlela yemfundo yentombizakhe ezimbini, kwaye wayefuna ukwazi ngabahlobo bakhe abadala. Wandicela ndixelele uDr. Harold Seftel, owayenguchwephesha kumayeza eAfrika, awathi wamazi ngexa bengabafundi bobabini kwi Yunivesithi yase Witwatersrand, wayemamela uluhlu lwakhe rhoqo lwempilo kunomathotholo.
Kwafuneka ndixelele uSeftel okokuba uMandela waye mamela inkqubo yakhe kwaye wayesele ehlisile ekutyeni ityuwa. Lilzwe elincinci kuba ndandingazi uHarry Seftel kuphela kodwa nodade wabo uDolly Levine, wayengumhlobo osenyongweni owazisa mna no Anne - I ‘shidduch’ ngesi Yiddish – wahlala ebuza ngomtshato wethu nabantwana. Emveni koko ndatsalela uSeftel umxeba ndimxelela umyalezo ka Mandela, wandibulela ngovuyo. ‘Yintsikelelo ‘mitzvah’ le undinika yona, waphinda ke esitho.
uMandela wandicela ndindwendwele kwakhona, ixesha eliphinda phindeneyo kuneli lakuqala. Wathi ke akazuvuma ukundibona xa uAnne engekho. Zange babonana- satshata emveni kovalelo lwakhe - kodwa wathi unomfanekiso wakhe oxhonywe edongeni lesisele sakhe. Mna ke no Anne saye samndwendwela, ngo ka January 1986, emveni kweveki phambi kokuba siye Phesheya, ngelixesha igunya lika Mandela lalingaphezul.
Sasino ndwendwelo kwi ofisi umphathi ntolongo walala ngapha kwe desika ebhala, kwakucaca nje okokuba nguye ophetheyo. Kwesi sihlandlo kwanyanzeleka ndibhale phantsi okokuba andiyikushicilela nto ngoluhambo.
UMandela Uyakhululwa Entolongweni
uRhulumente wase Mzantsi wachaza ngentseni yangolwesihlanu okokuba uMandela uyakhululwa ngentseni elandelayo. Ngomgqibelo, kwanyanzelaka ndiyokulungisa isitulo kwivenkile encinci ekufutshane kwikhaya lethu eWest Hampstead eLondon. Ndangena, ndabhekisa kumphathi ngovuyo ndisithi, ’indaba ezimnandi zokuba uNelson Mandela uyakhululwa entolongweni namhlanje'.
Wabuyisela kum esithi, ‘Ngumgrogrisi lowo. Kufanelwe axhonywe'. Yayingumzuzu ombi kodwa wawungavezi imbono ze Britani yonke zelaxesha. Ndachitha usuku eSky TV, ndiveza izimvo ngalomifanekiso mihle eyayisuka ngaphandle kwe ntolongo iVictor Vester kwicala labucala, bucala ne Grand Parade eKapa apho uMandela wathetha nenginginya zabantu.
Translated by Zikhona Plaatjie
Iinkokheli kunye nabameli bombutho we African National Congress yaba ngabantu bokuqala ukuvalelwa. Bakhawuleza balandelwa ngabameli bemibuth...