iRichtersveld

iEden Engaqhelekanga

©Shem Compion

Indawo yase Richtersveld imi kumntla ntshona welizwe lo Mzantsi Afrika. Kwaye ikude nayo yonke enye into, yohlulwe lulwandle lwe Atlantic ngase ntshona, yi Namib Desert emntla kwakunye nentlango eyomileyo yase Kalahari ngasempuma. Lo mmandla womileyo, eneneni uyintlango, unemvula ezingaphantsi kwama 220mm. Iintaba ezinamatye zimi kumathafa ashushu. Izityalo ezikwazi ukugcina amanzi, ezinamagwabi atyebileyo zinamathela ematyeni kwaye zizimele nasemithunzini.
Amaqondo obushushu asehlotyni anganyuka aye ngaphaya kwama 50 degrees kwaye ubusuku basebusika bunga qhaqhazelisa amazinyo. Umthombo wamanzi, nekuphela kwawo, ngumlambo we Orange River. Lomlambo ubaleka phakathi kwalendawo inomhlaba owomileyo. Kwaye, ngenxa yoku, iRichtersveld yenye yezona ntlango zakhe zaxubana ehlabathini.
Ikwanaso nesithethe esixabisekileyo, esibonakala nanga mafama ohlanga lwama Nama, atyisa iibhokhwe zawo kuhlaza lwalapha iminyaka engaphaya kwama 2000. Imvelo kunye nendalo yalo mmandla ingaphaya kwexabiso lemali kwaye kusenokwenzeka ukuba ukubakude kwalo mmandla kuqinisekise ukuba akubikho tshintsho luninzi kulo mmandla. Ngamanye amagama, kunzima ukuqonda ukuba abarhwaphilizi base koloni (nababethatha kwanto kwilizwe lonke) abazange bafumane ndlela yokurhwaphiliza indawo yaseRichtersveld.

Isuntswana Elikhethekileyo Lase Afrika

©Shem Compion

Ngoko ke, kuthetha ukuthini oku emntwini ofuna ukubuka iRichtersveld namhlanje? Hayi ke, ngokophuhliso loluntu, zimbalwa iindlela kwaye nabantu bambalwa. Liqaqobana lee dolophu elinezakhiwo okanye elilungiselele ezokhenketho. Ezoshishino nazo zinqongophele kakhulu. Ikhona intengiso yezolimo encinane ngakumlambo we Orange River, kodwa eyona nto yenziwayo kulengingqi kukombiwa kwemigodi yedayimani (nekhangeleka ngathi ilawulwa ziinkampani ezinamandla nezisebenzela ekhusini). Kodwa mandingabaxi kakhulu izinto.
Kulula ukufikelela kwindawo yaseRichtersveld kwaye akukho nzima ukuhlela utyelelo kweli suntswana likhethekileyo le Afrika. Kodwa ngaphambi kokuba siqhubeke, kufanele ndikhankanye ukuba iRichtersveld ayinokufane iqondwe nje nangoluphi uhlobo. Lo mmandla ufana netswele; inothotho lwe botanical biomes, idistrikthi ze politikhi kwakunye namaqela abantu bemvelo, konke oku kuphilisana ndaweni nye. Okona kubalulekileyo kukuba iRichtersveld yinxalenye yommandla we Namaqualand, kwaye akunakuthethwa ngenye ingakhange ikhankanywe nenye.

iNamaqualand

Ngokufanayo nase Richtersveld, iNamaqualand ngummandla ozimeleyo kwaye owomileyo. Eminye imithombo yeeNkcukacha ithi kukho umntu omnye kwi skwere khilomitha ngasinye. Kwaye indlela yokuqala yetha yokhiwa kuphela ngeminyaka yoo 1960. Ngokufanalekileyo, iidolophu zincinci kwaye zithe saa, kwaye ziqelelene ngemigama emikhulu kakhulu.
Kodwa ke, njengase Richtersveld, yindawo enika umdla kubakhenkethi kwaye ifikeleleka lula kubahambi. Ebantwini abaninzi, eyona nto yokuqala ifika ezingqondweni xa becinga nge Namaqualand ziintyatyambo zee ‘daisies’. Oku kubangelwa ngumbono omhle weentyatyambo zasendle ezidubula kubekanye ngonyaka.
Nalapho izigidi zezityalo zidubula kuvele iintyatyambo kangange veki nje ezimbalwa hroqo ngexesha le ntlakohlaza. Akukho bani ufuna kuphoswa ngulomboniso, kwaye ummandla wase Namaqualand oqhele ukuthi zole cwaka ugcwala abakhenkethi ngesiquphe ngelixesha leentyatyambo. Ngelishwa ke, ezi ntyatyambo azinaxesha zilihlelileyo kwaye ukufika endaweni elungileyo ngexesha elilungileyo kungathanda ukubhida.

Elona Xesha Lilungele Ukutyelela

iRichtersveld yindawo eyintlango, ngoko ke kusebenza imithetho eqhelekileyo. Iinyanga zehlobo (embindini wenyanga ka Okthobha ukuya embindini kweka Februwari) zishushu ngeyona ndlela kwaye zome kakhlu. Amaqondo obushushu anganyuka abekufutshane nama 50 degrees. Iinyanga zobusika (Inyanga ka Meyi neka Julayi) zingabanda kwaye zibemanzi, ingakumbi ekuseni. Ngoko ke, zilungiselele kuwo omabini lamaxesha onyaka.
Zama ukutyelela iRichtersveld ngexesha leentyantyambo ekuqaleni kwe ntlakohlaza (ekupheleni kwenyanga ka Julayi-ukuya embindini kweka Septemba). Amaqondo obushushu noko ayanyamezeleka kwaye nemozulu ihlala ilungile ngeli xesha enyakeni. Ngaphezulu, eli lixesha lonyaka apho izityalo ezininzi zidubula zivelisa iintyantyambo. Zitsho kuthi saa ngumbala nje, nqwa kanye nemizobo ka Jackson Pollock.
Uqaphele ke kananjalo ukuba akukho zithembiso. Ngethuba ndise Eksteenfontein, umzekelo, imvula yagalela iiyure ezingama 24 ingenasiqabu kwaye nomoya obandayo wabe ubhudla ukusuka elunxwemeni. Sade sanyanzeleka ukuba sixinanisane kwindlu yamandwendwe, abakhweli bhayisekile ababe manzi tixi, nabanyanzeleka ukuba bakhangele indawo yokufihla intloko kulo mozulu imbi.

Translated by Zizipho Silwana