Umbuso Onamandla
I-Mapungubwe yindawo yasendulo yase-Afrika eyayipucukile eyathuthuka duze noMfula iLimpopo kusukela ngo-900 AD kuya ku-1300 AD. Lona umbuso wokuqala owaziwa e-Afrika futhi ithonya lawo lisakazeka endaweni enkulu, ehlanganisa izingxenye zeNingizimu Afrika, eBotswana naseZimbabwe.
Ngaphezu kwalokho, ngezigaba zayo kamuva, uMapungubwe wayengumbuso onamandla obenokuxhumana nabathengisi bokuqala baseShayina, base-Arabhu nabaseNdiya, ababekade behweba ogwini empumalanga ye-Afrika kusukela eminyakeni engaba izinkulungwane ezine ezedlule. Ngesikhathi umbuso waseMapungubwe wehlela ngokungazelelwe ngo-1290 AD, izakhamizi zahamba zaya emadlelweni ahlaza, njengedolobha eliyigugu laseGreat Zimbabwe.
Manje sekuvunywa ukuthi abantu baseMapungubwe namuhla abaphakathi kwamaShona namaVenda (futhi mhlawumbe bahlanganisela amaSotho namaTswana). Ngenxa yalokho, iMapungubwe idlala ingxenye ebalulekile futhi ekhohliwe yesiqephu somlando wethu wokuqala.
Idolobha Elilahlekile
Naphezu kwalo mlando, i-Mapungubwe nabantu bayo babonakala bephuma emqondweni wabantu, ababehlala eduze nabo kanye nalabo abasanda kufika bevela eYurophu. Ngisho nangemva kokuba 'sitholakele kabusha' ekuqaleni kwawo-1930, indaba yeMapungubwe yayivame ukukhulunywa njengesiqephu esingaqondakali noma esedlule sase-Afrika esasimnyama, futhi sabekwa emuva komlando.
Kodwa konke kwashintsha. Ngo-1994, kanye nenqubo entsha yentando yeningi, kwakukhona nesithakazelo esisha esimweni somlando wase-Afrika (okuhlanganisela konke okwenzeka kamuva ukufika kukaVan Riebeeck). Kwakukhona nesifiso sokuthola nokubuyisela izimpawu zesikhathi esidlule sase-Afrika esingaziqhenya ngaso esingase sisebenze njengesiqalo ‘sokuvuselelwa kweAfrika.’ I-Mapungubwe kwaba ithuba elihle.
UMbuso Wokuqala woMdabu
Futhi ukubaluleka kwesayithi nakho kuyaqhubeka ngaphesheya kwemingcele yethu. Ngakho-ke, ngemuva kwenqubo yesicelo ephumelelayo, indawo yosiko lwe-Mapungubwe yabizwa ngenombolo 1099 yamagugu amazwe omhlaba (World Heritage Site) ngoJanuwari 2002. Njengoba i-ICOMOS (uMkhandlu Wamazwe Omhlaba Ngezikhumbuzo Nezakhiwo) yathi kulo mbiko ku-UNESCO, "I-Mapungubwe ibaluleke kakhulu endleleni kubonisa ukuphakama nokuwa kombuso wokuqala wendabuko eningizimu ye-Afrika.
Ngaphakathi kwesayithi kukhona izinsalela zezihloko ezintathu, izindawo zabo zesathelayithi, imizi yabo, kanye namazwe azungeze ukuhlangana kwemifula iLimpopo noShashe, enokuzalanisa okwasekela abantu abaningi ngaphakathi kombuso. " "Isikhundla seMapungubwe ekuhambeni komgwaqo osenyakatho / naseningizimu nasempumalanga nasentshonalanga eningizimu ye-Afrika senze ukuba ilawulwe ukuhweba phakathi kweMpumalanga Afrika, iNdiya i-China naseningizimu ye-Afrika.
Umhlaba wabo wavuma bavune igolide namazinyo endlovu-izinto ezazingenakutholakala kwezinye izindawo - okwakungenisa umnotho omningi ekukhonjisweni okufana nesitsha sobumba esiphuma kweleShayina nengilazi yasePersia." "Ukushona okungazelelwe kweMapungubwe, okulethwa yizimo zezulu ezishisayo, nokushiywa kwenhloko-dolobha, kusho ukuthi izinsalela zombuso zigciniwe.
Isikhundla sikaMapungubwe njengesisekelo samandla eningizimu ye-Afrika sashintsha saya enyakatho e-Great Zimbabwe naseKhami. I-Mapungubwe kumele ibonwe njengesiqalo sale mibuso emibili kamuva."
Usiko Nendawo
Ngakho i-Mapungubwe ingumamukeli ofanelekayo weGugu lezwe noMhlaba. Kodwa igama elithi 'usiko nendawo' lithinta kuphi? Kusukela ngo-1992, ukusebenzisana okukhulu phakathi kwabantu nendawo yemvelo kuye kwaqashelwa njengezindalo zamasiko, futhi iMapungubwe ivumelana nale ncazelo. Njengoba uJane Curruthers, isazi-mlando sezemvelo esihlonishwayo, usibeka: "I-Mapungubwe ayiyona engokwemvelo, kepha imvelo yakhelwe ukusibonisa umphakathi owawuyisebenzisa.
Ukuthuthuka kwendawo kwakungoba basebenzisa izinto zemvelo ukuqinisa umphakathi, umbuso kanye nomnotho wesizwe." UCarruthers uyaqhubeka ngokucaphuna omunye umhlaziyi, uP. Fowler, othi: “Iningi lomhlaba jikelele, ngokwezinga elikhulu noma elingaphansi, 'amasiko endawo' (futhi) enye yezinzuzo ezibaluleke kakhulu zokufakwa kwamasiko nendawo ngaphansi koMhlangano wamagugu omhlaba ukuthi kufanele kusize ekukhuthazeni abantu banake izizwe zabo.” Futhi ngakho sonke siyavuma!
Translated by Nsika Khoza