Izimpi ZaseSterkfontein

INkosi Enamandla yamaZulu

©Roger de la Harpe
Ngawo-1820 eNingizimu Afrika, inkosi enamandla yamaZulu, uShaka, yavela emandleni ogwini olusempumalanga yeNingizimu Afrika. Isifunda sonke sasisesimweni sokukhathazeka nokuphikisana. Esikhundleni sokubeka engozini impi nebutho elinamandla laseZulu, izizwe eziningi zashiya amazwe azo futhi zahamba, zaphela kuphela ukuxosha ezinye izizwe, ngaleyo ndlela zakha umphumela wombuso. Lokhu kwakungenye yezimbangela zenkathi yokuhlukumezeka eyabizwa ngokuthi iMfecane (ukuchoboza).
Njengengxenye yokuhlaselwa kwezempi kaShaka, wathumela omunye wabaphathi bakhe, uMzilikazi, uphakamise esiqongweni se-highveld ukuze anqobe inhloko yeSuthu, uRasisi. UMzilikazi wanquma ukuthi wayeyithanda kakhulu izikhukhula ezivulekile futhi waba nenkinga encane eshaya izizwe zesiSuthu neziNtshonalanga ngokuthula, ngakho wanquma ukushiya uShaka futhi enze isizwe sakhe, uMababele (noma iNdebele). Noma kunjalo, uMzilikazi wayeyesaba ukuthunjwa uShaka futhi wathatha abantu bakhe phambili entshonalanga, esifundeni esiseduze neCradle of Humankind.

Idolobha Elilahlekile

©Roger de la Harpe
Wakha inhloko-dolobha yakhe, i-Kungwini, ngasePitoli yanamuhla futhi wakha indawo yokuhlala, iDineno, eduze kweDamu laseHartebeespoort. Umthelela wezizwe zendawo kumele ube ophawulekayo, njengoba imigwaqo eminingana e-Cradle of Humankind ibonisa ubufakazi bokuthi izinkomo zazifihliwe lapho ukuze zigweme amehlo enhle weMatabelebhu ehlasele.
Kukhona nokulandisa okwamanje okuphathelene nabahambi abamhlophe esifundeni abakhuluma ngemidolobhana enezigxobo zamatshe ezabonakala sengathi zashiywe. Abanye bathi lapha yilapho ihhotela-mogul Sol Kerzner lathola khona umbono wakhe ekuthuthukiseni 'iLost City' eNkundleni yeSun City resort - nakuba umuntu engabaza ukuthi ngabe abantu beBaPo babebathanda ngokufanayo kitsch. Kodwa ngo-1832, ibutho leZulu lahlangana nalesi sigameko uMzilikazi, futhi kwadingeka aphinde ahambe.
Ngalesi sikhathi wahamba waya entshonalanga ngaseZeerust futhi njengoba behamba, uMzilikazi kanye nebutho lakhe babezophikisana nabo bonke abantu abahlala kwi-Highveld, kuhlanganise neGriqua, uKora kanye noBoers abathintekayo ababehamba bephuma Cape. Ngo-1836, amaBoers alwa noMzilikazi e-Battle of Vegkop futhi ekugcineni wamhlula (ngosizo lwezizwe eziningana) ngonyaka olandelayo. Lokhu kwaholela eMatabele ngaphesheya koMfula iLimpopo kuze kube manje eZimbabwe, lapho uMzilikazi emise umbuso wakhe omusha, kwaBulawayo, eMatopo Hills.

I-Difeqane

©David Fleminger
Nakuba kukhona ubufakazi bokulwa phakathi kwezizwe zakwaSuthu / Tswana eminyakeni engamashumi eminyaka ngaphambi kweShaka noMzilikazi, ukuzinza kwalesi sifundazwe kwakungenakunyakaziswa futhi abantu bazitholela ukuncintisana ngokuhweba okuncishisiwe kanye nemithombo yemvelo. Lokhu kwakuthiwa i-Difeqane (isikhathi sokulwa) futhi abantu abodwa abazuzakalayo yiBoers, ababengenaso ikhono lokuthatha amapheshana amakhulu ezweni labo abaphazamisekile iSotho / Tswana bese bezakhela amapulazi ezithelo.
Njengoba iBoers eyengeziwe yafika, izizwe zendawo zazithola ziboshwe phakathi kwedwala nendawo eqinile futhi, ngawo-1850, sonke isifunda sathiwa yingxenye yeRiphabhulikhi yaseZuid-Afrikaanse, eshiya abantu bendawo bengenabo izwe. Enye yalezi zizwe ezalahlwa yiPo, owayenomholi oqinekile obizwa ngokuthi uMogale. Izintaba zaseMagaliesberg zibizwa ngegama lakhe, njengoba idolobha laseKrugersdorp, eliqanjwe ngokuthi uMogale City.
UMogale Mogale wayengumuntu osemusha lapho uMatabele eqala ukuhlasela izwe lakubo emadolobheni aseMagaliesberg. Naphezu kokuphikiswa okunamandla, lesi sizwe saphoqeleka ukuba sibalekele eningizimu phezu kweVaal. Ngesikhathi uBoers efika, uMogale waxoxisana nabo futhi babethumela iqembu elihlangene ukuze lisuse uMagaliesberg weMatabele onamandla. Ukubonga ngokusizwa kwabo, iBoers ibize lesi sifundazwe ngemuva kweNkosi uMogale, kodwa ayizange imbuyisele izwe layo. Esikhundleni salokho, banikeza uPo umsebenzi emapulazini abo asanda kukhulunywa futhi bahlala phansi ukuze bajabulele izithelo zomsebenzi womunye umuntu.

Ukuvela Kwegolide

©David Fleminger
UMogale akazange athathe ngomusa kulokhu kukhwabanisa, futhi waqala ukuhileleka emisebenzini yokuphikisana ne-Boer njenge-gun-running. Ngokushesha, iBoers yaqala ukusongela uMogale ngezempi futhi waphinde wabamba abantu bakhe wabaleka waya eThaba Nchu, ngaseBloemfontein. Eminyakeni engu-15 kamuva, uMogale wenza ukuthula nabakwaBoers futhi wabuyela nabanye baseMagaliesberg. Kodwa izinto bekungeke kube yi-smooth navigation. Okokuqala, abaseBrithani bahlanganisa iTransvaal ngo-1877, kuphela ukuyibuyisela eBoers ngemva kokunqoba kwabo okumangalisayo eMpumalanga Anglo-Boer War ka-1880.
Kwase kuthi ngemva kweminyaka embalwa, igolide litholakala eWitwatersrand (kufaka phakathi izibalo eziningana endaweni ye-Cradle of Humankind). Ukubukeka kwegolide okungalindelekile kulokho okwakucatshangwa njengalokhu kungenalutho kwezilimi kubangele ukuthi abantu baseBrithani bavele babheke ngasenyakatho futhi, futhi ngokushesha babika ukuthi banenhloso yokunamathela iRiphabhulikhi yaseTransvaal okwesibili. I-Boers ayinakukhetha ngaphandle kokuya empini.

Impi Yesibili ye-Anglo-Boer

©David Fleminger
Le mpi yesibili ye-Anglo-Boer yayiyingxabano emide kakhulu neyomzimba, eyadonselwa iminyaka eminingana futhi yanikeza umhlaba amakamu okuhlushwa okuqala. Kwabalwa izimpi eziningi ezingxenyeni ezihlukahlukene zezwe, futhi ukuqhuma okuvuthayo okwenzeka emagqumeni nasezindaweni ezidlule zaseMagaliesberg (ikakhulukazi e-Battle of Dwarsvlei, eduze neMaropeng).
I-Magaliesberg yayiyisivimbela esinqunyiwe sokuba iBoers ibambe ngoba kwakuyindlela kuphela yamabutho aseBrithani eGoli ukuxhumana nabafowabo abavimbezele eRustenberg. Isikhumbuzo sekhonkrithi yalokhu impi ende futhi emunyu isabonakala ku-Cradle of Humankind endaweni ngesimo sikaBarton's Folly ngaseHekpoort.

Translated by Nsika Khoza