UNontsikelelo uzelwe
Wazalwa nguBonizwe engu Monikazi Thethiwe Ngo-21 Mfumfu 1918, esifundeni saseTsomo seTranskei, uNontsikelelo Thethiwe wayengowesibili kwezingane ezinhlanu. Umama wakhe wayegula njalo futhi ebuthakathaka ngemuva kokusinda kumbhobho wentuthu njalo uNontsikelelo kwakudingeka avame ukunakekela izingane zakubo.
Ngenkathi eneminyaka eyishumi nanye ubudala ubaba wakhe washona futhi ngesikhathi eseneminyaka eyishumi nanhlanu umama wakhe esedlule, wamshiya esikhundleni sakhe sokondla izingane ezintathu ezincane zakubo. Wathola igama elithi Albertina lapho eqala isikole e-Xolobe. Ngesikhathi efika ekupheleni kwesikole samabanga aphansi wayemdala ngeminyaka emibili kunabo bonke ekilasini lakhe ngenxa yokuntuleka kwakhe okukhulu.
Naphezu kwalokhu, uphumelele kakhulu emisebenzini yamasiko nezemidlalo futhi waze wakhethwa njengenduna yabantwana besikole. Isikhathi ubudala bakhe bungamsebenzeli kulapho enqatshelwe ithuba lokufundela esikoleni esiphakeme okweminyaka emine mahala, nakuba ethole indawo yokuqala emncintiswaneni. Othisha baka-Albertina bathukuthele ukuphathwa kabi kwakhe futhi babhalela iphephandaba lesiXhosa, u-Imvo Zabantsundu, benethemba lokumangalela ukuba anqobe umklomelo. Lesi sihloko sabonwa ngabapristi beRoma endaweni, bakhuluma nobaba uBernard Huss eMariazell College.
U-Albertina wanikezwa ithuba lokufunda iminyaka emine eMariazell mahala kanye nomzana wakhe wonke wagubha. Izimo kuleli zazisho ukuthi izingane eziningi azitholli ithuba lokuthola imfundo. Umfowabo omdala wayengakaze aye esikoleni. Esikhundleni salokho, kwakudingeka eluse izifuyo futhi asebenzele ukudla komndeni.
Ukusebenza Njengomhlengikazi
Ekupheleni kwesikole esiphakeme u-Albertina wayebhekene nesinqumo salokho ayezokwenza ngemuva kwalokho. Iphupho lakhe ikuba uthisha, kodwa izimo azivumelanga ukuthi lokhu kwenzeke. Wayephendukele waba umKatolika ngenkathi eseMariazell futhi, ngokuzimisela ukuhlala engashadile, wanquma ukuba isistela. Ngaphansi kokucebisa kukaBaba Huss, waqaphela ukuthi ukuba isistela kungenza kube nzima ukusekela umndeni wakhe.
Osistela abatholi umholo futhi ngeke bazi ukushiya imishini. Okungasho ukuthi, u-Albertina ngeke akwazi ukusiza umndeni wakhe ngemali noma awubone lapho bemdinga. Ngakho wanquma ukuba umhlengikazi esikhundleni salokho. Ngemali ayithola ngenkathi eqeqeshwa futhi esebenza njengomhlengikazi kwamsiza ukuba anakekele abafobakhe nodadewakhe, ebafaka esikoleni. Waqala ukuqeqeshwa eJohannesburg General Hospital ngo-1940 futhi waqala njengombelethisi ngo-1946.
Wayevame ukuhamba ukuvakashela iziguli zamalokishi, ethwala izinto zakhe nezinto zokusebenzisa ngesuthukhesi ekhanda lakhe. Kwakuyilapho esebenza njengomhlengikazi u-Albertina ahlangabeza nozoba umyeni wakhe, uWalter Sisulu. Njengelungu le-African National Congress (ANC) omunye wabeluleki bokuqala bakaNelson Mandela, uWalter wayebandakanyeka kakhulu kwezombusazwe futhi kungekudala u-Albertina wadonsela ekusebenzeni kwezombusazwe.
Waqhubeka waba yingxenye ekubhujisweni kohulumeni wobandlululo, ethobekile emashumini eminyaka yokuhlukunyezwa uhulumeni, ukuboshwa kanye nobunzima. Wagcina aziwa ngokuthi 'uMama wesizwe'.
Ukulengisa iduku phakathi nesigxobo salo kukhombisa ukukhalela isikhulu esishonile
U-Albertina Sisulu wafa ekupheleni komhla ka-2 Nhlangulana 2011 eneminyaka engamashumi ayisishiyagalolunye nambili ubudala. Wayesekhaya lakhe eLinden, eGoli bebukele umabonakude nabazukulu bakhe lapho wagula ngokuzumayo. Abahlengi bagijimela endaweni yesehlakalo, kodwa abakwazanga ukumvuselela.
Umongameli waseNingizimu Afrika ngaleso sikhathi, uJacob Zuma, uvakashele umndeni wakhe ukuba akhokhele izinhlonipho zakhe. Wamemezela ukuthi uzothola umngcwabo wombuso nokuthi amafulege kazwelonke azolengiswa phakathi nesigxobo ngomhlaka-4 Nhlangulana kuze kube usuku lokungcwaba lwakhe. U-Albertina ushiye izingane zakhe, uMax, uMlungisi, uZwelakhe, uLindiwe no-Nonkululeko kanye nabazukulu bakhe abangamashumi amabili nesithupha nabazukulwane abathathu.
Translated by Nsika Khoza
Kwakunzima ukufunda imicabango kaNelson Mandela. Wayengumngane ofudumele futhi ohloniphekile edilini lesidlo endaweni yakhe yokuhlala, uMahl...