ILanga lamaNazaretha iNkosi uJ.G. Shembe
Mhla u-Isaya Shembe eseba nguMphrofethi, iZwi elafika kuye lamyalela ukuthi ahlukane namakhosikazi akhe. UMphrofethi wayenamakhosikazi amane. UShembe wabe esethi kuzoba lukhuni ukwehlukana namakhosikazi akhe eyogana amanye amadoda ephila, kungcono uJehova awabulale. IZwi lamphedula ngokuthi, “Ngiyezwa.”
EMVA kwalokho kwase kufa izingane zakhe ngokulandelana. UMphrofethi wabuza kuJehova ukuthi uzibulalelani izingane zakhe. IZwi lathi, “Uyakhumbula ukuthi ngathi uma ngithi hlukana nabafazi bakho wathi wena kungcono ngibabulale; ngibulale abantwana bakho esikhundleni sabafazi bakho ngoba bona sebebadala, sebenezono; sebefile ke abafazi bakho, ngilandele!”
Leli liZwi labe selithi akaphume emzini wakhe ngoba lifuna ukukhuluma naye. Nempela uShembe waphuma wakha idokodo ngaphandle. Leli Zwi labuya lathi akabuyele emakhosikazini akhe ngoba kuneNkosi ezayo, kodwa leNkosi isokhalweni lwakhe. Nempela uMphrofethi wakwenza lokho, wabe esethola iNkosi iLanga kunkosikazi wakhe wesithathu, uMaNgwenya.
ILanga labelethwa uMphrofethi elinde emnyango. Wathi ukuzwa ingane isikhala endlini, wangena wayithatha waya nayo emfuleni lapho afica amanzi eyiqhwa ngoba kwakusebusika. Walibhodloza maqede wabe esembhabhadisa.
INkosi iLanga yazalwa mhla zingama-27 kuNtulikazi 1904 eNtabazwe (Harrismith). UMphrofethi wamqamba wathi nguJohaness Galilee Shembe.
Emva kwalokho uMphrofethi wawushiya umndeni wakhe eFree State ehamba eshumayela waze wazozinza eNatal ngowe-1914. Sekwakhiwa umuzi waseKuphakameni, uMprofethi wathuma uMnqayi ukuba eyomlandela umndeni wakhe eNtabazwe. ILanga lafika ke eNatal ngowe-1914.
Ngowe-1919 uMphrofethi wathatha abantwana bakhe ababili, iLanga neNyangayezulu (Amos Kula Shembe) nabefundisi ababili uMnqayi noMzobe, wafika entabeni yaseNhlangakazi wabagcoba ubufundisi, wabe esememezela ebandleni ukuthi yibo abayoba ngabaholi baleli bandla ekuhambeni kwakhe emhlabeni. Washo nokuthi bolandelana kanjani.
Ukuthi iNkosi uJ.G. Shembe “yiLanga” akusilo igama layo, kodwa kwasukela esibonakalisweni. Indoda yathi ithe ilele yabona ilanga livela eMpumalanga, labe selehlela emhlabeni seliphenduka umuntu. Emva kwelanga kwavela inyanga, nayo eyehlela emhlabeni yaphenduka umuntu. UMphrofethi wabe esethi lelo bekungayilo ilanga, futhi bekungesiyo inyanga, kodwa bekungabaPhrofethi ababili abayovela emva kwakhe. Kwathi uma uJ.G esehola ibandla amaNazaretha abe esethi “iLanga.”
ILanga lafunda ezikoleni zaseNanda laze ladlulela eManzimtoti College lapho laphasa khona uMatric. Lasuka lapho laya eFort Hare lapho laphasa khona uB.A. Labuya lazofundisa eManzimtoti; isikhashana lase liba inhloko yalesi sikole. Layeka ukufundisa ngowe-1935 selizoba ngumholi wamaNazaretha ekuhambeni koMphrofethi.
Ngaphambi kokuba uMphrofethi ahambe emhlabeni, uJehova wamtshela ukuthi usezomlanda. UMphrofethi wakhathazeka kakhulu, enovalo lokuthi ekuhambeni kwakhe iBandla lingase libe nezinkinga. Wahamba wayohlala ehlathini elindile kwaze kwahlwa.
UBaba iLanga wamfica elele eqamele etsheni ehlathini, engumuntu okhathazeke kakhulu. Lambuza iLanga ukuthi ulaleleni ehlathini, yini emkhathaze kangaka? Wathi uMphrofethi, “mntanami ngizofuna uJehova.”
Emva kwalokho uthi uMphrofethi waba nesambulo lapho owafika ezulwini wafica amadoda amabili, abe esethi akalindele iNkosi yamaNazaretha. Wathi esalindile kwaqhamuka lona iLanga. Lase lithi, “ufuna ukwazi ukuthi iBandla lizoba njani emva kwakho, kuzokwehla mina ngolihola, kodwa emhlabeni ngazalwa okhalweni lwakho.”
UMphrofethi ngalesi sambulo wabe eseqamba isihlabelelo 218 esithi:
“Yizani wemaZulu siyibonile iNkosi yethu, sivela thina kwelizayo, siyibonile iNkosi yethu. Siyanimema wemaZulu, sinimemela iNkosi yethu. Sivela thina kwelizayo, siyibonile iNkosi yethu. Yinhle kangaka wemaZulu, siyibonile iNkosi yethu.
Thina sivela khona kwelizayo, siyibonile iNkosi yethu. Thokozani wemaNazaretha, siyibonile iNkosi yethu. Imbali ngezinhlobo zayo ayikhanyi kwanjengayo. Kholwani wemaZulu, ngathi thina sodwa, sivela kwelizayo, siyibonile iNkosi yethu. Amehlo kaphathelwani, ngabe saniphathela. Yinhle kangaka iNkosi yethu, wemaZulu wozani.”
Lesi sihlabelelo uMphrofethi wasiqamba emzini wakhe okuthiwa iGospel ngoZibandlela ngowe-1934, kusele izinyanga ezinhlanu asishiye emhlabeni. Ukuthi uBaba iLanga iNkosi yamaNazaretha kwasho uMphrofethi; okokuqala ekususela ekuzalweni kwakhe, okwesibili efakaza ngesambulo ngalo iLanga ngaphambi kokusishiya emhlabeni.
Ngokwemvelo uBaba iLanga wayengumuntu ohlakaniphe kakhulu, kodwa enolaka. Wayengenasikhathi sokuntela; esontweni noma kuhleliwe ehlale ekhuluma ngendaba yasezulwini, ekhulumela phansi. Emthandazweni wokulala ngoLwesithathu, nasekungeneni kweSabatha ngoLwesihlanu wayaye ebe senkozweni eshumayela. NgeSabatha kwesinye isikhathi eshumayela kusuka enkonzweni yasekuseni kuze kushaye ihora lesine ntambama.
Wayengaqondakali ukuthi inhloboni yomuntu; esabeka kakhulu, kodwa futhi emuhle ngendlela eyisimanga. Wayaye aphume endlini ehlale yedwa phandle, bonke abantu besaba ukuya kuye. Uma esephumile uzwe amaNazaretha ethi, “selibalele!”
UBaba iLanga wahola iBandla lamaNazaretha eneminyaka engamashumi amathathu, kusukela ngowe-1935 kuya kowe-1976. Walihola iminyaka engamashumi amane (40). Nguyena mholi owahola leli Bandla sikhathi eside kakhulu.
- Loludaba lwashicilelwa: 21-28 kuMasingana 2016