Ubudlelwano bukaMagaye neNgonyama uShaka

INgonyama uShaka seyizwe wonke umbiko owethulwa yisithunywa sayo eningizimu yoThukela yahloma ekwethwaseni kwenyanga yawela uThukela yakanisa phakathi kwalo uThukela noMhlali. Yathumela sona leso sithunywa eyayisithumele ekuqaleni kuMagaye yathi sifike kuMagaye sithi iNgonyama uShaka ithi icela isipheko. UMagaye wabuza ezimpungeni zamakhehla ezazikade zikhule kusekhona uMkhokheli ukuthi kwakudingeke kwenziweni mayelana nesicelo sikaShaka. Amakhehla eluleka uMagaye ukuthi enze njengoba wayecelwa. Nembala wakhipha izinkomo eziningi zaqhutshwa zasiwa kuShaka njengesipheko. Lezi zinkomo zaziqhutshwa ngamadoda esizwe sakwaCele. Amadoda abuya abikela uMagaye ukuthi uShaka wayebongile ngesipheko.

Ngemuva kwesikhathi amabutho kaShaka athumba inkomo yesizwe sakwaMakhanya esasakhe ngasemfuleni iNonothi. Amabutho ayekwenza lokhu egolomba isizwe sakwaMakhanya efuna ukubona ukuthi ayezokwenzani. Amabutho akwaMakhanya awazange enze lutho ngenkomo eyayithunjiwe. Isithunywa sikaShaka saphinde sabuyela kuMagaye sathi uShaka ucela ukuthi uMagaye amtshengise lapho kwakugcina khona indawo ayeyingamele. Ngalokhu uShaka wayefuna ukubona lapho kwakwehlukana khona indawo eyayingaphansi kukaMande nekaMagaye. Isithunywa seLembe sathi amabutho kaMagaye kwakudingeke atheze iminyaba yezinkuni azibeke lapho uMhlali uchithela khona olwandle nasentshonalanga yawo. Saqhubeka isithunywa sathi ekushoneni kwelanga kwakudingeke kubaswe umlilo kulezo zindawo ukuze amabutho kaShaka ezobona ukuthi umngcele wendawo kaMagaye wawugcina kuphi. UShaka wathumela impi. Izinkomo zaseMfeni emzini kaMande zabaleka. Zaqhutshwa zayiswa ngasolwandle esizalweni soMhlali. AbakwaCele abazanga ukuthi kwakungani impi kaShaka yayisoThukela naseMhlali ngesikhathi esisodwa ebona ngomlilo. Izinkomo zabuya olwandle zagudla umfula uMvoti. UMande wahamba nazo. Amabutho kaShaka amjaha amshonisa enyakatho. UMande wabaleka waphikelela kuNzala inkosi yesizwe sakwaNdlovu. Amabutho kaShaka abahlasela bobabili abahaqa. UShaka wayala amabutho akhe ukuthi angahlaseli edlule esizweni sikaNzala nokuthi angayi ngasogwini lolwandle ngokwesabela ukuthi kwakungenzeka kulimale abantu ababengaphansi kukaMagaye. Kwakudingeke amabutho kaShaka abuye ngendlela ayeyisebenzisile uma ehlasela. UMande wanqotshwa esizweni sikaNzala Ndlovu. Waphikelela emfudlaneni iTete emanxiweni emizi yakhe. Abafazi bakhe babebaleke bayocasha bathi bangambona ebuya baphindela emizini yabo. Ethola ukuthi uMande wayesebuyele emzini wakhe uShaka wathumela ibutho leZiyendane zikaNandi elalibuthwe ekunqotshweni kwabakwaHadebe, ukuthi liyobulala uMande. Wabulawa kwathi abantu ababemeseka babuyela kuMagaye.

Ngemuva kokuwelela eningizimu yoThukela nokunqoba uNzala Ndlovu noMande Cele, uShaka wathumela isithunywa kuMagaye ukuthi eze lapho kwakwenziwe khona idili. Esefikile uMagaye iNgonyama uShaka yathi: “Kulaba bantu imililo izokhanya eminyango emibili; kubantu bakithi (endlini kaNandi], nakubantu bakho (endini kaSiwethu). Zombili kuzokuba ngezethu, kangangokuthi uma umlilo ucisha endlini yakwethu, uzobaswa endlini kaSiwethu, uma futhi umlilo ucisha endlini yakwenu, uzobaswa endlini kaNandi.” UShaka wabiza uMagaye Cele ngomnawakhe kwazise yena emdala kunaye. Kwathi ehambele emzini kaMagaye eMdlazi ekhashwa yibutho lezinsizwa elalingakaganwa iDibinhlanga, yaqamba ingoma ngeNkosi yakwaNdlovu uNzala kaMangqashi eyase imehlulile. UNzala wayekade elekelela uMande ngenkathi ehlaselwa ngamabutho kaShaka. Ingoma eyaqanjwa nguShaka yayithi: Oqalayo: OkaNzala kaMangqashi! Umuzi awungabusabizwa! Buzan’kwabasemaNsomini! Abavumayo: Kukulukuku yakhal’ inkukhu, Yayibekwe ngubani? Wambabaz’ u Vuthani noGubhethuka, Uyangen’ umyeni, mthwalanin’ imincwazi. Ngingembuzi iyakuthothongwa emizini, Ngingemvalamasango won’ akhethwa ngabanini.

Abelungu baqale ukubeka umcondo wabo kwaZulu okokuqala ngqa ngonyaka we-1824. UShaka wabe eseqedile ukuhlanganisa amaZulu ukuba yimbumba ukuze abhekane nezitha zawo ehlangene. Kodwa okudingeka kusicacele njengoba uSolwazi uCheik Anta Diop esazisa encwadini yakhe ethi: Pre-Colonial Black Africa, iNgonyama uShaka noma yayingakaze ibabone abelungu kodwa yabe isizwile ngabo nemikhuba yabo eMpumalanga Koloni. Siyazi ukuthi iNgonyama uShaka yathumela inhloli enkulu yakwaZulu uNongila Mabaso, ukuthi iyobheka okwakwenzeka kwaXhosa, eMpumalanga Koloni. UNongila Mabaso wabuya wabika ukuthi kwakuliwa okuyinto eyafaka umfutho kuShaka ukuqedela ukuhlanganisa izizwe zamaZulu. Ngakho-ke ukutheleka kwedlanzana lamaNgisi eThekwini ngomkhumbi ngowe-1824 kudingeka sikuqonde ukuthi kwakungalethile ubuhle, kwakuthwele ubungozi bokugumbukuqela uMbuso kaShaka. Laba belungu babesuka empini enkulu phakathi kwabo namaXhosa. Izimpi eziyisishiyagalolunye zaliwa phakathi kwabelungu namaXhosa kusukela ngowe-1778 zaqhubeka kwaze kwaba ngunyaka we-1878 okuyikhulu leminyaka kuliwa abelungu befuna izwe nemfuyo yabantu bakwaXhosa. Impi bayiqhuba abelungu eMampondweni kwaze kwaba ukufakwa kwaleyo ndawo ngaphansi kukaHulumeni wamaNgisi aseKapa ngowe-1894. Ngenkathi abelungu behlasela kwaXhosa imigomo yokuhlasela yayicatshangisiswa ngamaNgisi kwazise i-England yabe isiyifundile incwadi kaSun Tzu ethi: The Art of War eyayibhalwe ngungqondongqondo wesazi sempi eChina ngowezi-2400 singakaFiki Isikhathi SikaKhrestu (B C E). AmaNgisi asebenzisa imigomo yokuhlasela isitha ekule ncwadi kaSun Tzu. Izindlela ezasetshenziswa kwakuyi “blockhouse” eyayisetshenziswa njengenqaba kanye nesigodi sempi “military village”, isiqinti okwakungadingeke muntu kuso “buffer strip”, indawo eyayivaliwe yonke indawo, “frontier of no outlets” kanye nepasi okwakudingeke likhishwe ngamaXhosa “trading pass”; indawo yokuhwebelana “trade fair”, indawo yemishini “mission station”, isibhedlela nesikole; umthetho womkhondo, imantshi.Yonke le mithetho yazanywa ngezindlela ezihlangene ezahlukene.

Idlanzana lamaNgisi elafika eSibubulungu ngowe-1824 lalazi kamhlophe ukuthi ulimi lwesiZulu nolwesiXhosa luthi malufanane. Ngakho-ke lafika noNhlambamanzi Msimbithi owayengumXhosa selimfundise isiNgisi ukuze azolitolikela uma likhuluma neziNgonyama zamaZulu. Kwathi uma umkhumbi walo uma eSibubulungu lazithela kuMatubane Luthuli okwathi uma esezwile ukuthi lalihamba ngani wayobikela uMagaye Cele eMdlazi. UMagaye yena wayobikela uShaka kwaBulawayo. Wathumela uLucunge, induna yakhe yaseMdlazi. ULucunge wathi uthunywe nguMagaye ukuthi azobika ukuthi kwakunabantu abafika ababukeka ngathi baqhamuke enhlabathini. Waqhubeka wathi ngenxa yokuthi ulimi lwabo lwalungezwakali wayengeke akwazi ukwenaba ngabo. UNhlamba Jacob Msimbithi wayemude enesizotha. Nguyena owayetolikela uMagaye noShaka ngenkathi amaNgisi ekhuluma. INgonyama uShaka yathi kuhle balethwe kuyo kwaBulawayo. Kwathi uma befika kwaBulawayo bemukelwa kahle kwazise uNhlamba wayehumusha kahle isizathu sabo sokuzokhonza kwaZulu. Bahlatshiswa izinkomo njengesiko elalenziwa kuzo zonke izihambeli zakoMkhulu. Baphindela eSibubulungu benikezwe izinkomo ezazingumphako wabo. UMagaye wahlela ngegunya likaShaka ukuthi idlanzana lamaNgisi linikezwe iziza eSibubulungu okuyinto eyayenziwa kubo bonke abantu ababefisa ukwakha kwaZulu lokhu kwakungasho ukuthi leyo ndawo yabe ingasekho ngaphansi kukaShaka. Idlanzana lamaNgisi laqamba indawo elalinikezwe kuyo iziza ngokuthi yiPort Natal. Lokhu lalikwenza njengawo wonke amaKoloni ayegwinya acime umlando, aguqule amagama ezindawo zabomdabu ukuze azothi ayefice kungenamuntu ezindaweni.

– Lo mlando ucashunwe encwadini: Umlando Wamakhosi Esifundazweni saKwaZulu, Umqulu II. Uma ufisa ukutholale ncwadi enothe ngomlando wezizwe ungabhalela uSolwazi Maphalala kule email: maphalalajs@vodamail.co.za; noma ushayele kulezi zinombolo: 082 730 5782 noma ku-083 548 1918.