IChesterville inesizathu sokuziqhenya ngababhali bayo
USolwazi uLewis Nkosi (ongasekho) ngomunye wababhali indawo yaseChesterville azalelwa kuyo okumele iziqhenye ngaye. Uwuhlobo lombhali elakwenza konke njengoba ebalwa nababhali abanohlonze beDrum Magazine okukhona kubo izinkakha ezinjengoBloke Modisane, oCasey Motsitsi, oHenry Nxumalo nabanye. EChesterville yilapho kuqhamuka khona omunye futhi umbhali onohlonze naye ongasekho uNathaniel Nakasa njengoba noNkosi engowakhona. USolwazi uNkosi ubhale amanoveli, ama-eseyi ngezihloko ezifaka ipolitiki, umlando, izindaba zase-Afrika nosikompilo lwase-United States of America. Izincwadi azibhalile zinohlalwane lwezombangazwe kanti eyaziwa kakhulu yileyo enesihloko esithi, ‘Mating Birds’ ayikhipha ngonyaka we-1986 nekhuluma ngezindaba ezithinta ucansi phakathi komhlophe nomnyama ngesikhathi sobandlululo kuleli.
Ucansi phakathi lukaNdi Sibiya ongowesilisa woHlanga lungumphumela wokuvumelana komnyama wesilisa nomhlophe wesifazane. Uma sebebanjiwe yiziphathimandla, icala lithwalwa ngowesilisa. Inkantolo yobandlululo imgweba intambo uNdi Sibiya. Indaba yakhe uyixoxa esejele elindele ukulengiswa. Ngonyaka wezi-2002, uNkosi wakhipha inoveli esihloko sithi: ‘Underground People’ lapho uNkosi abhala ngomona nokucekelana phansi kwezishoshovu eziseqenjini elilodwa elilwa impi yomshoshaphansi ngenhloso yokukhulula izwe. Konke okungamanyala amalungu enhlangano agilana khona akwesulela emaphoyiseni ezomoya nawo anezinkinga zawo kodwa angangene ekunyamalaleni kukaCornelius nokunguyena ocekelwa phansi ngozakwabo emzabalazweni.
Ngowezi-2006 uNkosi waqhamuka nenoni lenoveli esihloko esithi: ‘Mandela’s Ego.’ Yilena – ke incwadi kaNkosi esiyifakela izibuko ngokujulile kulokhu. Le ncwadi yehluke ngokuthi ayifani nezinye ezingaleli qhawe lomzabalazo elinguMandela ngokuthi kwenziwe kube yihaba ukuhlonishwa kwakhe kuze kube sengathi wenziwa isithixo. Kule ndaba uNkosi umveze uMandela engumuntu onobuthakathaka njengomuntu wonke, ikakhulukazi uma kuziwa kubantu besifazane. Insizwa esencane yasemakhaya ogama layo nguDumisa Gumede ezelusela izinkomo imthanda ukufa uMandela ngenxa yezimanga ehlale izizwa ngaye zokuthi akukho okumehlulayo phansi komthunzi welanga.
UDumisa uzimisele ukuba sezithendeni zeqhawe lakhe ngokulandela intokazi enhle kunazo zonke uNobuhle. Okwenzeka phakathi kukaDumisa noNobuhle yilokho obekungalindekile. Izinto zimjikela ngesikhathi sokugcina uDumisa ahluleke ancame ukukhombisa ubunsizwa nobusoka bakhe kuNobuhle. Umuntu uDumisa ambona ebengasiza esimweni esiyilolu hlobo yiqhawe lakhe elinguMandela elingehlulwa lutho. Lena yincwadi enakho konke ongakulindela kumbhali onohlonze njengoNkosi. Ngenxa yokuthi indaba iyisathaya iyincwadi edinga ukuthi uyifunde ngokuqaphela. Nokho uNkosi ungumbhali ongeke walingabaza ikhono lakhe. Lokho kufakazelwa wukuthi wasebenza nababhali abahlonishwayo emhlabeni abafana noChinua Achebe wodumo lwencwadi esihloko sithi, ‘Things Fall Apart’ noWole Soyinka wodumo lomdlalo weshashalazi othi, ‘The Lion and the Jewel’. ITheku okuyindawo azalelwa kuyo linesizathu sokuziqhenya ngaye. UNkosi wadlula emhlabeni ngowezi-2010 eyishiyile induku ebandla. Incwadi yakhe iMandela’s Ego yelanywa wukunikezwa kwakhe iNdondo i-Order of Ikhamanga ngowezi-2008. I ‘Mandela’s Ego’, ishicilelwe ngabe-Umuzi Publishers kanti itholakala ezitolo ezidayisa izincwadi ezweni lonke.