Izono zikaSobaba uSobantu ebandleni nasemaNgisini
Ukuxoshwa kukaSobaba uJohn William Colenso (uSobantu) e-Anglican Church of Southern Africa ngowe-1863, kwaba yiphutha. Kungakuhle leli sonto libuyekeze isenzo salo, lihoxise ukumxosha elakwenzayo, lixolise kumphakathi wesizwe samaZulu, kanye nabantu nje baKwaZulu-Natal, ngoba okwakwenziwa nguSobaba uSobantu nomndeni wakhe kwakuwubuntu okwakuhambisana nokukhululeka kwengqondo.
Konke lokhu kwenzeka nje, uSobantu uhlala esontweni lakhe endaweni ayeyibiza ngokuthi kuseKukhanyeni.
Isihluku secala abekwa lona uSobantu saba simbi kakhulu, kodwa ngoba iBritain yayibhekene nomuntu olimelayo iqiniso, wabekezela uSobantu, wathi: “Ngiyolifela iqiniso.” USobaba uRobert Gray, okunguye owayemele uSobantu ngenkemba, ebhala kwenye yezincwadi ezaziya komkhulu eBritain, lapho uSobantu wayephethwe khona, uthi: “Angikaze ngihlangane nomuntu oweyisa kanje,” esho uSobantu. USobaba uGray waphumelela ekudicileleni phansi igama likaSobantu, waphumelela futhi ukuthi axoshwe eSontweni lamaSheshi. uSobantu watholakala eyisoni esimbi eSontweni lamaSheshi omhlaba wonke.
Mabili amacala uSobantu abekwa wona yiSonto lakhe elalizinze eBritain. Isono sokuqala kwaba ukugxeka kwakhe izingxenye ezithize zencwadi eyingcwele iBhayibheli. Kuningi ayekuhlaba uSobantu eBhayibhelini, njengendaba yomkhumbi kaNowa nezilwane, yizinto ezibhalwe eThastamenteni Elidala, phakathi kwazo, ehlaba ukuthi kwenziwa yini kungashiwo ukuthi, ezinye zalezi zinto zazithathwe kubantu nasemibhalweni yaseKhemethi? Kufihlelwani? Izikhulu zakhe eBritain, njengoba yena wayezinze lapha eNingizimu Afrika, esifundazweni iKwaZulu-Natal, laphaya ngaseMgungundlovu, ephethe iSonto lamaSheshi aseNatali. ISonto elikhulu laseBritain lamthola enze isono esikhulu sokuba aphikisane nencwadi eyingcwele kanti unguSobaba wabo, owayethunywe ukuba azofaka inkolo yobuKhrestu kwaboHlanga, ikakhulukazi amaZulu, ukuze acindezeleke kalula. Izinto zadlulela nxa sekutholakala ukuthi omunye wabantu abangamaZulu uSobantu ayesebenza nabo, uMnu uWilliam Ngidi, owayengumsizi kaSobantu, waba nomthelela omkhulu ekuguquleni umqondo kaSobantu kwezinye zezinto ezishiwo yiBhayibheli. Yikho lokhu okwenza ukuba iNdlovukazi yamaNgisi eyayiphethe ngaleso sikhathi, yathi: “Hawu, kanti banjani laba bantu ababizwa ngamaZulu. Sebeshintshe abaBhishobhi bami abakhulu. Banqoba nempi yamaNgisi” (esho impi yamaNgisi namaZulu eSandlwana).
Icala lakhe, uSobantu, lesibili ukuphumela obala ngokweseka iNdlunkulu kaZulu kanye namaZulu onkana ekulweni namaNgisi. USobantu wayengayithandi nakancane indlela uSomtsewu kaSonzica, owayephethe iNatali, ayehlukumeza ngayo iNdlunkulu kaZulu kanye noZulu. Lonke nje uzungu olwaboshwa ngamaNgisi lokucindezela uZulu, uSobantu, kanye nomndeni wakhe wonke, babeyinyanya indlela uSomtsewu kaSonzica ayezama ngayo ukuphundla nokubulala uZulu njengesizwe esasizimele, singakaze sihluphe muntu. Ngakho-ke, uSobantu wayengahambisani nalokhu esikubiza ngobukoloni obabuqhutshwa uHulumeni wamaNgisi, ngoba uhlelo loNgcindezi kwakuwukuthi kudingeka thina sicindezelwe ngokwezempi siphinde sicindezelwe ngokomqondo, ukuze kuphume bonke ubuZulu kithina ukuze sisale siyiziyingayinga nje. Kunjani namhlanje….? Yileso-ke isono esikhulu sikaSobantu asenzayo.
Yebo, uSobantu wayeyingxenye yamaMishinali ayethunyelwe ukuzosicindezela, ephethe iBhayibheli, kodwa ngenxa yokuthi wayelithanda iqiniso, futhi ezimisele ngokufela iqiniso, wagcina esenza iqiniso. Nangempela, waxoshwa eSontweni lakhe, exoshelwa iqiniso. Noma abanye abefundisi babekujabulela ukuphumelela kweqhinga lokuqumba phansi umbuso kaZulu, uSobantu wahlala eqinisweni elalithi: ‘Wenzeni uZulu, ngoba yizwe lakwaZulu nje leli? Ngoba umbuso kaZulu nje lona, thina maNgisi sihlushwe yini size senze zonke lezi zinto ezimbi kangaka kuZulu?’
Encwadini yakhe yangomhla lulunye kuMasingana we-1866, uSobantu wabhalela uGray wathi kuye: “Angiboni ukuthi kukhona lapho emibhalweni yami ngike ngaphaphalaza ngaze ngaphuma emigudwini okufanele ngihambe kuyona, njengoba ibekiwe imithetho okufanele ngisebenze ngaphansi kwayo.”
Okugqamayo nje ukuthi ngenkathi kuthethwa icala likaSobantu, kwakungaveli nakancane ukuthi into eyayiliwa enkulu kwakuwuthi uSobantu wayezama ukuvimba inqola yobandlululo nengcindezelo eyayilethwa uHulumeni wamaNgisi owawubusa ngaleyo minyaka.
Leyo mithetho eyayisebenza ngaleyo minyaka, seyabhuntsha manje. Sesisebenza esikhathini lapho sibuswa yintando yeningi. INingizimu Afrika seyakhululeka emaketangweni eBritain, yakhululeka futhi emaketangweni okungazi lutho. Namhlanje sinenkululeko yokusho noma yini esithanda ukuyisho. Namhlanje sinenkululeko yokugxeka iBhayibheli, sigxeke uJesu nenkolo yakhe, njalo njalo.
