Umlando kaThabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki

UThabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki wazalelwa endaweni yaseMbewuleni edolobhaneni laseDutshwa e-Eastern Cape mhla ziyishumi nesishiyagalombili kuNhlangulana ngowe-1942.  Abazali bakhe bobabili u-Epainette noGovan Mbeki babengothisha, izishoshovu ezingamalungu eCommunist Party of South Africa (CPSA). Uyise uGovan Mbeki wabamba iqhaza kwezombangazwe e-Eastern Cape. UThabo wethiwa ngegama likaThabo Mafutsanyana owayengumngani omkhulu kayise nelungu eliphambili leCPSA. UThabo wayenodadewabo omdala uLinda nabanawabo ababili, uMoeletsi noJama.

Abazali bakaMbeki basebenza kanzima ukwenza ngcono impilo yomphakathi ababehlala kuwo. Ukunikeza abantu abahlwempu ukudla. UMaMofokeng, unina kaThabo, wabenesitolo esibizwa ngokuthi iGoodwill Store. Babefuye izimvu nezimbuzi.

Uyise wayeneziqu zemfundo ephakeme. UThabo Mbeki nezingane zakwabo babechitha isikhathi esiningi nabangani nabantu bomndeni ngoba abazali babo babesabela ukuthi bengaboshwa noma yinini ngeqhaza labo kwezombusazwe.

UThabo wathola imfundo yakhe yamabanga aphansi e-Ewing School naseDavies Senior Higher Primary, okwakuyisikole esasiphethwe isonto iMethodist. Ngemuva kwalokho wayofunda eHigh School eQueenstown. 

UMbeki wahlala nomalume wakhe uMichael Moerane, owayenguthisha womculo futhi eqamba amaculo wamakwaya. Ngaleyo ndlela uMbeki wakhula ethanda ukufunda nokucula. Ngowe-1952 eminyakeni emibili eseQueenstown wathathwa uyise wayomhlalisa noMakonza Ngampu eButterworth.

UThabo wayehlakaniphile esikoleni. Ngowe-1954 wabeseyofunda eLovedale College lapho abaholi abaningi bafunda khona kubandakanya noyise uGovan Mbeki. 

ILovedale College, e-Alice, yabe isungulwe yakhiwa yisonto leziKotshi, Scottish Presbyterian Church, ngowe-1841 endaweni eyabe inikelwe iKumkani yamaXhosa uNgqika. UThabo waxoshwa eLovedale ngenxa yokuthi nguyena owayehola ukudutshwa kwamakilasi. Wabuyela ekhaya waqedela khona izifundo zakhe.

UThabo wajoyina i-ANC Youth League eneminyaka eyishumi nane. 1-ANC wavalwa umlomo ngowe-1960 ngakhoke kwakungelula ukuyisebenzela obala. Ngowe-1961 waya eGoli ukuyoqhuba izifundo zakhe lapho ahlala khona noDuma Nokwe, owayengummeli odumile waseSoweto nomholi onohlonze ka-ANC. Wahlangana noMandela nabanye abaholi be-ANC. 

UThabo wakhethwa waba nguNobhala we-African Students Association (ASA) ngesikhathi efunda eBritus College. lkholiji lavalwa ngemuva kokuboshwa kwamalungu. Ngalesi sikhathi izinhlangano zombangazwe zazihlaselwa nguHulumeni. Wabhalisela ukufunda ezomnotho ngeposi eNyuvesi.

Ngowe-1966 ngesikhathi uThabo eseLondon wahlangana noZanele Dlamini owayengusonhlalakahle eqhamuka elokishini lase-Alexandria, eGoli, naye owayefunda khona eLondon. Bashada zingamashumi amabili nantathu kuLwezi ngowe-1974 eFarnham Castle okwakungumuzi kadadewabo kaZanele u-Edith nomkhwenyane wakhe,

UWilfred Greenville, u-Adelade Tambo noMendi bama esikhundleni sabazali bakaThabo kwathi u-Essop Pahad  waba yimpelesi yakhe. Ngokwemithetho ye-ANC umshado wabantu ababetshalwe ngu-ANC unomphela kwakufanele ugunyazwe yinhlangano ye-ANC.

Ngowe-1962 uThabo waya ekudingisweni ngomlayelo we-ANC. Waphuma lapha wangena eBotswana wasuka lapho waqonda eLondon. Ngesikhathi eseseLondon wahlala no-Oliver Tambo kanye noYusuf Dadoo. Wayenza izifundo zezomnotho eNyuvesi yaseSussex. Yilapho ayematasa kumbangazwe wabafundi. Wakha intsha nabafundi be-ANC ababesekudingisweni.

Ziyishumi kuNtulikazi ngowe-1963 amalunga e-ANC kunye noGovan Mbeki aboshwa eLilliesleaf eRivonia agqunywa ekhulukuthu. 

UThabo wehla enyuka efuna ukwesekwa ngamazwe omhlaba ekulweni nobandlululo nasekutheni kudutshwe izimpahla zaseNingizimu Afrika. Wagxeka uHulumeni wobandlululo ngokuqinisa amatomu ekunqindeni umbangazwe.