IsiXhosa Intellectual Traditions (IsiXIT) Digital Archive

Itaru mfo wakowetu, Mhleli we Sigidimi Ukwenjenje ndifuna ukuvakalisa ubublungu bentliziyo obufunyenwe ndim nabanye abafana nam, malunga nombiko osiqubele wona, wokumka ko bawo wetu u Mr. Bennie. Tina bebengeko encwabeni lake siyaliia. Silila sonke tina lusapo olwake lwapantsi kwempato yake I Lovedale. Ukuba uyavuma Mhleli ndinga ndingenza amazwana egameni labanye ababe- ngeko, anje ngokuba tina bantu bantsundu sitanda ukubeka ilitye nokuba ufika kugqityiwe ukuncwatywa. Nam, Nkosi, andikakulibali ukuqala kwam ukuqubisana naye. Ndisakukumbula nokuma kwake apo ndaqala kona ukwenzana into naye, ngo August, we 1865. Ukungena kwam e Simnareni ndapumelela ndingapumeleli eluviweni lokungenisa abantwana, baza noko abafundisi bagqiba kwelo- kuba bake bandilinge. Into eyahlala ihleli malunga nomfi lo simlilelayo, wati xa bagqibileyo ukundiva wandibambata emagxeni, wandikangela ebusweni encuma wateta amazwi okundikutaza, wandishiya ndingatandabuzi ukuba kuya kuba luvuyo kuye ukuqubela pambili kwam, nokuba uya kuba buhlungu xa ndingazamanga. Ndingati iminyaka emininzi ede wemka nje, Beloko ndisiva ukuba kumnandi kuye ndakuzama, kubi ndakusilelelwa. Andingekufeze ngosiba endakwenzelwa seso sandla sake. Ndibe ndinaye nje iminyaka engapezu kwe shumi, andizange ndimfumane ento yimbi kum nakwabanye. Abebefunda kuye baya kundinqinela bonke ukuba bekuba yinto embi kunene kuye ukungazami kosukuba efun'ukuhiliza. Apo ebefike wazalisa kona kuti kukunyamekela kwake ukutyila into engaqondakaliyo kwabantloko zitata kade, nokunyanzela kwake isifundo sokuba onomonde ekutele ma- kangatambi amadolo, nokuba abanamendu basamshiye ngase mva. Enye indawo endiya kuhlala ndimkumbula ngayo umfi lowo yeyokufundisa kwake ukupata imisebenzi yezandla ngoku- cwayita. Ndisakukumbula kakuhle ukuzidla kwamakwenkwe ake,' ngokupata umhlakulo, nemihlali abeba nayo xa apete umsebenzi; yaye lomihlali itatyatelwa kuye. Okwenene Mhleli, njengokuba usitsho, ubengakwazi ukucekisa umsebenzi; engazi ukuba kuko umsebenzi opantsi; enjalo nje ebezama ukuba bonke abapantsi kwake babone ukuba balahlekile xa bati kuko umsebenzi opantsi. Ubuvila neratshi, ibizintshaba zake ezindala, imihlanziso abengena kuyinyamezela. Usapo endafunda nalo pantsi kwake aluzange lumlibale; ezindawo ndizikankanyayo kukafuti ndiziva zitetwa nangabantu ababengati esikolweni abakukatalele ukukokelwa nguye. Mandingapiki nentliziyo mfo wakowetu kanti ndise ndibeka ilitye kodwa Noko mandikukankanye kona ukuba eyona nto ibe ingamandla eyabangela ukuba kuti ' makwenkwe ase Dikeni,' u Mr. Bennie abe mkulu kangaka, kukubonakalisa kwake ukuzinikela kwake ngenxa yelungelo letu. Ebepete isihlalo esinzima e Lovedale. Kungumtwalo ukupata ukutya kwama Semnari. Ukuwenza kwake lomcimbi kunye no ma wetu u Mrs. Bennie kube kungumangaliso kubo bonke abebe nengqondwana. Ke apo nditi mna nesi sifo sika mfi saqalela kona, ubengena xesha lokupumla emaxaleni nase kusebenzeni. Emini ebefundisa asebenzise, aze ebusuku abambahambe pakati kwezindlu ekangela ukuba sisonkena; kuba kambe pakati kweqela elingaka lamakwenkwe bebeko osibamba nga-nyanga. Ubungumbuzo ofuti owokuba, ' Lomntu uyalala na kodwa? ' Kukafuti kusiti xa tina sipapamayo abe yena esabamba ebaneka isibane, kanti enjalo nje uya kuvuka kwakusasa. Yonke ke lonto eyiquba ngentliziyo oti wakumkangela ubone ukuba lomntu uxolile, uzinikele kanye ekuncedeni aba bantu apatiswe bona, naxa yena afayo. Amandla onke ake ebewanikele kuti. Uze kugqibela ukumangalisa kum akupe- lelwa ngamandla ngesizatu somkuhlane, endisati mna wawu- fumana ngokuncama ubutongo ngenxa yetu. Kube kokukona ndibona ukuba ngoku uzigibisele, ngohlobo lokuba azifince- lele kuti; ukuze tina madodana antsundu sitye ifa lokupila kwake, nelobulwelwe bake. Siyalila ngoko tina lusapo Iwake lute sa kwindawo ngenda- wo. Uyavuya wena uke wambulisa. Siyamlilisa u Ma wetu ontywile entsizini zobuhlolokazi kuba owakwake ebezinikele kangaka kulomsebenzi wokusinyula ebudengeni, ebuvileni, nase nkohlakalweni. Siyalila kunye nenkedama zake, sizizo nati apo sikona. Mandipele, Nkosi, undixolele, ndingo- wako ongu, E. MAKIWANE Macfarlane, July, 1885.