Isizwe sikhumbula uSobukwe
Ungomunye wezigomagoma zomzabalazo waboHlanga nowajeziswa kakhulu yisandla sonya sikahulumeni wobandlululo
USolwazi uRobert Sobukwe isizwe asimkhumbuli nje kuphela kodwa sisamlilela ngoba abaningi bakholwa ngukuthi ukuba usaphila ngabe kuningi okulungile kuleli lizwe.
“Noma singekho, noma sisekhona kodwa bayohlale besho bethi sasikhona!” Wayesho la mazwi kudume izihosha uSolwazi uRobert Mangaliso “The Prof” Sobukwe. Ngumholi wokuzalwa lona, owawufulathela lo mhlaba eminyakeni engama-42 ncimishi njengoba adlula emhlabeni zingama-27 kuNhlolanja ngowe-1978.
USolwazi uSobukwe, isizwe asimkhumbuli nje kuphela kodwa sisamlilela ngoba kunenkolelo yokuthi ukuba izinyanya nezinyandezulu azisephucanga leli qhawe lineminyaka yobudala engama-54 ngabe kuningi okulungile kuleli lizwe.
Uyakhunjulwa uSolwazi uSobukwe kusasa (ngoMgqibelo) njengoba iPan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC), KwaZulu-Natal izobe imkhanyisele amakhandlela ejele iNew Prison, eMgungundlovu.
Ngesikhathi ekhethwa njengoMengameli wokuqala wePAC ziyisi-6 kuMbasa ngowe-1959, watshela izwe ukuthi ngowe-1963 iNingizimu Afrika yena nama-Afrika aziqhenyayo bazobe sebeyikhululile.
USolwazi uSobukwe ubeyithemba kwabacindezelwe, eyisinengiso kubacindezeli.
Yindoda le ekhule izithobile, inokukhalipha okumangalisayo, uthando lwezwekazi i-Afrika nempokophelo yempumelelo nentuthuko.
Ubevela emndenini wamakholwa uSobukwe kodwa wafundiswa yimifundaze waze wagogoda eNyuvesi yaseFort Hare, e-Alice, e-Eastern Cape.
Kulapho-ke azibandakanya khona noVukayibambe (ANC Youth League) iholwa nguMnu Godfrey Pitje engakabi ngumholi wayo yena.
Wayezalelwe eGraaf Reinet, e-Eastern Cape, mhla ziyisihlanu kuZibandlela ngowe-1924 eyikholwa laseWeseli. Akagcinanga ngokuba ngumholi wentsha kuphela kodwa simbone esefundisa eJan Rell Secondary School elokishini iSakhile, eStanderton, esifundazweni iMpumalanga njengamanje. AmaBhunu amxosha ekubeni nguthisha ngoba wayegxeka futhi eyikhahlela ngazo zombili iBantu Education. Kwakuyinkunzi kayihlehli leya. Esexoshiwe ebuthisheleni nangu simbona esungula iphephandaba i-Africanist okwakuyiva elalihlaba lephukele enqubeni yobandlululo.
USolwazi uSobukwe uqashwe yiWits University efundisa eMnyangweni Wezilimi Zomdabu.
Wayehlala kuNombolo 828 eMofolo North, eSoweto, eganwe uKaMathe (uMama uVeronica), egibela isitimela uma eya emsebenzini khona ama-Afrika ezoyizwa kahle intshumayelo yakhe.
Kwakuyigagu ekukhulumeni, uma enabeSotho, ekhuluma isiSotho esome nkwe, uma enomphakathi wakwaXhosa ethetha isiXhosa sangempela, uma enaMaZulu, eyibeka indaba icace bha.
AboHlanga babehlushwa ukuphathiswa odompasi, beboshwa futhi uma bengebaphethe noma bengenabo.
Nguyena uManukelana (ibutho likaSobukwe) owahola ikhabhinethi yakhe eyayinoMnu uRosette Nziba, uMnu uZeph Lakoane Mothopheng, uMnu uPotlako Leballo, uMnu uJD Nyawose, uMnu u-Elliot Mfaxa, uMnu uJohn Nyathi Pokela, uMnu uJosias Madzunya, uMnu uHumphrey Hlatshwayo nabanye baphikelela ekamu lamaphoyisa bathi awababophe ngoba odompasi babebashiye emakhaya ngamabomu. Lo mkhankaso woSobukwe waholela ekutheni abantu abangama-69 badutshulwe babulawe eSharpeville eningizimu yedolobha iGoli.
Isigameko saseSharpeville savula umhlaba wonke amehlo lwabonakala unya nesihluku senqubo yobandlululo. Waboshwa uSolwazi uSobukwe, walahlekelwa umsebenzi eWits, wahlukana nezingane zakhe uDedanizizwe, uDinilezizwe, uMiliswa nomkakhe uKaMathe intombi yaseHlobane, eBaqulusini. Kwakufanele akhishwe ejele uSolwazi ngowe-1963, isigwebo sakhe sesiphelile, kodwa uMnu uJohn Voster, owayenguNgqongqoshe Wezomthetho kuHulumeni wobandlululo wabiza iKhabhinethi eyisipesheli wakhuza umhlola. UVoster wathi uSobukwe “ungumazibuthe” isidalo sakhe, uyiwozawoza kubantu. Wathi uma engadedelwa izwe lingavutha amalangabi. Yiwo lonyaka we-1963 uSobukwe okwakufanele akhululwe ngawo, ayefungile wathi unyaka wenkululeko.
Kwashaywa umthetho oyisipesheli okwathiwa yiSobukwe Clause owawuthi akaqhubeke agqunywe ejele eminye iminyaka emine ngoba eyingozi kubacindezeli. Ubehlala yedwa ejele uManukelana ngoba “eyingozi.” Ufike wafunda ejele lapho ephume esengummeli ogogodile. Ngesikhathi ededelwa ngowe-1969, akayanga emzini wakhe eMofolo North kodwa wadingiselwa emzini osemgwaqeni uNaledi, eGalashewe, eNorthern Cape.
Babengavunyelwe abantu ukuthi bavakashele uSolwazi kodwa oMnu uSteve Bantu Biko nabanye abaholi beBlack Consciousness Movement (BCM) babemvakashela isinyenyela namanye amalungu ePAC ayekumshoshaphansi. USolwazi uSobukwe ubuye wathola iziqu kwezomnotho, enye yamaNyuvesi aseUSA yayifuna ayofundisa kuyo kodwa amaBhunu amenqabela. Waqhubeka waba ngummeli eKimberley. UMehluleli uYvonne Mokgoro ohlonishwayo njengamanje uphume ezandleni zikaSolwazi uSobukwe. Wayelwela i-Afrika ebumbene uSobukwe ehamba ezinyathelweni zoMnu uMarcus Garvey, uMnu uWilliam du Bois, uMnu uGeorge Padmore, uMnu uNkwame Nkruma nabanye ababebuzwa egazini labo ubuAfrika.
NgokwePAC kaSobukwe, umuntu ubhekwa njengomuntu hhayi ngokwebala nangobuhlanga nobuzwe. Wayegcizelela ukuthi aboHlanga bazithande futhi bazethembe. Uhlaselwe isifo somdlavuza wamaphaphu amaBhunu engafuni ukuthi aphume eKimberley ayothola ukwelashwakwezinye izingxenye zezwe noma zomhlaba.
Umngani omkhulu kaSobukwe owayeyintatheli yeRand Daily Mail, uMnu uBenjamin Pogrund, uthi umuzi kaSobukwe, eGalashewe, wawuhlale uzungezwe yizinhloli zobandlululo ubusuku nemini. Sekuphelile ukuzethemba, ukuzithanda, nokuzihlonipha kubantu baseAfrika, okuyinto uSolwazi uSobukwe ayeyishumayela futhi eyigcizelela.
Amanye ama-Afrika ayavilapha, anomona, angokhangezile, okuyinto uSobukwe ayeyikhahlela ngazo zombili. Wathi uVoster ngowe-1963, ezithethelela ngokwelula isigwebo sikaSobukwe: “Sisodwa isiboshwa sepolitiki eNingizimu Afrika, nguRobert Sobukwe, abanye yimigulukudu nje yepolitiki.”
ENyuvesi yaseLimpopo (Turfloop) kunebhilidi elihlala abafundi eliqanjwe ngaye uSobukwe. Isibhedlela esikhulukazi eNorthern Cape siqanjwe ngaye kanti naseCape Town kukhona umgwaqo oqanjwe ngayo lenjulalwazi.
Wathi uVoster ngowe-1963, ezithethelela ngokwelula isigwebo sikaSobukwe: “Sisodwa isiboshwa sepolitiki eNingizimu Afrika, nguRobert Sobukwe, abanye yimigulukudu nje yepolitiki.”