Iphulo lokudiza uNokholeji njengesiza sehlabathi
ISIKHOKELO seYunivesithi iFort Hare sisebenza nzima kwakunye neBhunga laMafa eSizwe (National Heritage Council) ngeenjongo zokufaka isicelo kwiqumrhu leZizwe eZimanyeneyo ukudiza le yunivesithi njengesiza sehlabathi. IFort Hare, okanye uNokholeji nanjengoko iteketiswa njalo le yunivesithi, yasungulwa ngonyaka ka1916 ze yadlala indima enkulu ekuxhonkxeni izakhono zeenkokheli zezwekazi leAfrika.
Phakathi kweenkokheli ezifunde kule yunivesithi singabalula obesakuba nguMongameli waseZimbabwe uRobert Mugabe, obesakuba nguMongameli weli uNelson Mandela, obesakuba nguMongameli waseTanzania uJulius Nyerere, obesakuba nguMongameli waseBotswana uSeretse Khama kwanobesakuba nguMongameli waseZambia uKenneth Kaunda.
Ezinye iinkokheli ezifunde kwaNokholeji ziquka uOliver Reginald Tambo, AC Jordan, ZK Matthews, Nkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Robert Sobukwe, Govan Mbeki, Kaiser Daliwonga Matanzima, Chris Hani, Phyllis Ntantala-Jordan ukubala nje abambalwa.
Encokolela I’solezwe lesiXhosa kwiofisi yakhe eDikeni, iNgqonyela yaseFort Hare, uNjingalwazi Sakhela Buhlungu, uthe: “Into esiyiqulunqayo sisebenzisana neNational Heritage Council kukuba sifake isicelo kwiUNESCO (iQumrhu leZizwe eZimanyeneyo elijongene nenkcubeko, ubunzulwazi nezemfundo) ukuze iFort Hare idizwe njengesiza sokulilifa sehlabathi.”
“Xa ke iFort Hare iseso siza sehlabathi, eyona nto siza kuyikhokelisa phambili kukuba izakhiwo zokuqala zeFort Hare [eDikeni] kuquka nendlu kaZK Matthews njengeziza eziphantsi kolu bhaliso siluqulunqayo. Xa ke senze njalo, zonke iziza ezinxulumene neFort Hare ziza kuxhamla. Uza kuthi umntu xa efikile sikwazi ukumthumela kwaBokwe (John Knox), simthumele eLovedale, simthumele eVictoria Hospital, simthumele kwaJabavu (DDT),” utshilo uBuhlungu.
Kwiminyaka embalwa edlulileyo, iNgqonyela neBhunga laMafa eSizwe uAdvocate Sonwabile Mancotywa, wakudiza ukuba iYunivesithi iFort Hare iphantsi kwezicwangciso zeli bhunga ukuze idizwe njengesiza sehlabathi.