IMPHI YASEMHULUHULU
Tive lensundvu betitsi lapho tifelwe yinkhosi yato noma ngulomkhulu bese tiphuma imphi tiohlasela letinye tivana. Imvama bekuhlaselwa leto letedzelelekile, tigwazwe, temukwe netinkhomo tato.
Ekufeni kwenkhosi Mswati II, kwacaca kwekutsi imphi ngabe iyaphuma. Ibhekephi? Inkundzi naseyibhonsa bafana bayibongela, ayitidvumeli tinkhabi, kopha idvumela lenye inkundzi. Inkundzi-ke leyayibongelelana naNgwane beyiyaseLubhalule, liPedi.
INdlovukati yaseLudzidzini, uLaZidze(Tsandzile), yawuphikisa lomcondvo wekukhipha imphi ngesikhatsi lesimnyama, sive sifake ingubo emlonyeni, kufe iNkhosi yelive. INdlovukati yona yasekwa nguSandlane Zwane, labeyindvuna yaseLudzidzini futsi angundvunankhulu wesive. Labaveta umbono wekutsi ayihlome yindvuna yakaHhohho, Matsafeni Mdluli, labe atiwa ngekutsi yindvuna yelilawu lenkhosi. INdlovukati yabuye yatsi etu kwekutsi sive sisebumnyameni, kute lotawuvunulela imphi loku phela uMntfwana Ludvonga abesasemncane.
Cha, abate bavumelana kuloko boSandlane naMatsafeni. Matsafeni atsi ayihlome, Sandlane atsi cha ayisuhloma. Matsafeni abecugcutelwa baNtfwabenkhosi, banakaboMswati, boMsukusuku waseSigombeni, naKhoza waseLukhetseni, naSondabane waseLuphuyeni nalabanye bantfwabenkhosi. Bameseka nje bayabona kwekutsi njengoba inkhosi isasephas’ eluseko nje tinkhomo letiyawudliwa kuyawuba ngetabo. Nemadvodza lamanyenti ebandla abesime ngakuye Matsafeni. Watsi Matsafeni bantfwabenkhosi labo ngabo bayawuvunulela imphi esikhundleni seMntfwana Ludvonga losemncane.
Kwabonakala-ke kwekutsi boSandlane naLaZidze linyenti liyabehlula, phela kaNgwane livi lemadvodza liyahlonishwa ngoba neNkhosi imbala emadvodza lamadzala ebandla ayayisola nayingasahambisi ngendlela tintfo, ilalele nangabe ifuna umbuso wayo utinte nayo.
Nemambala-ke yaphuma imphi, kepha iNdlovukati yatsi impela lemphi ayiyuwuhamba nemadloti, kuyawuba khona litfunti lelimnyama embili, ingabi khona imphumelelo, kepha hamba juba bayokuhlutsa embili. Yaphuma-ke ibheke eLubhalule kulebeSutfu enyakatfo. BeSutfu bebatihlalele bangacabangi nakancane kwekutsi hleze kube khona kati lobanyonyobelako.
Itsite imphi naseyisedvute, kwakhishwa tinhloli nebancutsi kuyohlola live netindlela tekuhlasela, nekuyoncutsa emtini waSikhukhune. Leto tinhloli nebancutsi babuya babika kwekutsi luhambo lwabo lube lubi, lukhomba kwekutsi luhambo lwemphi lubi. Tatsi tonkhe tindlela letiyimfihlo tivelile. Tisho noba kwatsi lapho bancutsi batsi bangena emtini waSikhukhune ebusuku takhalima tinja. Kwaphuma emadvodza etindlini amemeta. Base bayabaleka bangasawentanga umsebenti.
Ngakusasa leto tinhloli tanyonyoba ngetihlahla tenyusa tihosha titsi tilinga kona kuhlolisisa live. Titsite tisanyonyoba njalo nako setelamela tidzandzane tebaPedi titfota tinkhuni. Letidzandzane tababona labantfu letingabati kantsi futsi nekuvunula kwabo kwehlukile, nelulwimi bakhuluma lulwimi letingalwati. Tatsi galo yephuka setiya ekhaya. Tabona tinhloli kwekutsi ngumnyama wempundzi, indlela imnyama khwishi. Tabuyela emphini kuyobika.
Titsite lapho letidzandzane tifika tibika ekhaya, babona baPedi kwekutsi kungenteka kukhona imphi yemaSwati letako. Bahloma masinyane, base bakhipha tabo tinhloli nabo kutsi tiyohlola kutsi nembala kunjalo na. Nembala tayibona. Tatsi tinahlaba umkhosi wayikhipha Sikhukhune. Yaye yayobhaca etintsabeni eMhuluhulu. Phela live letintsaba leli. Yaye yabhaca endzaweni leyingcingwana lapho imphi yemaSwati itawengca khona.
Utsite Matsafeni angeva umbiko wetinhloli, wabona kutsi lamuhla kulamuhla, timbi. Phela yingwazi lendzala Matsafeni, kadze atilwa timphi. Kwaba khashane embili, kwaba khashane emuva. Kungasekho nekubuyela emuva. Walikhumbula livi leNdlovukati. Noko masita abengasekho noba emajaha nawa, abengeke abuyele emuva angakayiboni intfombi latekuyisoma, Sikhikhune phela.
Wayikhomba embili Matsafeni, yaye yangena ekhatsi kwetintsaba, lapho indzawo iyimbi khona. Emabutfo asahamba alandzelana, abekelele. Kunjena nje impi yebaPedi igcwele tonkhe tintsaba, bakaNgwane baboni bona kepha yona iyababuka.
Utsite lapho umSutfu asabona kutsi seyisesakeni, wayinika! Wayinika yadvumela nhlangotsi tombili, ngembili nangemuva. Waba sembiteni Ngwane bampheka ngakokane beSutfu. Kwakhala umkhonto, kwadvuma sibhamu. Ngala basetulu labanye bajikijela ngematje, buhuluhulu. Ize leyo ntsaba kutsi nuMhuluhulu nje.
Yagcuzuka yakaNgwane yabaleka, yashiya emajaha alele phasi kubusacalala. Yatsi nayigcuzuka ibaleka, naba beSutfu bangatibeki phansi bayiijimisa. Sebahamba bayatigwazela nje labo lasebehluleka kubaleka lasebabanjwe nangemaphika. Aphela emajaha akaNgwane agcwala tintsaba netiganga. Nebantfwabenkhosi bona laba bebatsi ayihlome banyenti labaphelela khona lapho. BoKhoza naboSondabane naboMsukusuku nalabanye. Msukusuku yena kutsiwa wabaleka wabaleka, kwabonakala kutsi emandla asayaphela. Kwachamuka Mafa waMngayi Fakudze wamkhandza inceku yakhe solo imelekelela kubaleka asabanjwe naliphika. Khona lapho kwawa ingwe yakhe, batsi bayamvunulisa yawa futsi. Naba beSutfu betile ngaleso sikhatsi. Kwabonakala kutsi imamba lemnyama ayinakuphutfunyelwa. Bamembesa ngesihlangu sakhe batsatsela ngematubane. Yafika yamgwaza yebeSutfu.
Matsafeni naye wanyamalala kulowo mnyama kwatsiwa ufile, ngisho bafati bakhe betfwala tintsambo baze batetfula bakhohlwa nje. Sekutsi kamuva chamu Matsafeni! Uyaphila. Wafa asatifela kamuva. Kepha manyenti emakhaya lokwetfwalwa intsambo kuwo kaNgwane ngemphi leyayikhishwe nguMatsafeni nebantfwabenkhosi Sobhuza, baphikisa livi leNdlovukati Tsandzile.
