By Prince Charles

“Ibubuwexu-wexu obuphinda phindeneyo into yokunyathelela phantsi amalungelo nezidima zabanye abantu ngelithi silwela eyethu inkululeko”

-Sanele Ntshingana

Umhla wama24 kwinyanga yoMsintsi ngumhla ophawulelwe ukubhiyozela amagugu nenkcubeko kweli loMzantsi Afrika. Ngenxa yemvelaphi yelilizwe engqoqo lucalulo nokunyathelelwa phantsi kwamalungelo kunye nokungabonelwa’ntweni kwamagugu ezizwe ezithile; kwabonakala kufanelekile ukuba urhulumente owonyulwe ngentando yesininzi awushicilele lomhla ngenjongo yokuzama ukumanya isizwe nokuqangqulula umonakalo owenziwe ngurhulumente wengcinezelo.

Ngelishwa umhla wamagugu kulomnyaka ka2019 ufika ilizwe ligutyungelwe lilifu elimnyama nasisingqala ngenxa yezenzo ezimanyukunyezi zokugwintwa kwamanina neemveku kwakunye nokubethwa kwabemi bamanye amazwe. Kwiminyaka engaphambili ibidla ngokuba bubukhazi-khazi kunye nezibiliboco isizwe ngasinye sizingca ngenkcubeko yaso. Kuyabonakala ukuba kulonyaka lemini ayiyikuphelela ekuvathweni kwezinxibo zesintu kuphela kodwa mininzi imibandela ekufuneka ke ixoxwe nzulu. Eminye yalo mibandela iquka indlela iilwimi zethu namagama asetyenziswa kuzo ancedisa ekuphembeleleni iyantlukwano nentiyo nto leyo ehlakulela iphinde inike imvume yokuba kunyhashwe amalungelo abanye abantu.

Ixesha elininzi lichithwa ekushukuxeni indima karhulumente ekukhuseleni amalungelo oluntu, kodwa lincinci elichithwa sithi siluluntu siphonononga eyethu indima (ingakumbi eyelwimi zethu) ekunyhashweni kwamalungelo abantu. Kwiminyaka  egqithileyo xa ihlabathi lalibhiyozela ukusetyenziswa kweelwimi zomgquba (International mother language day)  kwaye kwavela isimbonono esikhalela ukusetyenziswa kwamagama athile luluntu oluthetha iilwimi zesintu; ingakumbi xa lubhekisa kubantu bamanye amazwe nabakhubazekileyo. Lamagama akhalelwa ngelithi awakhi, kunjalonje athoba izidima zaba ajongiswe kubo, ekwakhuthaza nokunyhukulwa kwabo luluntu into leyo eyingcinezelo emnxamnye nomgaqo siseko.

Usihlalo weANC uMnu Gwede Mantashe uke wazibhaqa sephakathi kwenkulu ingxoxo mpikiswano emva kokubiza izigulane eziphazamisekileyo ngokwasengqondweni ezatshaba kwizibhedlele zeLife Esidimeni ngelithi ‘zingamageza aphambanayo’. Uninzi lwabahlalutyi lwavumelana nokaMantashe ngelithi lamagama awasebenzisileyo awazozithuko kunjalonje asetyenziswa mihla yonke ngabemi beli abathetha ulwimi lwesiXhosa. Ukubizwa kwabantu ‘amakwere-kwere’ ‘amagrigamba’. ‘iintlanga’ okanye ‘ooMy Friend’, abantu abavele benebala elimhlophe (albinism) ngelithi ‘ziinkawu’, ukubizwa kwabantu abangaboniyo ngamehlo ngelithi ‘ziimfama’, abangevayo ‘ngezithulu’ abathandana besisini esinye ‘ngezitabane’, ukubizwa kwamanina ecawa yamaRoma (nuns) ‘ngoonongendi’, ukubizwa kwabantu abakhubazekileyo ngokuthi  ‘zizilima’ kude kuthiywe amaqela wabo wezemidlalo ngelithi ‘ngamakroko-kroko’. Lamagama awaphelelanga kula akhankanyiweyo kunjalonje uninzi lwawo azinze de amkeleka kwiilwimi zesintu.

Lento yalamagama ingabonakala iyinto engenamsebenzi kwiliso elinokratyazo, kanti iyingozi enkulu ngoba xa abantu sibabiza ‘iintlanga’ endaweni yokubabiza ngamagama wabo siyabacalula, ucalulo ke alungeke luzinze xa lo ucalulwayo esenobuntu bakhe yiyolonto umcaluli funeka aqale amhluthe ubuntu bakhe umcalulwa lonto uyenza ngokumthiya igama elimbeka ibala kuqala, ngokwenza njalo ugqibile ukuzinika imvume yokwenza nantoni na kuye ngoba emehlweni akhe akasengomntu. Yiyo lonto abo babecinizele ookhokho bethu baqala ngokubathiya amagama bebabiza ngookafile neemfene, ingaba sesilibele na okanye yinimba le icalanye? Ukubiza amanina ebandla lamaRoma ‘ngoonongendi’ emzekelo, eligama alisixeleli nto ngabo okanye ngomsebenzi wabo wokuliza abasweleyo; into eliyigqamisayo kukungendi kwabo kuphela nalonto igqanyiswa ngendlela ebeka ibala okanye egxekayo ngokungathi kukho into embi ekungendini.

Kulo nyaka imbumba yeACTIVATE CHANGE DRIVERS iphakamise amacandelo amathathu ethi ngawo ikhawulelana nolutsha ulofuna ukwenza inguqu ebonakalayo eluntwini, lo macandelo abizwa ngokuba Social force, Political force kunye neEconomic force. Lamacandelo ajongene kakhulu nokukhuthaza imanyano, intsebenziswano, uxolo kunye nabemi abaziziquququ ekuhlaleni. Imanyano kunye nentsebenziswano ayikwazi ukumila kusekho amalungelo abathile anyhashwayo, kungenxa yalonto kuvuka isiphakamiso esithi make sibonisane ngamagama athile esiwasebenzisayo kwiilwimi zesintu, siwakhangela ukuba awakhabani na nobuntu bethu okanye nexesha eli siphila kulo.

Kuba ngesintu umntu ngamnye nokuba unjani na uzalwa enalo ilungelo lokuhlonitshwa nelokuba isidima sakhe sikhuselwe. Ingaba ziintloni ezinkulu into yokuphalala kwegazi loonyana neentombi zabantu kusiliwa ingcinezelo yoorhulumente bangaphambili kanti eyona gcinezelo inkulu yiyo le siyifuye kwiilwimi zethu. Lento amaNgesi ayibiza ngelithi yi ‘political correctness’ yinto ekudala yabakho kwiilwimi zethu neyaziwa ngokuba zizihlonipho, enjongo yazo yayikukukhangela eyona ndlela iphucukileyo nenembeko yokubiza nokuthiya izinto. Inkcubeko le ke isuka kweligama lithi ukuchuba, kukuhlubula lendawo ingafunekiyo ukuze kuvele le ifunekayo yakhayo nelulutho, umntu okanye isizwe esikwaziyo ukuziphicotha ze sakugqibe sisuse ezindawo zigxekekayo kuso siso esiwongwa ngegama elithi sichubekile okanye ngumzi onenkcubeko. Xa ke sinokoyiswa kukwenza lonto apha elwimini zethu ingaba yeyiphi lenkcubeko siyibhiyozelayo ngoba soba asichubekanga?