Ivuke gubhu kusempondo zankomo induna yesigodi sakwaThengamehlo uNxantathu Sibisi. Abhince ibheshu lakhe, ngenhla uqimbile, abuye alikhumule agqoke ibhulukwe neyembe aphumele emnyango abone kusemnyama bhuqe phandle abuyele endlini. Ubelele obenyoni ubusuku bonke kulandela umbiko awuthunyelelwe uzakwabo wasesigodini saseNgcongoma.
Ayithathe le ncwadi equkethe lo mbiko ayifundisise. Azibuze angayitholi impendulo, udliwa udweshu lwangaphakathi. Kumcacele ukuthi ubengaphuphi neze uma ethola le ncwadi, Incwadi yansondo ifundeka kanje:
“Nduna yezinsizwa bab’uNxantathu ulibambe lingashoni nezinsizwa oziphethe lapho kwaThengamehlo.”
Isho kanje nje le ncwadi impi ingase ihlasele ngakusasa njengoba ifike izolo nje inezinsuku ezimbili.
Le ncwadi eyikhasi elilodwa vo iqhube ithi:
“Ntanga yamashinga udaba lokuhlaselwa kwabafana bangakithi uyalwazi, lwabikwa kuwe wena waluthatha kancane. Namuhla seluphenduke impambosi yokwenzeka kwezinto. Zibambeni ziqine-ke, selufike esigabeni sokuthi lulungiswe ngempi. Qhelisani omame nezingane sizongena ngovivi lwangomhlomunye.
Yimi umnakwenu uSomlotha Ndwandwe,”
Iphethe kanje incwadi, emagameni amaningi abenezinsongo futhi echapha nenhlamba imbala. Nokho phela akukho nanto etheni lapha ebangwayo, kubangwa ukuphumelela umncintiswano webhola. Ezinyangeni ezine ezedlule abafana besigodi sakwaThengamehlo emuva kokuhlulwa kwabo bashaye abafana besigodi saseNgcongoma ngemishiza nezagila babephuca nomklomelo otholwe emini bebade yiqembu laseNgcongoma. Kulolu thuthuva bathola ukulimala kabana nje impela abaseNgcongoma.
INgcongoma isigodi esisempumalanga nedolobha uNongoma, emthonjeni walapho kusuka khona umfula uMsebe. Kanti nesigodi uThengamehlo silaphaya okugcina khona umfula uMsebe, yilapho lo mfula uhlangana khona nomunye owaziwa ngokuthi wuMsunduze, wehla njalo ubheke olwandle. Zombili lezi zigodi zisesizindeni saKwaMandlakazi, ziqhelelene cishe ngebanga lamamayela ayishumi.
Khonamanjalo esathukile kuxhaphazela isisu isifuba sithi: gubhu! gubhu! UNxantathu athi qala-qala ezingutsheni nasecansini abelele kulo kule ndlu, athathe ifoni yakhe afonele uSagilasomthakathi Mpungose okungenye yezinsizwa evame ukuba sophondweni nxa ziwushaya odwendweni. Amlandise konke ocingweni ngalowo mnqamulajuqu wombiko abawuthole encwadini ebiphathiswe umfanyana wakwaMpungose ofunda esikoleni iPrince Sojiyisa High.
Azithele ngabandayo nje uSagilasomthakathi, kwazise phela ulale engazazi nokuthi ungubani kulandela ukuthi bebebudlonya kwamam’uyangichaza. “Hawu wangakugqiza qakala nje lokhu engikubikela khona nkabi yami!,” kusho uNxantathu elahla ithemba, phela ubezitshela ukuthi uSagilasomthakathi uzomqinisa idolo, kanti akabuzanga elangeni. Aphendule ngezwi elihoshozayo uSagilasomthakathi athi: “Pho wena udidwa yini uma enye insizwa ikuphosela inselelo? Awungiyeke wena ukungivusa ngisazilale,” kubeka uSagilasomthakathi.
Liphume elingaliyo, bamnike itiye lapha ekhaya, alinqabe acele ukudla kokhezo, bamnike ngokuphazima kweso. Induna uNxantathu ihlala nogogo, abafowabo ababili nodadewabo ababili, abazali kabasekho, kodwa yena uphezu kwamalungiselelo okuganwa njengoba esewashaye aphelela amabheka le kwaZungu esigodini sakwaMusi phezu komfula iMfolozi Emnyama.
Isimo sishubile, inhlanzi ishelwe ngamanzi. Ingani liphumile izwi lokuthi kusasa kungase kusuke uthuli lwezichwe. Aqede ukumaya awuhlabe awulawule nakwezinye izinsizwa nabanomzane bakule ndawo. “Nxantathu ndoda yamadoda, Inkulu le ndaba. Masilindele impi kusasa. Kuzoqhuma nhlamvana ezinye ziyofekela. Sukuma mfowethu uyiphake,”kusho enye insizwa abehlangana nayo emgwaqeni. Aqhubeke njalo nokuyithungela ebandla injobo uNxantathu, kwazise phela le ndaba isegudwini.
Angene esegulukudela uNxantathu emzini wenduna yomphakathi eyiso leNkosi, uMntwana uBhekintinta kaPhumanyova, kule ndawo. Uyaveva kuwe isigqoko esiwumkhomba-ndlela ibuye isicoshe isiphathe ngesandla. “Ubani lona ongena nezicabha lapha ekhaya? engasasho nokuthi nje e…Baba, Mgazi!Kubuza ngesankahlu owesimame wakulo muzi. “NginguNxantathu, ngifisa ukubona induna ngizoyibikela ukuthi impi isinyathela kwawabantwana!” kuphendula yena engakaligwinyi, lona wesifazane amngene emlonyeni athi induna yeNkosi kayikho lapha ekhaya inohambo eluthathile. Kuhlengezele izinyembezi kuNxantathu. Acele lona wesifazane ukuthi amdlulisele lo mlayezo uma induna isibuyile. Abuyele ekhaya. Seliyozibika kunina, abantu bakule ndawo bami izixongololo kudingidwa lolu daba lwempi. Ngasohlangothini lwabalobi bencwadi zimatasa izinsizwa zakhona ziyayiphaka. Ziyakhuza izingwevu zendawo kodwa kunhlanga zimuka nomoya, Ingani phela igcagcele esokeni kulama shoshozela okuyiwona athola isibhaxu.
Njengenjwayelo kuhlwe balale abanikazi bempi. Bavusane ngokukhala kwezinkukhu zokuqala. Bahlome, iphume ikhokhoba isinyelele, bebalelwa ekhulwini. Banqamule izigodi kwaFakude naseNkanyezini begudle wona lo mfula. Kuthe sebekanisile ngaseNingizimu yakwaThengamehlo kwaphela nasozwaneni ngesikhathi imvula liyishaya. Kwasuka umoya onzima, laduma kakhulu nombani uklwebha phansi. Impi yadindwa yimvula yamanzi nte. Yayisihambaze kulandela ukulahlwa kwezikhali,
akekho owatshena omunye, yilowo nalowo wathi zinyawo zami ngibelethe. Ngokushesha kwaduma izihosha baye bayobhaca esigodini saseMpindelweni. Bangenisa kuleya mizi bafike bakhuluma iqiniso ngenhloso yohambo lwabo. Lasa izulu nelanga liphume. Bakhophozele njengengcanga idle amaqanda babone abeze ngayo. Impi yosongo ayilwanga.