“Sonke SingabaNgcwele beMihla yokuGqibela”

AbaNgcwele beMihla yokuGqibela bokuqala eMazantsi eRhodesia (eyaba yiZimbabwe ngowama-1980) babengabemi baseYurophu. Abafundisi bevangeli boMsebenzi wevangeli woMzantsi Afrika basebenza eRhodesia okwethutyana ngo 1930 baza babuya ngokwesigxina ngo 1950. UHugh Hodgkiss wabhaptizwa ngeyoMdumba 1950 kwaye waba yinkokeli yeSebe laseSalisbury ngo 1959.

Ngeminyaka yoo 1960, abaNgcwele beMihla yokuGqibela babehamba rhoqo imigama emide ukuya kuhlanganisana emakhayeni nakwiiholo eziqeshwayo. KwaBulawayo, uMbutho waManina wawuthengisa iikeyiki nemisebenzi yezandla ngenyanga kwiminyaka ukuze bafumane imali efunekayo ukuze bahlawulele indlu yabo yokuhlanganisana. Ngeli xesha, ulutsha eSalisbury lwalubamba ubusuku bemidlalo yoluntu ukuqokelela imali yokwakhiwa kwendlu yokuhlanganisana apho.

Umfanekiso

indlu yokuhlanganisana yokuqala eZimbabwe

Ukwakha uluntu lwebandla, u-Iris Nield nomyeni wakhe, uReg, babebamba imihlangano yangokuhlwa yosapho emibini ekhayeni labo eSalisbury. IMivulo yayiyeyosapho lwabo lweentombi ezintlanu. NgooLwezine babevula ikhaya labo kubafundisi bevangeli nabaphandi babo, bedlala imidlalo kangangeeyure.

Ukususela ngo 1965 ukuya ngo 1980, kwaqhambuka imfazwe yamakhaya ekrakra phakathi korhulumente wegcuntswana elikhokelwa ngabamhlophe namaqela abanqolobi alwela ulawulo lwesininzi lwabaMnyama. Abemi babebanjwe kuqhushululu, njengabahlohli u-Ernest noPriscilla Sibanda, abaphulukana nekhaya neenkomo zabo ngoTshazimpunzi 1976. U-Ernest noPriscilla babaleka kuloo mmandla wongquzulwano baza bahamba iikhilomitha ezingama 241 (iimayile ezinga 150) ukuya kwaBulawayo.

KwaBulawayo ekupheleni kowama 1979, u-Ernest wadibana nabafundisi bevangeli ababini abaselula. Emva kokufunda iNcwadi kaMormoni, yena, uPrisila, nabantwana babo abathathu babhaptizwa. “Ndaziva ndikhululeke gqitha,” u-Ernest wakhumbula. “Ndaziva ndikhululekile kubo bonke ububi. Ndafumanisa ukuba kukho uthando kum losapho lwam. Ndafumanisa ukuba kukho uthando ngaphakathi kum lweBandla.” Njengamalungu okuqala aMnyama kwilizwe, abakwaSibanda baqhubeka bethembekile nangona babecalucalulwa. Kanye amalungu amhlophe acela umngeni ku-Ernest ngaphambi kwesifundo awayeza kusifundisa, esithi, “Ngumntu omnyama, osifundisayo?” U-Ernest waphendula, “Bazalwane, ukuba sonke singabaNgcwele beMihla yokuGqibela, kwaye ndabelwe yiNkosi ukuba ndifundise, ngoko ke kufuneka ndinifundise.”

NgoCanzibe 1980, isebe lokuqala laseZimbabwe labamnyama lasekwa eHighfield, ihlomela ledolophu laseSalisbury (kamva iHarare). Amalungu amadala u-Iris noReg Nield bamkela ubizo lokukhonza njengomongameli woMbutho waManina nomongameli wesebe. AbakwaNields babengabandakanywa ngamanye amalungu esebe labo labamhlophe. Bengoyiki, uReg no-Iris neentombi zabo bachitha iMigqibelo bebambe iMIA, iKlasi yaBantwana Abancinane, nemisebenzi yoMbutho waManina. UPeter Chaya, umtsha olilungu lesebe, wayechitha iimvakwemini zangoMgqibelo edlala ibhola ekhatywayo, eziqhelisa amaculo, kwaye efundisa iklasi yoncwadi lwesiNgesi. Uyise, uTanganyika Lazarus Chaya, waba ngumcebisi wesibini kubongameli besebe.

Isebe lalidibana kwiSikolo saMabanga aPhakamileyo saseHighfield. UPeter wafika kwangentseni ezococa iibhotile zebhiya necuba phambi kwenkonzo. “Sasingena, siyitshayele indawo, siyenze ibukeke njengegumbi lenkonzo, sihlale phantsi, sidiniwe,” yena wakhumbula. Ngexesha leentlanganiso, uPeter nabanye abafana abaselula babetolika phakathi kwesiShona nesiNgesi.

Ngo 1981, uPeter wafumana ubizo lobufundisi ukuba akhonze eZimbabwe kwaye wahamba ebufundisini bakhe ngosuku olulandelayo. Ngo 1983, kwiveki phambi kokuba agqibe ubufundisi bakhe, wamkela ubizo njengomongameli wesebe eHighfield.