USolwazi Nobuhle Hlongwa: Iminyaka Yokuzinikela Emfundazweni WesiZulu

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Lude uhambo logalagala lukaSolwazi wesiZulu uSolwazi Nobuhle Hlongwa kwezemfundo. Namuhla uyiNhloko neDini Yesikole SezobuCiko eNyuvesi yaKwaZulu-Natali (UKZN) nesishabasheki solimi lwebele. 

Ngemva kokufika eNyuvesi yaseDurban-Westville (UDW) (esiyikhempasi yase-Westville yase-UKZN) ewumfundi obakazayo, uSolwazi Hlongwa waqala ukufundisa kule nyuvesi eyitoho, ebambele omunye umfundisi ngonyaka wezi-1998. Uma elanda indaba yakhe, uthi: “Lude uhambo kwezemfundo; umuntu efika laphaya engazi lutho. Uhambo lwami ke lubelude, kodwa yize lwalunamathizethizeni kodwa uma ngabe uphokophele phambili ayikho into ongayitholi. Ngiqale ngiwumfundisi oyivukana ngibambele (omunye) umuntu izinyanga eziyisithupha.”

Ngemva kwalokho wanyelwa yinyoni esandleni kwavuleka isikhala somsebenzi esabambele umuntu ngalezo zinyanga eziyisithupha. Abalingani bakhe emnyangweni bamkhuthaza bathi “faka isicelo”. Uthi esazingabaza kunjalo, wasifaka isicelo, wathola umsebenzi wakhe wokuqala wesivumelwano seminyaka emithathu. Ngemva kokuphela kwaleso sivumelwano, waqashwa ngokugcwele engalindele ukuba wumfundisi eMnyangweni wesiZulu.

UHlongwa uthi emkhakheni weMfundo ePhakeme iwumqansa. “Indlela iyanyuka ke eziKhungweni zeMfundo ePhakeme. Silindelwe ukuthi senze ucwaningo emikhakheni esikuwona. Mina ke ngisemkhakheni wolimi lwesiZulu… ngakhula ke ngashicilela, ngahamba izingqunquthela,” kusho yena.

Uthi umsebenzi wakhe wokuba wungoti wolimi lukaMageba umvule amehlo umjikelezisa amazwe futhi umhlanganisa nezifundiswa ezihlukene zakwamanye amazwe. Emazweni ambalwa asekewaya kuwona kubalwa i-France ne-China. “Mancane amazwe engingakawahambi ngalolu lukaMageba. Ngilihambile izwe webantu,” kusho yena. Uthi kwenye yemicimbi yokugubha uLimi Lwebele yaminyaka yonke, owagujwa eChina ngonyaka odlule, wahlangana noSolwazi Xiujie Ma, usolwazi owumsinsi wokuzimilela eBeijing, eChina, kodwa okhipha isiZulu ngamakhala.

UHlongwa uqhubekile wadlondlobala kwezemfundo ephakeme. Uthi: “Ngasuka lapho ngabe sengikhushulelwa ekubeni wumfundisi omkhulu, ngawuSolwazi Ongakagcwali. Njengamanje ngiwuSolwazi Ophelele wolimi lwesiZulu.”

Lesi sifundiswa sine-UPGDE yase-UKZN, i-Bachelor of Arts , i-honors, imasters, DLitt kwase-UDW. “Sisezingeni C2 ngokwe-National Research Foundation, sesike sahlabana ngoxhaxha lwezindondo kwezemfundo futhi singumbhali wencwadi ethi Ukuhlelwa Kolimi.”

UHlongwa akagcini ngokubawuSolwazi ogcwele wesiZulu kodwa useyiDini yeSikole SezoBuciko e-UKZN, ngokohlelo lokubumba imikhakha ngokwamakolishi. Ngaphansi kwalolu hlelo amadini aphethwe ngamaPhini-Shansela oMphathi oMkhulu weNyuvesi. Uma echaza umsebenzi weDini ngamafuthi, uthi: “Ngamafuphi, emsebenzini wokuba yiDini usuke ubhekelele iminxa ehlukene yokuqeqeshwa kwabafundi. Ngaphansi kweSikole seZobuCiko e-UKZN kunobuCiko bokuLingisa, Ubuciko Bomqondo, Izilimi, Ubuciko BeZandla, Ezokuvakasha neZokuSabalalisa Izindaba.”

UHlongwa useke wahlabana ngoxhaxha lwemiklomelo okubalwa kuyona i-Mellon Merit Award for Younger Scholars in Humanities, Development Social Sciences ngonyaka wama-2008/09, i-Merit Award for Excellence in University Service and Community Involvement ngowama-2007, i-Bilingualism/Multilingualism Award eKolishi LezoBuntu ngowama-2012 kanti ngowama-2018 wayosohlwini lwabacwaningi besifazane abali-10 abashicilele kakhulu eKolishi LezoBuntu.

Ungusihlalo weKomiti elibhekelele zonke izikhungo ezweni i-Universities South Africa (Usaf). Umsebenzi awenza kwi-Usaf umvule amehlo ngokuthi abantu abawazi amalungelo abo olimi uma kuqhathaniswa namaBhunu.

Uthi abantu abamnyama kufanele babukele kumaBhunu uma kukhulunywa ngezinto ezithinta ulimi lwabo noma ngabe yisiZulu, isiXhosa, isiSuthu nesiSwahili.

Njengoba mhlawama-21 kuNhlolanja bekugujwa uSuku LoLimi Lwebele Emhlabeni Jikelele kanti inyanga yonke bekuyiNyanga YoLimi Lwebele, ngokwesimemezelo sesikhondlakhondla senhlangano emhlabeni jikekele i-United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uSolwazi Hlongwa uhlabe ikhwelo lokuthi abantu abamnyama baseNingizimu Afrika basukumele indaba yolimi lwendabuko. 

Uthe: “Njengoba sisonyakeni wama-2026, sisonyakeni wesihlanu i-UNESCO ikhiphe ekubiza ngokuthi yi-International Decade of Indigenous Languages, lapho ethi ifuna ukuthi izilimi zethu zebele, izilimi zethu zomdabu zase-Afrika, azibhekelelwe kuwona wonke amazinga empilo, hhayi nje ezikhungweni zemfundo ephakeme kuphela kodwa kuwona wonke amazinga. Uma sikhuluma ngePhalemende, ngezomthetho, ezibhedlela, kuyona yonke imikhakha, uma sikhuluma ngamabhange, izilimi zethu azibhekelelwe. Loku bakushiswo wukuthi i-Afrika yilona zwekazi othola ukuthi imfundo inikwa ngezilimi okungezona (ezendabuko) kodwa okuyizilimi zabokufika.”

Uthe lokhu kungenxa yomlando wobukoloni. “Khumbula ukuthi salunjwa siyi-Afrika, sacazwa kwahlukaniselwana ngathi, kwayiloyo wathi mina ngifuna iSenegal, mina ngifuna iNingizimu Afrika, mina ngifuna iZimbabwe. Kuze kubeyimanje abaholi bethu yize bewaphethe amazwe ethu kodwa basahluleka wukuthi balungise into eqondene nokubhekelela ukuthi izilimi zase-Afrika zithole indawo efanelekile, izikhungo zethu zemfundo ephakeme, yize silwa impi yokuthi izilimi zethu sesiNtu zinikwe indawo efanele yokufundisa, (kodwa) kusenzima. 

“Siyadinga ukuthi siyisukumele impi yolimi. Ngendlela eliwa ngayo uzobona ukuthi kusukela kulo nyaka uMnyango weMfundo eseMazingeni Aphansi uqale iMfundo yoLimi-mbili. Lapha sithi khona ulimi lwebele asilifake libeyingxenye yokukufundisa. Lokho bakushiswo wucwaningo abalwenzile ukuthi izingane isiNgisi okuwulimi lokuqala nezingane isiBhunu okuwulimi lwazo lokuqala zenza kahle ezifundweni. Thina ngapha, ngenxa yokusetshenziswa kolimi okungelona olwethu, asenzi ngendlela efanele, hhayi ngoba siyizidomu,” kusho Hlongwa.

Uphethe ngokuthi izinkundla zokuxhumana akufanele zisilele kulo mkhankaso wokugxilisa isiZulu. Uthe: “Siye sikugcizelele ukuthi noma bukhona ubuxhakaxhaka esibusebenzisayo (izinkundla zokuxhumana ngobuchwepheshe), azingene izilimi zethu nakhona, zingasileli, ngisisebenzise isiZulu, ngisisebenzise isiXhosa nesiSuthu khona ukuze izilimi zethu zingasileli emuva. Sikhuthaza ukuthi abantu abaziqhayise ngezilimi zabo. Manje sikhuluma ngobuchwepheshe obuzishaya samuntu kodwa sithi izilimi zethu zomdabu azingasileli.”

Akubuzwa ukuthi mhla kubizwa amagama ezishabasheki sesiZulu nezilimi zomdabu nelikaSolwazi Hlongwa liyobe likhona.

Amagama: wuLanga Khanyile

Isithombe: Sithunyelwe