zulu.1656.legends
ABANINGI bamazi ngokuthi nguSol Plaatje kanti wazalwa ngomhlaka 9 October 1876 epulazini laseFree State. Umndeni wakhe wawukholiwe nokwenza ukuba athi lapho eneminyaka engu-9 wayiswa esikoleni sesonto iChurch of England eduze kwasePniel eCape.
Wayengumntwana ohlakaniphile ezimisele ngokufunda. Eseneminyaka engu-13 waphasa uStandard 4 ngaphansi kweCape Education Department - ngaleyo ndlela waba ngumntwana wokuqala ukukwenza lokho kule ndawo.
Ngo-1892 waqokelwa esikhundleni sokuba nguthisha kodwa esafunda nokuyisikhundla asiphatha iminyaka emibili. NgoMarch 1894 wahamba wayosebenza ePosini eKimberley njengo-postman.
I-Kimberley kwakuyidolobha elikhulu uma uliqhathanisa nendawo yasePniel, kodwa futhi uPlaatje wakwazi ukuba aphile kuyo.
Iposi laseKimberley kwaba yilo elokuqala endaweni yaseCape ukuba liqashe abantu abamnyama njengezithunywa nanjengo-postman.
Asikhoke isidingo sokuchaza ukuthi leli Posi lalinhloboni - ngoba lalikuthola singekho isidingo sokuqasha abamhlophe ngoba babefuna imali enkulu.
Ukuqashwa kwabantu abamnyama kwacasula abamhlophe.
Ukusebenza eposini kwanika uPlaatje ithuba lokuba athuthukise ulwazi lwakhe kwesiNgisi. Ngalesi sikhathi, umphakathi wabamnyama endaweni yaseKimberley wawuhlukene nokwakuthi emva kwezikhathi zomsebenzi, uPlaatje athole ithuba lokuhlanganyela nabantu abafana noRev Jonathan Jabavu (ongumfowabo kaTengo Jabavu, owayenguMhleli wephepha Imvo Zabantsundu), Gwayi Tyamzashe, David Msikinya no-Isaiah Bud M’belle.
Bonke kwakungamadoda akhaliphile akhanyisela kabanzi uPlaatje ngakwezombusazwe. UPlaatje ekugcineni washada nodadewabo kaM’belle u-Elizabeth.
NgoJune 1895, lawa madoda asungula inhlangano ye-South Africans’ Improvement Society.
Ezinye zezinhloso zale nhlangano kwakungukuba “khuthaza usiko lokusetshenziswa kwesiNgisi nokuba basizane ngokubonisana ezintweni eziningi.”
Utolika
Ngomhlaka 5 August 1898, uPlaatje wenza isicelo sokuba abe ngutolika enkantolo kamantshi eMafeking (esiyaziwa ngokuthi yiMafikeng). Ngaleso sikhathi wayesekwazi ukukhulu isiTswana, isiSuthu, isiXhosa, isiZulu, isiKoranna, isiNgisi, isiDutch nesiJalimane.
Ngalesi sikhathi indawo yaseMafeking yayiyisizinda sozombusazwe. Inkosi yamaTshidi uMontshiwa, wayekhothame eminyakeni emibili ngaphambi kokuba uPlaatje afike, kodwa ubuqhawe bakhe yibo obungasoze balibaleka. Ngenxa yokukhalipha kukaMontshiwa, wakwazi ukuba abantu besizwe sakhe bangalahlekelwa wumhlaba wabo ngezikhathi ze-19th Century.
Ngo-October 1899 kwasuka impi yamaBhunu namaNgisi indawo yaseMafeking yathathwa amabutho amabhunu. Lesi sigameko wasiqopha phansi encwadini yakhe iBoer War Diary.
Emva kancabne kwale mpi, uPlaatje wasilaxaza phansi isikhundla sakhe ngenhloso yokuba ayodlala indawo ebalulekile kwezombusazwe.
Wabamba elikhulu iqhaza ekusungulweni kwephephandaba lesiTswana nesiNgisi iKoranta ea Becoana.
Omunye wezazi zomlando wabeka wathi: “IKoranta izelwe, kanjalo namanye amaphephandaba ezilimi zabomdabu ezingxenyeni zezwe ngesikhathi sezombusazwe. Yilona eliyizwi labansundu abangenazwi - nokuyizwi okufanele lilalelwe - ngoba livikela amalungelo abantu abansundu.”
Ukhongolose
UPlaatje nezinye izichitha-buchopho zomdabu babekhathazekile ngokusungulwa kwe-Union Of South Africa, base bebona kungcono ukuba basungule inhlangano ezolwisana nalokhu. Emva kwemihlangano eminingi, umphumela walokhu kwaba wukusungulwa kweSouth African Native National Congress ngoJanuary 8, 1910.
Owaba ngumongameli-jikelele wokuqala wale nhlangano eyayizogcina isiyi-ANC kwaba nguJohn Langalibalele Dube. USol Plaatje yena waba ngunobhala jikelele wokuqala.
Ngo-1914, waba yingxenye yethimba le-ANC elahambela eNgilandi.
NgeMpi yokuQala yoMhlaba i-ANC yayigxeka noma yiziphi izinyathelo zikahulumeni wakuleli ngoba yeseka izwe laseJalimane.
NgoJune 1917, uPlaatje waboshwa eGoli wabeka kanje ngokwakhe, “miningi imithetho yakuleli lizwe okuhloswe ngayo ukucindezela abantu abansundu.”
Ubuqhawe bakhe
UPlaatje waqhubeka wasebenzela ukukhululeka kwabantu abansundu baseSouth Africa waze waficwa wukufa ebulawa yi-pneumonia eNancefield, eGoli ngomhlaka 19 June 1932.
Emngcwabeni wakhe bambiza ngeqhawe elalinothando lezwe lalo, elazinikela ekusebenzeleni izwe lalo nabantu balo.
Impumelelo kaPlaatje yinto engangatshazwa nakancane. Ngaphandle kokuba ngowokuqala wakuleli ukubhala inoveli ngesiNgisi - Mhudi – wazithuthukisa ngokwakhe waba ngomunye wabangcono kubantu bakuleli ngezikhathi zesizukulwane sakhe.
Kwakuyindoda eyayikwazi futhi ukubeka into ngendlela yokuncokola. Ngikhumbula omunye wezikhulu zikahulumeni ethi kuyena, “uyazikhumbula zonke izibusiso owazilethelwa abantu abamhlophe,” uPlaatje waphendula wathi, “ngiyazikhumbula - ikakhulu
i-brandy nezifo zezocansi.”[z]
BONA ZULU – January 2007
UPlaatje ngomunye wabasunguli be-ANC kanti waba ngumbhali wezincwadi, uthisha nentatheli
‘Wayenothando lezwe lakhe’
NGENHLA: Ithimba le-ANC elaya eLondon ngo1919. Ngemuva, kusukela kwesobunxele kuya kwesokudla: Umfundisi uSelope Thema, Jt Gumede noLT Mvabaza. Ngaphambili: Sol Plaatje noMfundisi uHR Ngcayiya.
indaba ngu-ISAAC KWELA izithombe ngesihle sabeHISTORICAL PAPERS, WITS UNIVERSITY
BONA ZULU – January 2007
I-‘IY’?
Okumangazayo wukuthi uPlaatje wayelizonda igama i“South African Native National Congress.” Wayekholwa wukuthi i-ANC kufanele yaziwe ngelinye igama okuzoba ngelesintu.
Ngaphezu kwezikhathi eziningi, uPlaatje wacela inhlangano ukuba ishintshe igama layo, kodwa njalo isicelo sakhe sasingaphumeleli.
Igama ayelithandela i-ANC?
Imbizo Yabantu.
