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u-Ellen Kuzwayo
UMKHULU wakhe uJeremiah Makgothi, wayengumlimi abuye abe ngumshumayeli ebandleni laseMethodist esebenza noDokotela uRobert Moffat behumusha iBhayibheli lesiTswana. Wayebuye abe ngunobhala weSouth African Native National Congress eyabunjwa ngaphambi kwe-African National Congress e-Orange Free State.
UNnoseng Ellen Kate Kuzwayo wazalelwa epulazini laseThaba Nchu eFree State ngomhlaka 29 June 1914.
Waqala ukufunda esikoleni esasakhiwe nguMakgothi epulazini lakhe.
Ngo1937 waphothula izifundo zobuthishela e-Adams College eManzimtoti.
Ubaba wakhe uPhilip Merafe, wayeyilungu le-ANC elalikhuthele kanti u-Ellen wayeke athi esemusha wayebuye aphathe isikhwama sikababa wakhe uma kunenkomfa yaleli qembu yonyaka.
“Nginomlando odephile ne-ANC,” kusho yena kwenye inkulumo ake aba nayo.
“Ngaqala ukuhambela izinkomfa zonyaka ze-ANC ezazibanjelwa eBloemfontein ngineminyaka engu-22 kanti ngangikhona ngesikhathi uMina Soga ethula iNational Council Of African Women.”
Ngo1944 kwakungu-Ellen Kuzwayo kuphela umuntu wesimame owayeyingxenye ye-ANC Youth League eyayisungulwe ngu-Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Nelson Mandela nenye intsha.
U-ELLEN wafundisa kwaze kwaba ngu1952. “Kwadingeka ukuba ngiyeke emva kokwethulwa kweBantu Education Act,” kuchaza yena.
“Ngangingenawo amandla noma isibindi sokufundisa izingane into eyayizozikhubaza ingqondo.”
Waba ngusonhlalakahle emva kokujoyina iYoung Women’s Christian Association wafunda eJan Hofmeyer School Of Social Work lapho ahlangana khona noWinnie Madikizela-Mandela.
Lesi sishoshovu sakhetha ukusebenzela izinhlangano ezazizimele.
“Ngangihola imali encane kodwa nginenkululeko yokusebenza nentsha nabesimame emphakathini wami ukuze bathuthuke,” kusho yena.
“Ngangigculisekile nakuba ngangihola imali encane.”
ECELWA yiTRC ukuba aphawule ngadlula kukona ngesikhathi sezibhelu zikaJune 16, 1976, u-Ellen uthi wayesendleleni eyothenga isidlo sasemini ngesikhathi ebona izihloko zezindaba ezazithi kukhona okwakwenzeka eSoweto.
Wayesebenza eNyuvesi yaseWitwatersrand ngaleso sikhathi kanti uthi waphindela ehhovisi eseyolanda izinto zakhe.
“Kwathi lapho sengiya ngasemotweni ngabona izintokazi ezazenza umsebenzi wokuhlanza iNyuvesi. Zavele zagibela emotweni yami ngaphandle kokucela,” kusho u-Ellen.
“Kwangikhanyela ukuthi leso sikhathi kwakungesona esokubuza imibuzo. Zazingomama kanti zazifuna ukuya emakhaya eSoweto ziyozibonela ngawazo okwakwenzeka.”
Wahamba nomngani wakhe bakwazi ukufika ekhaya lakwaMaponya. “Yonke into yayingamalangabi. Kwathi lapho sehla emotweni ngabona abanye abafana ababethukuthele befa. Kwakungekho owawungakusho kubona.
“Owawungakwenza wukuphakamisa isandla ubatshele ukuthi ukanye nabo noma ubange kodwa sasingekho isikhathi salokho ngoba yibona ababephambili empini.
“Ngisathukuthele ngoba uhulumeni wamaNeshinali izingane zethu wawungazithathisi okwezingane. Kwesinye isikhathi ngike ngithi ngingabathethelela ngabakwenza kithina bantu abadala kodwa abakwenza ezinganeni zethu kwazibulala,” kusho u-Ellen kwiTRC.
“Kwesinye isikhathi ngangike ngingahambi ngemoto kuthi lapho sekuhlwile sengehle esiteshini sase-Orlando ngicele noma yibaphi abantu besilisa engangibabona ukuba bangiphelezele ngiye ekhaya.
“Babekhala ngokuthi kufanele ukuba ngabe benza ezinye izinto kunokuthi baphelezele mina kodwa bagcine bengihloniphile bahambe nami.
“Namuhla ngeke ngikwenze lokho ngoba angisazithembi izingane okufanele zingivikele ngenxa kahulumeni waseSouth Africa. Izingane zethu waziphendula izilwane. Ngiyoze ngife kungihlupha lokho. Ngisafundisa ngangilibona ithalente ebantwaneni bethu.”
NGEMUVA kukaJune 16, u-Ellen waqokwa njengelungu leCommittee Of Ten eyayimiselwe ukukhipha izincomo ngokuphathwa kwezindawo zomphakathi waseSoweto emva kokushabalala kweSoweto Urban Bantu Council eyayizondwa abantu. Kwakunguyena kuphela umuntu wesimame kulelo komiti. Ngo1977 waboshwa izinyanga ezinhlanu.
Esephumile ejele waba nesandla ekusungulweni kweZamani Soweto Sister Council wabuye wadlala indima enkulu ekuvulweni kweZamani Soweto Skills Training Centre ngoMarch 1987.
Inhloso yale nhlangano kwakungukwehlisa izinga lokuntuleka kwemisebenzi kwabesimame abamnyama ngokusungulwa kwezinhlelo eziningi ezazizobasiza.
Ngo1983 u-Ellen wathola i-higher diploma kwi-social work eWits. Emva konyaka, waba ngowesimame omnyama wokuqala ukuhlonishwa ngeziqu zobudokotela.
Wafakwa njengelungu le-ANC ephalamende ngo1994 waqhubeka wasebenzela ezenhlalakahle, ezokuphepha nezokuvikela namakomiti ezokwakha nawezentuthuko.
Ngo1999 esethathe umhlalaphansi, wathola umklomelo i-Order For Meritorious Service kowayengumongameli wakuleli uNelson Mandela.
INCWADI yakhe echaza ngempilo yakhe eyawina umklomelo ethi Call Me A Woman yashicilelwa ngo1986. Umyeni wakhe wokuqala wayemhlukumeza kanti encwadini yakhe kuyavela ukuthi akakuvumelanga ukudansela isiginci sabamhlophe noma ukubuswa ngumuntu wesilisa.
Ngo1996 washicilela incwadi ethi Sit Down And Listen: Stories From South Africa ukuze kulondolozwe isiko lase-Africa lokuxoxa izinganekwane.
Umama u-Ellen wadlula emhlabeni ngomhlaka 19 April 2006 emva kokuhlushwa yisifo sikashukela.
“Ku-Ellen Kuzwayo elaseSouth Africa lakhiqiza owesimame owayenamandla nesibindi esizomkhumbula kakhulu,” kusho omunye umbiko owaphuma ephephandabeni mayelana nokusishiya kwakhe. [z]
BONA ZULU – March 2007
Iqhawekazi
Wayeyisishoshovu sezepolitiki, engumbhali kanti igama lakhe alisoze lalibaleka
ngu-ISAAC KWELA
BONA ZULU – March 2007
