izingwazi zakithi: bonginkosi zondi
EMPELENI kakukho ukuphikisana ngokuthi uPatson “Sparks” Banda nguyena obebadlula bonke onozinti baseNingizimu Afrika ngezikhathi zakhe. Ikhono likaBanda elibabazekayo ezintini belivunywa cishe yibona bonke abalandeli bakanobhutshuzwayo bakuleli kungakhathalekile ukuthi umuntu uzifela ngayiphi ikilabhu kwawabomdabu.
Ukuba imigoqo yobandlululo yabe isisusiwe mhlawumbe nabamhlophe bakuleli abanobuqotho babengakuvuma lokho. Nakuba le nkakha yethembise ukuthi okuningi kuzovela encwadini ebhalwayo ngayo, nokho ivumile ukulipotshozela ILANGA kafushane umlando ngempilo yayo.
UBanda uzalelwe KwaMbonambi, ngaseMtubatuba. Uzalwe mhla ka-9 kuLwezi (November) 1953. Unina nguDorothy Anne Banda, kanti uyise nguBJ Forster Banda. Eseneminyaka ewu-3 yobudala, abazali bakhe bafudukele eJozi, e-Alexandra, kamuva badlu-lela eMoroka eduze nasesiteshini samaphoyisa.
Uvuleke amehlo esengumuntu waseGoli. Umndeni wakhe ubuye wahlala naseWhite City eJabavu okuyilapho eqale khona ukufunda uSub Standard A no-B kuze kugci-ne kwaStd 2, eJabavu East Primary. EJabavu East Primary uthisha wakhe kwakunguJune Chauke.
UHANJISWA EMALAWI UKUYOFUNDA
Ngenxa yokuthi abazali bebesenokuxhumana nezihlobo zabo ezweni labo lendabuko, eMalawi, kuthe esefunda ibanga 3 e-Isaacson Higher Primary, uyise wanquma ukuba bayofunda eMalawi benomfowabo ukuze baqhele kubangani ababi.
Kabahlalanga isikhathi eside lapho ngoba ubabuyisile futhi bazoqhubeka nemfundo yamabanga athe thuthu eNaledi Secondary ngo-1968. Lapha eNaledi Secondary uthishanhloko wakhona kwakunguRudolph Mthimkhulu futhi owayesezwile ngezimanga zikaPatson ezintini.
UMthimkhulu wabe engumlandeli wokuqina wezikaMagebhula. UPatson uthi wayefisa ukuba wummeli. Lapha eNaledi ubefunda iMathematics, Geography, Science nezilimi ezintathu kuzona ulimi lwesiBhunu nesiNgisi okwakuyi-mpoqo ukuzifunda.
Uthi kungayo leyo minyaka lapho uhulumeni wobandlululo wabe usuphoqa abafundi bomdabu ukuba bafunde neMaths ngesiBhunu okwaholela ekubeni kuqubuke izibhelu eSoweto ngo-1976. UMatric kuqala obubizwa ngokuthi Form IV noForm V, uwufunde wawuphothula ngeminyaka ka-1972-73 e-Orlando West High.
UKHULE EKWENYANYA UKWEHLULWA EMIDLALWENI
Uma ILANGA limbuza ukuthi umdlalo webhola uwuqale nini, uthi naye njengeningi labafana bangaleso sikhathi bebeqala ukudlala emgwaqweni.
Uthi kwakungekho ngisho nezimpahla zokudlala ezinjengomfaniswano. Noma yini egqokekayo bebeyisebenzisa, ngisho okwenziwe ngokuthunga izikhwama zempuphu bebesiciciyela ngalokho isimo.
Amabhola amadala ethenisi lawa bebekhahlela wona futhi beqatha bedlala kusukela ekuseni lize liyoshona.
Lapha esikoleni ubedlala nakwezinye izindawo eqenjini njengasemuva kwesokudla (right back) lapho umdlali odlala le ndawo ebegqoka ijezi elingunombolo 2 noma njengomgadli kunombolo 9. Nokho uma bebhekene nomdlalo onzima ubecela ukuba ngunozinti ngoba engakufuni ukuba iqembu labo lehlulwe.
Uthi lapha esikoleni bekufika noCarlton Moloi wodumo kwiMoroka Swallows ezocobelela abadlali bebhola. Kulapho wazibonakalisa khona ezintini evimba ngisho namaphenathi.
Yilokho-ke okwenza ukuba uCarlton amthathe ukuba ayodlala ezigabeni ezincane zeSwallows. Ukudlalela iqembu elikhulu kwabe kuyiphupho labo bonke abadlali abasakhula endaweni.
UHLANGANA NE-ORLANDO PIRATES
Ukuhlangana kwakhe ne-Orlando Pirates uthi kwaba kanje: kubo kaPatson bekubhekene nesango elikhulu lenkundla yezemidlalo eJabavu.
Ngolunye usuku uthi kwafika umfowabo ozalwa nguyise omncane wathi makeze enkundleni azobadlalela ngoba iqembu labo i-Orlando Highlanders lalinomdlalo onzima nePimville United Brothers eyayidume ngelePUBS, abafana baseSkom.
Wamazisa ukuthi inkinga wukuthi sase sishayile isikhathi somdlalo kodwa abanye abadlali beHighlanders bengakafiki.
Umthetho ngaleso sikhathi wawuthi uma bewu-8 abadlali abakhona, umdlalo ungaqhubeka. Nebala wafika enkundleni kwathiwa makadlale indawo kanozinti ngoba unozinti weHighlanders uMoyana Lushozi (ongumfowabo kaBernard Lushozi wodumo kwi-Moroka Swallows) wayengomunye wabadlali ababeshiywe yisikhathi.
WAVIMBA AMAPHENATHI AMABILI EPIKIWE
Uthi iqembu lePUBS lafika liphelele, libophele zonke izingwazi elalidla ngazo, phakathi kwazo abala uMebra Gqosha, uJohannes “Yster” Khomane, uBenjamin Mfundisi, uSithunywa Hadebe (ukaputeni), uChris “Rollaway” Ndlovu, u-Ernest Ramohai, nabanye.
UMoyana wafika iHighlanders isivele ihamba phambili ngo-1-0 futhi uPatson owayala ukhasha wabe esevimbe amaphenathi amabili. Ngesiwombe sesibili uthi akwenzekanga ayelindele ukuba kwenziwe kokuba akhishwe enkundleni ngoba sekufike uMoyana.
Kwayena uMoyana wathi makasale eseqhubeka uPatson adlale nasesiwombeni sesibili.
Ekupheleni komdlalo uthi ngisho nabadlali be-PUBS beza bazoxoxa naye. Kwaba wukungena kwakhe kanjalo eqenjini elikhulu leHighlanders, okwase kusho ukuthi wayesezobhekana namaqembu amakhulu aziwayo njengeSwallows, i-Orlando Pirates namanye.
Uthi kwenzeka konke lokhu njena mncane ngeminyaka kepha ngenxa yethambo nomzimba oqatha, wakwazi ukubhekana nabadlali asebemnkantshubomvu.
BAYEHLULA I-PIRATES, KODWA BAROJWA YIZIKHULU
Kuze kube kulelo qophelo unobhutshuzwayo wabomdabu wawungakahleleki kahle njengoba kunjalo manje, futhi ungenayo ngisho neligi yesigaba esikhokhelayo. Abadlali bebedlala ngothando lomdlalo nokudlalela izibukeli. Nezinkontileka phakathi kwabadlali namaqembu yinto eyabe ingaziwa.
Nakho-ke sekufika isikhathi sokuhlunga amaqembu ukuze kube neligi, okwenzeka ngo-1969.
Umdlalo wokuhlunga olandelayo we-Orlando Highlanders yabe izowudlala ne-Orlando Pirates kusihlwa kwesikamaminzela, e-Orlando Stadium.
Bayishaya iPirates ngo-1-0 kodwa yaba nezikhalo namuhla ezingeke ziwenze umqondo.
Kwadingeka ukuba umdlalo uphindele ensimini khona e-Orlando Stadium kodwa kudlalwa emini.
Nalapho bayehlula iPirates futhi, kwaba ngu-2-1. Ngenxa yokuba iPirates yabe inabalandeli abaningi, abaqoka amaqembu basebenzisa lokho ukuba bashiye ngaphandle iHighlanders nakuba ngokomdlalo yayikhale ngaphansi iPirates.
I-PIRATES YATHELEKA ESIKOLENI IZOMSAYINISA
Njengoba sekushiwo ukuthi ngalezo zinsuku yayingakaziwa indaba yezinkontileka, uPatson uthi ngoMsombuluko kwatheleka esikoleni izithunywa ze-Orlando Pirates, u-Alfred “Russia” Jacobs owayengukaputeni wayo, uJimmy Sojane unobhala, noPeter “Santoro” Mngomezulu imenenja, bezofuna ukubonana naye.
Uthi wezwa nje esebizwa kuthiwa uyafuneka ehhovisi likathishanhloko osekushiwo ukuthi naye wayengumlandeli wokuqina wezikaMagebhula futhi owayesezwile ngoPatson.
Lokhu kwaholela ekutheni anyamalale eqenjini lakhe i-Orlando Highlanders.
Emdlalweni owawuphakathi kwe-Orlando Pirates neKaizer Chiefs wafakwa ohlwini lwabadlali ababezoqala umdlalo.
Kuthe sebesemhubheni obangenisa enkundleni (tunnel) wathunjwa ngabathumbi beHighlanders bahamba kude kude naye kuyiwa eBloemfontein lapho iHighlanders yabe inomdlalo neMangaung yakhona.
…iqhutshwa ngoMsombuluko
