Abantu Bomdabu eNingizimu Afrika abeZilimi zesiBantu

Abantu abamnyama baseNingizimu Afrika begukhona izikhathi babizwa ngokomthetho ngokuthi Bantu () ngombuso wobandlululo. Igama elithi Bantu lisuselwa egameni elithi "abantu" elivamile ezilimini eziningi zabantu. I- Oxford Dictionary of South African English ichaza ngokusetshenziswa kwayo kwanamuhla esimweni sobuhlanga ngokuthi "ubudala futhi enyantisayo" ngenxa yokuhlangana kwayo okuqinile nomthetho wokuqotshwa kwabamhlophe kanye nohlelo lobandlululo. Kodwa-ke, uBantu usetshenziswa ngaphandle kokuxhunyaniswa ngokuhlangana kwezinye izingxenye ze-Afrika futhi usasetshenziswa ngokufanele eNingizimu Afrika ukubiza njengegama lezilimi abantu abamnyama baseNingizimu Afrika abalukhulumayo kunokuba kusetshenziswe kulo igama noma ukubizwa kwalaba bantu.  

 Umlando 
Umlando ophathelene abantu bomdabu baseNingizimu Afrika phambilini uthinteke kakhulu ekusakazweni ngamabomu kanye nemizamo yokufaka ngempumelelo izindaba ezingezona iqiniso ngokulandela okusekelwe kwizinhloso zokucwasana isib. Izinganekwane ezamanga zomhlaba ongenalutho,  nezindlela zokulondolozwa ohlangothini lwabantu bomdabu baseNingizimu Afrika (kufaka phakathi amaqembu amaKhoisan ) azikwazanga ukuvikela ngempumelelo ngokumelene nokukhohlisa ngalezo zikhathi ezedlule. 

Ukutholakala kokuqala okuhlobene nezikhulumi zolimi lesiBantu imisebenzi ehlobene nabo esifundeni saseNingizimu Afrika (Izwekazi) kusuka kumasayithi amathathu acwaningiwe anezinto zakudala kusukela ngekhulu lesi-4 kuya kwele-1 leminyaka BCE (kungekazalwa uJesu), ngokuningiliziwe ngo-354 kuya ku-68 BCE lapho kuhlanganiswa izingosi ezintathu ezakhiwe ngokulinganisa, ezisendaweni eseningizimu kakhulu yalokho manje eseMozambiki ziqanjwe amagama athi yiZitundo, University Campus neChangalane II. Kumasayithi atholakale eNingizimu Afrika endala kunawonke atholakele ibizwa Amahlamvu esiliva (NgeSingisi:Silver Leaves), 209-370 CE (sekuzalwe uJesu). 

Ukuphamba kwama-Afrika abomdabu baseNingizimu Afrika kuphawuleka kakhulu ngokusatshalaliswa kwamaqembu ezilimi ezimbili, amaNguni ( amaXhosa, amaZulu, amaNdebele, namaSwazi ), ngokomlando ayehlala emathafeni asogwini olusempumalanga, kanye noSuthu-Tswana, obehlala ithafa elingaphakathi. Lamaqembu amabili ezilimi ahlukane futhi ahlukahluke ezicini ezithile ezibalulekile (ikakhulukazi ezinhlelweni zemisindo), ukwahlukahluka okunjalo nakho kuziveza kulo lonke uhlobo lwezilimi zabantu baseNingizimu Afrika. 

Ngenkathi amatilosi asePortugal wokuqala (cf. Vasco Da Gama noBartholomew Dias ) bezungeza iCape of Good Hope ngekhulu le-15 CE kutholakala izikhulumi ezimbalwa zeBantu lapho. Izakhamuzi zomdabu eziseduze naseCape zazakhiwe ngamaqembu amaKhoisan abedlula zonke. Ngemuva kokusungulwa kweDutch Cape Colony, izifiki zaseYurophu zaqala ukufika eSouthern Africa ngamanani amakhulu. Cishe ngonyaka we-1770, amaTrechboers aqhamuka eCape ahlangana nezikhulumi zabantu baseBantu azungeze uMfula i- Great Fish futhi kwaqubuka izingxabano phakathi kwalawa maqembu womabili.   

Kusukela ngasekupheleni kwekhulu le-18 nasekuqaleni kwekhulu le-19, bekukhona izindawo ezimbili ezinkulu zokuxhumana ngokuxhamazela phakathi kwabahlali abamhlophe kanye nezikhulumi zeBantu eNingizimu Afrika. Okokuqala, njengoba amaBhunu ayehamba enyakatho nezwe esuka eKapa ahlangana namaXhosa, amaSuthu kanye namaTswana. Okwesibili imizamo ezindaweni zokuhlala ezisogwini ezinkulu yenziwa ngabaseBrithani endaweni yamaXhosa (manje eyi-Eastern Cape), naKwaZulu (manje eyiKwaZulu-Natali ).

 Ubukhosi 
Kuze kube muva nje, emiphakathini ekhuluma isiBantu-zazivame zihlukaniswe kokwamaqembu ahlukene , hhayi ngokwazwelonke nemifelandawonye, kodwa ngokwamaqembu azimele, ubukhulu babo kulinganiswe amakhulu kuze kufikelele nakuzinkulungwane zabantu. 

Esincane kwezakhiwo sepolitiki yenhlangano kwaba indlu, noma isibaya sezindlu, ehlanganisa indoda, owesifazane noma abesifazane, nezingane zabo, kanye nezinye izihlobo ezihlala ndlininye. Indoda le beyiyinhloko yendlu futhi ivamise ukuba nabafazi abaningi, futhi wayengummeleli oyinhloko womndeni. Umndeni nobudlelwano obusondelene nabo ngokuvamile babufeza indima ebalulekile. Imizi ebihlala esigodini esisodwa noma egqumeni elifanayo esigodini nayo ibiyinhlangano yenhlangano, ephethwe yinkosana. 

Ubukhosi kakhulu benziwa amafa, kodwa amakhosi angasebenzi ayevame ukususwa. Emakhayeni amaningi indodana endala yazuza ngefa isikhundla sikayise. Kweminye imindeni ihhovisi lashiyelwa umfowakhe omkhulu wenkosi eshonile, kuthiwe ngemuva kokushona kwenkosi futhi inkosi kuba umfowayo omdala. Lokhu kuphindwe kuze kushone umfowabo wokugcina. Ngokulandelayo yindodana endala yesikhulu sokuqala; bese kuba ngumdala kunabo bonke babazalwane njengomholi. Induna yayizungezwe inqwaba yabangane noma abeluleki ababethembekile, imvamisa izihlobo ezinjengezelamani nabafobayo, kunokuba zinhloko ezinamandla noma abangane. Izinga lentando yeningi lalincike emandleni enduna . Isikhulu esasinamandla futhi sinamandla amakhulu, ithonya elincane labantu baso. Yize umholi wayenamandla amaningi, wayengekho ngaphezu komthetho . Angagxekwa bobabili ngabeluleki nangabantu bakhe, futhi kungafunwa isinxephezelo. Abantu bahlukaniswa ngamaqembu noma izizwe ezahlukahlukene ezazinemisebenzi yazo, imithetho nezilimi zazo. 

 Ukuhlukaniswa kwezinhlanga 
Imiphakathi ekhuluma isiBantu-yaseNingizimu Afrika cishe oluthathwa zibe izigaba ezine eziyinhloko: IsiNguni, IsiSuthu-Tswana, IsiVenda futhi nesiShangana-Tsonga. Lokhu kuhlukaniswe ngokulandelayo (loluhlu alupheli): 

Abezilimi zesiNguni 
 IsiNguni eNyakatho 
 AmaSwazi 
 AmaZulu 
 AmaNdebele esiNdebele saseNingizimu 
 IsiNguni eNingizimu 
 AmaXhosa 
 AmaHlubi 
 AmaMpondo 
 AmaMpondomise 
 AmaThembu 
Abantu bakwaTsonga
Abezilimi zesiSuthu-Tswana 
 AmaSuthu
 AmaSuthu aseNyakatho 
 AmaLobedu 
 AmaPedi 
 AmaPulana 
 AmaTswana 
AmaVenda
AmaLemba 
 (ekhuluma IsiVenda )
 Abanomlando wokudabuka kubakhulumi besiBantu saseNingizimu Afrika (lolu hlu langaphansi alupheli). 
 AmaNdebele esiNdebele saseNyakatho 
 AmaNgoni 
 AmaLozi 

Okufanayo phakathi kwezihlugile izigaba ezimbili ezinamandla, amaNguni namaSuthu-Tswana, kumiphakathi ezimele kuphatha abesilisa, lapho abaholi babakha izinhlaka zezepolitiki zenhlalo. Ngokufanayo, ukutholwa kokudla kwakungukulima nangokuzingela. Umehluko obaluleke kakhulu yizilimi eziphambuka ngokuqinile, yize zombili ziyizilimi zaseNingizimu Bantu, kanye nezinhlobo zokuhlala nobudlelwano obuhlukile. Ezindaweni zokuhlala amaNguni asakazeke kabanzi, kanti amaSuthu-Tswana ayehlala emadolobheni. 

 Isiko 
Ngokwesiko, izikhulumi zeBantu zazingacabangi ngokwesifunda njengabantu baseYurophu, kodwa kunalokho bebahlobana ngobuqembu. Uma nje umhlaba wawanele, babenemibono engacacile kakhulu yemingcele . Imingcele kwakuyizinto zemvelo ezinjengemifula noma izintaba, ezazingakhiwa ngandlela thile. 

 Ukutholwa kokudla 
Ukutholwa kwabo kokudla kwakumiselwe umkhawulo kwezolimo nasekuzingeleni ; imvamisa abesifazane babephethe ezolimo kanti abesilisa babedonsa ukuzingela. Ngaphandle nje kwamaTsonga (futhi ngokwengxenye AmaMpondo), ukudoba kwakungabalulekanga kangako. Ukudla kwakuqukethe ummbila (owethulwa ovela eNingizimu-yaseMpumalanga Eshiya), inyama (ikakhulukazi umdlalo wasendle, izingulube, nenyama yenkomo), imifino, ubisi, amanzi nobhiya wokusanhlamvu. 

Kwakunenqwaba yemithetho mayelana nokusetshenziswa kwenyama. Akukho nyama yezinja, imiphimbo, izingwenya noma izinyoka ebingadliwa. Kanjalo nomthetho wokungadli inyama yezinyoni ezithile, njengezikhova, amakhowe nezidleke, kanye nenyama yezilwane ezimele amaqembu  ezithile. 

Yonke imiphakathi ekhuluma isiBantu yayivame ukwahlukana okucacile phakathi kwemisebenzi yabesifazane neyabesilisa. 

 Izinhlobo zezindlu 
Ngokwesiko, imiphakathi ihlala ezinhlotsheni ezimbili ezahlukene zezindlu. AmaNguni asebenzisa indlu yezinyosi, eyisakhiwo esiyindilinga ngaphandle kwezigxobo ezinde, embozwe ngotshani. Izihlakala zoSuthu-Tswana, isiVenda neShabangana Tsonga zisebenzisa izinhlobo zezindlu zesigaqa. Kwakhiwa udonga lwama-cylindrical ngaphandle kwezikhala eziqondile, eziboshwe ngodaka nangobulongwe bezinkomo. Uphahla lwakhiwe kusuka kwizingongolo eziboshwe ndawonye. Iphansi lezi zinhlobo zombili licindezelwe umhlaba.

 Izincwadi 

 UGuthrie, M. 1967. Qhathanisa uBantu. UFarnboroiugh: IGregg International Publishers Ltd. Ama-Vols. 1-4. 

 Izinkomba