Opinion / Columnist
Ucuku Olwenziwa ngoPasi Luzwisa Ubuhlungu Project #4
25 Aug 2016 at 12:19hrs | Views
Scroll down for English translation.
Sawubona Mnumzana uNdlovu. Okokuqala sithanda ukubonga ukusinikeza ithuba lokukhipha imfihlo ebesesiyigcine iminyaka eminengi kangaka singayixoxeli muntu. Isihluku esasibona sisenziwa ngo pasi eLupane, esigabeni saseNdwane kasikhulumeki izinyembezi zingahlengelezi.
Mina ngalowo mnyaka ka 1983 mina ngangineminyaka eyisitshiyagalolunye kodwa lokho angeke ngikukhohlwe. Kwaqala ngokuvalwa kwamabhasi ayesiza emakhaya befuna ukusilambisa lokuthi kungabikhona abaya edolobheni. kodwa sasingakwazi ukuthi amabhasi avaliwe, sasicabanga ukuthi afile, kanti ayevalwe yiyo lawa amagukurahundi.
Ngalelo langa okwehla khona lesi isigameko esitshaqisa umzimba sajabula sisizwa ukuduma kwezimota ezinkulu ngoba sasicabanga ukuthi amabhasi abuyile yiyo adumayo. Kanti kwakungama phuma abopasi, sajabula kanti sasijabulela ukufa singazi.
Mina labafowethu akekho owalinyazwayo noma owabulawayo. Thina babesithole silima ensimini eyayigcelelane lomgwaqo lo, lapho abehlela khona. Engicabanga ukuthi kwasiza yikuthi babengakathandazi. Kodwa bakhona ababefuna ukutshaya ukhulu esasisebenza laye emasimini. Kwalamula abanye babo sebababizela ukuzothandaza phambi kwethu lathi sikhangele. Thina sasicabanga ukuthi ngamasotsha nje esasiwajwayele. Ngemva kwalokho basuka behla ngomgwaqo besiyalapha okwakulemizi khona. Ngakithi bafika baphula izivalo ngoba sonke sasingekho ekhaya sisemasimini.
Kwathi nxa befika komakhelwane wethu badubula elinye ijaha, lafa. Kwathi-ke imuli yonke yagijinyiswa ibhodiswa ngendlu. Wona la amagukurahundi ayeme ekhoneni ebaya tshaya ama two- feet bengawela phansi batshaywe ngemphini yama piki, leyamakhuba okuhlakula. Logogo owayeseguge kakhulu ehamba ngodondolo kanye labantwana abancane abeleminyaka engaphansi kwelitshumi babekulaba ababetshaywa ama two-feet bengawa batshaywe ngemphini yamapiki.
Bathe beqeda lapho baphuma behla bayahlangana lomfazi waleli jaha ababelidubulile ethwele inkonxa evela emfuleni,laye bamdubula wafa.
Bayafika komunye umuzi ongumakhelwane lathi futhi, bathola umama walapho ekhaya owayezithwele elungiselela ukwenza ilima lokuhlakula. Wayepheke ukudla okunengi.kwathiwa uphekela ama dissidents. Laye bamdubula wafa.
Bayothola elinye ijaha elalingumakhelwane futhi, elalilima emasimini alo, balidubulela emasimini, balitshiya lifile linjalo.
Bedlula baya esikolo seNdwane bafika badubula umphathisikolo okwakuthiwa ngu Mpofu wafa. Kuzekube lamanje lowo mphathisikolo ingcwaba lakhe lisemva kwesikolo seNdwane ngoba akekho owayesazi ukuthi kungaphi ngakibo. Bafika badlwengula amamisi aleso sikolo.
Phambili bathola intombi ezimbili zilukana inwele bazidubula zafa. Bayathola amanye amajaha ekarabha ingulube,labo babadubula bafela kuleyondawo. Mfoka Ndlovu kangimi lapha ngoba sekuphelile, kodwa ngenxa yobude bezigameko angeke ngikuqambe konke.
Umuntu owayenza leyonto angeke ngimxolele. Ngimzonda ngenhlinziyo yami yonke. Noma emasontweni kuthiwa sixolelane, ngingabaxolela bonke, kodwa hatshi bona. Ngeke ngikwenze lokho.
English translation.
Greetings Mr Ndlovu. Firstly I would like to thank you for giving us the opportunity to share secrets we had kept hidden for many years without telling anyone. The cruelty we witnessed being perpetrated by the fifth brigade army in the village of Ndwane in Lupane is unspeakable without tears welling up.
During that year of 1983 I was nine years old but I will never forget what I saw. They started by blocking roads to prevent buses from the city from reaching us so we starve and so that no one from the village would be able to leave. We didn't know that the buses had been blocked, we thought they were all out of service. Unbeknownst to us they had been barred by the fifth brigade army.
On that day when this blood curling incident happened we were so overjoyed to hear the roar of big engines as we thought it was buses that had come back. Turned out it was the puma vehicles of the fifth brigade. We were happy not knowing death was soon to come.
Me and my brothers survived none of us were hurt or killed. They found us in our field ploughing. Our fields were next to the road and that is were they disembarked. I think we survived because they had not yet prayed. But there were some among them who wanted to beat up the old man we were working with but others among them stopped them by calling them to go pray. They then prayed in front of us. We did not know they were the fifth brigade we thought they were ordinary soldiers. After prayer they went down the road to were they were homes. At our home they found no one as all of us were at the fields but they broke all the doors of our houses.
They then went to our neighbours and there they found a young man and shot him dead. After shooting the young man they made the whole family run around a house. The fifth brigade soldiers stood at a corner and tripped the people running around the house. Those that fell down were hit by by thick sticks taken from hoes and picks. Even an old woman who was so old she used a walking stick and kids younger than ten years were subjected to the same treatment.
When they left that homestead they came the wife of the guy they had shot earlier. She was carrying a bucket coming from the river to fetch water. They also shot her dead.
They went to another neighbour and found her making lots of food as there was to be a party of people who would help her plough her fields as she couldn't plough her fields as she was pregnant. They accused her of cooking all the food not for the upcoming party but dissidents. They also shot her dead.
They also found another young man ploughing in his fields and shot him dead leaving him lying in the sun in the field.
They then proceeded to Ndwane School when they got there they shot the principal/headmaster by the surname of Mpofu dead. Even up to now his grave is near the school as he was buried since no one knew where his original home was or who his people were. They raped the female teachers of that school.
From them they found two girls plaiting each other's hair and they shot both dead. They also found two other young men who had just slaughtered a pig and they also shot them and they died on the spot. My brother Ndlovu i am not stopping here because the bad deeds they did are finished but because they did so many bad things such that I cannot mention all of them.
The people who did all those bad things I am never going to forgive them. I hate them with all my heart. Even at church they say we should forgive but I can forgive everyone except them.
To share your stories about what happened during gugurahundi horrors email veapndlovu@gmail.com or Whatsapp +27824407756. Anonymity guaranteed if requested.
Sawubona Mnumzana uNdlovu. Okokuqala sithanda ukubonga ukusinikeza ithuba lokukhipha imfihlo ebesesiyigcine iminyaka eminengi kangaka singayixoxeli muntu. Isihluku esasibona sisenziwa ngo pasi eLupane, esigabeni saseNdwane kasikhulumeki izinyembezi zingahlengelezi.
Mina ngalowo mnyaka ka 1983 mina ngangineminyaka eyisitshiyagalolunye kodwa lokho angeke ngikukhohlwe. Kwaqala ngokuvalwa kwamabhasi ayesiza emakhaya befuna ukusilambisa lokuthi kungabikhona abaya edolobheni. kodwa sasingakwazi ukuthi amabhasi avaliwe, sasicabanga ukuthi afile, kanti ayevalwe yiyo lawa amagukurahundi.
Ngalelo langa okwehla khona lesi isigameko esitshaqisa umzimba sajabula sisizwa ukuduma kwezimota ezinkulu ngoba sasicabanga ukuthi amabhasi abuyile yiyo adumayo. Kanti kwakungama phuma abopasi, sajabula kanti sasijabulela ukufa singazi.
Mina labafowethu akekho owalinyazwayo noma owabulawayo. Thina babesithole silima ensimini eyayigcelelane lomgwaqo lo, lapho abehlela khona. Engicabanga ukuthi kwasiza yikuthi babengakathandazi. Kodwa bakhona ababefuna ukutshaya ukhulu esasisebenza laye emasimini. Kwalamula abanye babo sebababizela ukuzothandaza phambi kwethu lathi sikhangele. Thina sasicabanga ukuthi ngamasotsha nje esasiwajwayele. Ngemva kwalokho basuka behla ngomgwaqo besiyalapha okwakulemizi khona. Ngakithi bafika baphula izivalo ngoba sonke sasingekho ekhaya sisemasimini.
Kwathi nxa befika komakhelwane wethu badubula elinye ijaha, lafa. Kwathi-ke imuli yonke yagijinyiswa ibhodiswa ngendlu. Wona la amagukurahundi ayeme ekhoneni ebaya tshaya ama two- feet bengawela phansi batshaywe ngemphini yama piki, leyamakhuba okuhlakula. Logogo owayeseguge kakhulu ehamba ngodondolo kanye labantwana abancane abeleminyaka engaphansi kwelitshumi babekulaba ababetshaywa ama two-feet bengawa batshaywe ngemphini yamapiki.
Bathe beqeda lapho baphuma behla bayahlangana lomfazi waleli jaha ababelidubulile ethwele inkonxa evela emfuleni,laye bamdubula wafa.
Bayafika komunye umuzi ongumakhelwane lathi futhi, bathola umama walapho ekhaya owayezithwele elungiselela ukwenza ilima lokuhlakula. Wayepheke ukudla okunengi.kwathiwa uphekela ama dissidents. Laye bamdubula wafa.
Bayothola elinye ijaha elalingumakhelwane futhi, elalilima emasimini alo, balidubulela emasimini, balitshiya lifile linjalo.
Bedlula baya esikolo seNdwane bafika badubula umphathisikolo okwakuthiwa ngu Mpofu wafa. Kuzekube lamanje lowo mphathisikolo ingcwaba lakhe lisemva kwesikolo seNdwane ngoba akekho owayesazi ukuthi kungaphi ngakibo. Bafika badlwengula amamisi aleso sikolo.
Phambili bathola intombi ezimbili zilukana inwele bazidubula zafa. Bayathola amanye amajaha ekarabha ingulube,labo babadubula bafela kuleyondawo. Mfoka Ndlovu kangimi lapha ngoba sekuphelile, kodwa ngenxa yobude bezigameko angeke ngikuqambe konke.
Umuntu owayenza leyonto angeke ngimxolele. Ngimzonda ngenhlinziyo yami yonke. Noma emasontweni kuthiwa sixolelane, ngingabaxolela bonke, kodwa hatshi bona. Ngeke ngikwenze lokho.
Greetings Mr Ndlovu. Firstly I would like to thank you for giving us the opportunity to share secrets we had kept hidden for many years without telling anyone. The cruelty we witnessed being perpetrated by the fifth brigade army in the village of Ndwane in Lupane is unspeakable without tears welling up.
During that year of 1983 I was nine years old but I will never forget what I saw. They started by blocking roads to prevent buses from the city from reaching us so we starve and so that no one from the village would be able to leave. We didn't know that the buses had been blocked, we thought they were all out of service. Unbeknownst to us they had been barred by the fifth brigade army.
On that day when this blood curling incident happened we were so overjoyed to hear the roar of big engines as we thought it was buses that had come back. Turned out it was the puma vehicles of the fifth brigade. We were happy not knowing death was soon to come.
Me and my brothers survived none of us were hurt or killed. They found us in our field ploughing. Our fields were next to the road and that is were they disembarked. I think we survived because they had not yet prayed. But there were some among them who wanted to beat up the old man we were working with but others among them stopped them by calling them to go pray. They then prayed in front of us. We did not know they were the fifth brigade we thought they were ordinary soldiers. After prayer they went down the road to were they were homes. At our home they found no one as all of us were at the fields but they broke all the doors of our houses.
They then went to our neighbours and there they found a young man and shot him dead. After shooting the young man they made the whole family run around a house. The fifth brigade soldiers stood at a corner and tripped the people running around the house. Those that fell down were hit by by thick sticks taken from hoes and picks. Even an old woman who was so old she used a walking stick and kids younger than ten years were subjected to the same treatment.
When they left that homestead they came the wife of the guy they had shot earlier. She was carrying a bucket coming from the river to fetch water. They also shot her dead.
They went to another neighbour and found her making lots of food as there was to be a party of people who would help her plough her fields as she couldn't plough her fields as she was pregnant. They accused her of cooking all the food not for the upcoming party but dissidents. They also shot her dead.
They also found another young man ploughing in his fields and shot him dead leaving him lying in the sun in the field.
They then proceeded to Ndwane School when they got there they shot the principal/headmaster by the surname of Mpofu dead. Even up to now his grave is near the school as he was buried since no one knew where his original home was or who his people were. They raped the female teachers of that school.
From them they found two girls plaiting each other's hair and they shot both dead. They also found two other young men who had just slaughtered a pig and they also shot them and they died on the spot. My brother Ndlovu i am not stopping here because the bad deeds they did are finished but because they did so many bad things such that I cannot mention all of them.
The people who did all those bad things I am never going to forgive them. I hate them with all my heart. Even at church they say we should forgive but I can forgive everyone except them.
To share your stories about what happened during gugurahundi horrors email veapndlovu@gmail.com or Whatsapp +27824407756. Anonymity guaranteed if requested.
Source - Veap Ndlovu
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