Esona Sifo Soyikekayo Kwinkulungwane Ye-19

Kwakungonyaka we-1854 yaye eLondon kwakuza kuphinda kugqube ikholera—isifo samathumbu esibangela ukuba umntu abe nesisu esihambisayo aze aphelelwe ngamanzi emzimbeni. Esi sifo sagqugqisa ngesantya esothusayo. Abantu babevuka besempilweni, kuhlwe befile. Kwakungekho nyango lwaziwayo.

YAYISESONA sifo soyikekayo kuzo zonke ezazikho kuloo nkulungwane yaye kwakungaziwa ukuba sibangelwa yintoni. Abanye babecinga ukuba esi sifo sifunyanwa ngumntu osezela umoya ongcolileyo ovela kwizinto ezibolileyo. Sasiqondakala isizathu sokuba bacinge ngale ndlela. Umlambo iThames, owawuhamba eLondon, wawunuka phu. Ngaba ngulo moya unukayo owawubangela esi sifo?

Kwiminyaka emihlanu ngaphambi koko, ugqirha ogama linguJohn Snow wayerhanela ukuba ikholera yayibangelwa kungekhona ngumoya ongcolileyo, kodwa ngamanzi angcolileyo. Omnye ugqirha, uWilliam Budd, yena wayekholelwa kukuba esi sifo sasifumaneka kwinto ephilayo efana nokungunda.

Ngowe-1854, ebudeni bokugqugqisa kwesi sifo, lo kaSnow wazama ukuqinisekisa oko wayekuthetha ngokuthi ahlolisise abantu ababenekholera eSoho, isithili saseLondon. Wayezibuza, ‘Yintoni abafana ngayo aba bantu?’ Oko lo kaSnow wakufumanisayo kuphando lwakhe kwamothusa. Bonke abantu ababenekholera kuloo ngingqi babesela amanzi asuka kwimpompo enye yaye loo manzi ayengcolile!a

Kwangonyaka omnye isazinzulu saseItali uFilippo Pacini sapapasha iphephandaba elichaza le nto iphilayo ibangela ikholera. Noko ke, abantu abaninzi balubetha ngoyaba uphengululo lwakhe yaye benza okufanayo kuSnow noBudd. Ikholera yaqhubeka igqugqisa—de kwaba ngunyaka we-1858.

“Ivumba Elibi Kakhulu”

Urhulumente wayecotha ukwakha inkqubo entsha yokulahla amanzi angcolileyo ukuze iThames ihlale icocekile, kodwa ngenxa yobushushu behlobo lowe-1858, waziva enyanzelekile ukuba akhawulezise. Ivumba elibi elalivela emlanjeni lalifikelela nakwiHouse of Commons kangangokuba abezopolitiko banyanzeleka ukuba boneke amalaphu afakwe kwisibulali zintsholongwane ezifestileni zabo ukuze baphelise ivumba. Urhulumente wanyanzelwa yinto eyaziwa ngoku ngokuba Livumba Elibi Kakhulu. Kwathabatha iintsuku nje ezili-18 ukuba kuphume umyalelo wokwakhiwa kwenkqubo entsha yokulahla amanzi angcolileyo.

Kwakhiwa imisele ethintela amanzi angcolileyo ukuba angafiki emlanjeni, kunoko aye ngakwimpuma yaseLondon de aye kungena elwandle. Oku kwaba nemiphumo emangalisayo. Emva kokuba yonke iLondon iqalise ukusebenzisa le nkqubo intsha, abantu bayeka ukufumana ikholera.

Ngoku abantu babeqinisekile: Ikholera yayingabangelwa ngumoya ongcolileyo, kodwa yayibangelwa ngamanzi okanye ukutya okungcolileyo. Yayicacile nendlela abanokuzikhusela ngayo kwesi sifo—ngenkqubo yogutyulo.

Umthetho Ongaphambi Kwexesha

Kwiminyaka engamawakawaka ngaphambi kokuba ikholera igqugqise eLondon, uMoses wakhokela uhlanga lakwaSirayeli ewakhupha eYiputa. Nangona ayehamba entlango yaseSinayi kangangeminyaka engama-40, amaSirayeli ayengazifumani izifo ezinjengekholera. Kwakusenzeka njani oku?

Olu hlanga lwaluyalelwe ukuba luligqumelele ilindle kwindawo engasese ngaphandle kwenkampu ukuze indawo ehlala abantu nendawo abafumana kuyo amanzi ingangcoli. Lo mthetho useBhayibhileni ukwiDuteronomi 23:12, 13 ethi:

“Ufanele ube nendawo yangasese ngaphandle kwenkampu, apho uya kuphumela khona endle. Uze ube nolugxa phakathi kwezixhobo zakho, kuthi ekuchopheni kwakho endle, umbe ngalo umngxuma, uze ujike, uligqume ilindle lakho.”

Loo myalelo wawakhusela amaSirayeli kwizifo ezazigqugqisa kwezinye iintlanga. Iindlela zococeko ezifana nale ziye zasindisa ubomi babantu nakule mihla.b Khawucinge ngalo mzekelo.

“Asizange Sisifumane Esi Sifo”

Ngeminyaka yee-1970, amaNgqina kaYehova anyanzeleka ukuba emke eMalawi ngenxa yentshutshiso. Abalekela eMozambique, apho kwafuneka ahlale engamadoda, amabhinqa nabantwana abangaphezu kwama-30 000 kwiinkampu ezilishumi zeembacu. Njengoko abantu abaninzi besazi, izifo ezibangelwa kukungcola kwamanzi zidla ngokungena lula kubantu abakwiinkampu zeembacu. Kuthekani ke ngala maNgqina awayekule meko?

ULemon Kabwazi, ekunye nabanye abali-17000, wayehlala kweyona nkampu inkulu eMlangeni. Uthi: “Inkampu yayihlala icocekile. Sagrumba imingxuma ngaphandle kwenkampu yaye kwakungekho mntu uvumelekileyo ukuba azigrumbele owakhe umngxuma ngaphakathi kwenkampu. Nenkunkuma yayinomngxuma wayo ngaphandle kwenkampu. Kwakukho amatsha-ntliziyo aqinisekisayo ukuba yonke into icocekile, kuquka amanzi awayekhiwe emithonjeni engaphandle kwenkampu. Nangona sasixinene, sayithobela imithetho yeBhayibhile ephathelele ukucoceka, ngoko akuzange kubekho bantu bagula zizifo ezibulalayo yaye akuzange kubekho mntu ufumana ikholera.”

Okubuhlungu kukuba, kwamanye amazwe, kukho amakhaya angenazinkqubo zifanelekileyo zokulahla amanzi angcolileyo. Izifo ezidluliselwa lilindle zibulala abantwana abamalunga nama-5 000 suku ngalunye.

Nangona ikholera nezinye izifo ezifana nayo zinokuphepheka yaye imizamo yabantu iye yaba luncedo, iBhayibhile ithembisa ukuba kungekudala zonke izigulo ziza kupheliswa. ISityhilelo 21:4 sibonisa ukuba ngaphantsi kolawulo loBukumkani bukaThixo, ‘akusayi kubakho kufa, kungabi sabakho kuzila nakukhala nantlungu kwakhona.’ Ngelo xesha iBhayibhile ithembisa oku: “Akakho ummi wakhona oya kuthi: ‘Ndiyagula.’”—Isaya 33:24.

Ukuze ufunde okungakumbi ngoko uBukumkani bukaThixo buza kukwenzela uluntu sicela ufunde isahluko se-3 nese-8 sencwadi ethi Yintoni Ngokwenene Efundiswa YiBhayibhile? epapashwe ngamaNgqina kaYehova.

[Imibhalo esemazantsi]

[Amagama acatshulweyo akwiphepha 21]

UMlambo iThames wawuhamba eLondon yaye amanzi angcolileyo awo ayenekholera nto leyo eyosulela abantu abaninzi ababephila ngelo xesha

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 22]

Amadoda, amabhinqa nabantwana abangaphezu kwama-30 000 kwafuneka ahlale kwiinkampu zeembacu ezilishumi eMozambique yaye ayezigcina zicocekile ngalo lonke ixesha

[Inkcazelo Ngemifanekiso ekwiphepha 20]

Death on Thames: © Mary Evans Picture Library; map: University of Texas Libraries