Ngaba Sezivakala Izingqi Zokuza Koxolo Lwehlabathi?

UKUTYHUBELA imbali, bekusenziwa izicwangciso zoxolo yaye bekuhlokonyiswa izibhengezo ezininzi zoxolo. Ngelishwa, kubonakala ukuba kusuke kwabakho nje iimfazwe ezininzi eziye zazibhangisa ezo zibhengezo. Uninzi lwabantu luye alwabi nantembelo konke konke kwizivumelwano nakwizibhengezo zoxolo.

Phofu ke, kwiminyaka nje embalwa edluleyo, abakhi-mkhanya nabahlolisisi beendaba abaninzi baye baqalisa ukuvakalelwa kukuba kukho okuthile okwahlukileyo okwenzekayo. Baye bathi, phezu kwazo nje iingxaki zasekuhlaleni, ngoku izinto ziyathembisa ukuba lusenokubakho uxolo ehlabathini. IZiko Loxolo Lezizwe Ngezizwe laseStockholm lathi, “Ithemba lokuconjululwa kweengxwabangxwaba zokulwela uxolo liqiniseke ngokwenene kunawo nawuphi na omnye unyaka ukususela ekupheleni kweMfazwe Yehlabathi II.” Umbhaleli odumileyo wamaziko eendaba washukunyiswa ziziganeko ezishiy’ amehlo kwiMpuma Yurophu ukuba avakalise oku: “UXolo Emhlabeni lubonakala luyinto enokubakho ngakumbi ngoku kunanini na ukususela kwiMfazwe Yehlabathi II.” Kwanolindixesha iThe Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists wavakalisa kwauluvo olufanayo. Ngowe-1988 watshintsha ixesha kwiwotshi yakhe edumileyo ebonisa usuku lwembubhiso eyisusa kwimizuzu emithathu ngaphambi kweenzulu zobusuku ukusa kwimizuzu emithandathu ngaphambi kweenzulu zobusuku, wandula ke ngoAprili 1990 walibuyisel’ umva ngakumbi ukuya kwimizuzu elishumi ngaphambi kweenzulu zobusuku.

Konke oku kwabangela imeko enik’ ithemba neyolonwabo ngaphambi kokuqhambuka kwemfazwe kumbindi mpuma. Kodwa kwanasemva koko bambi abantu basathi iMfazwe Yomlomo nokhuphiswano lwezixhobo phakathi kwamagunya amakhulu luye lwaphela. Abanye bebecinga ngoko kumele kwenziwe ngayo yonke imali oorhulumente abanethemba lokuyilondoloza ngokuncitshiswa kwemali echithelwa kwezomkhosi. Ngaba kunokwenzeka ukuba ixesha loxolo oluhlala luhleli lifikile ngokwenene? Ngaba ngokwenyaniso iintlanga zifunda ‘ukuwakhanda amakrele azo abe ngamakhuba, nezikhali zazo zibe zizitshetshe zeediliya’? (Isaya 2:4) Yintoni eboniswa zizibakala?

Iimfazwe Ezilityelweyo

IThe Economist yaseLondon ithi, “Ukuphela kwemfazwe yomlomo nokubakho kwamaqhina amatsha obuhlobo phakathi kweMpuma neNtshona kuye kwahendela abaninzi ekukholelweni ukuba silala ngoxolo sivuke ngoxolo. Oko akunjalo. Ukuba ushenxisa unobangela omnye omkhulu wokunxunguphala, ihlabathi lisala linoonobangela abaninzi abancinane.” Ngabaphi aba “nobangela bancinane” bokunxunguphala, okanye ungquzulwano?

Iziko Eliphanda Ngoxolo Elikhokelwa nguLentz, intlangano ezimeleyo yophando eUnited States, linikela ingxelo yokuba ukususela ngoSeptemba 1990, ubuncinane bekugquba iimfazwe ezili-15 ehlabathini jikelele. Apha akuqukwanga ukuhlasela kweIraqi iKuwait, ekubeni le ngxelo ibale nje iimfazwe ekuthe kuzo ubuncinane kwabulawa abantu abaliwaka nyaka ngamnye de kwalelo xesha. Ezinye zezi mfazwe beziqhubeka kangangeminyaka engama-20 okanye ngaphezu koko. Kuzo zonke kuye kwafa abantu abazizi-2 900 000, yaye uninzi lwaba bantu ibingabantu ababengabandakanyekanga ekulweni. Kweli nani ababalwanga abo babulawe kwiimfazwe ekuye kwaphalala igazi elininzi kuzo neziye zathi qabu kunyaka nje ophelileyo, njengaleyo ibiseUganda, eAfghanistan, naphakathi kweIran neIraq.

Baphantse bafikelele kwizigidi ezithathu abantu ababuleweyo ngeli xesha kusithiwa ihlabathi liseluxolweni! Lo nto ngokwayo yintlekele. Noko ke, eyona ntlekele inkulu kukuba ezininzi kwezi mfazwe beziqhubeka zingasiwanga so—yaye kungekho nazikhalo zivakaliswayo ngazo—lihlabathi. Zingafane nje zibizwe ngokuba ziimfazwe ezilityelweyo, ekubeni uninzi lwazo—ubhukuqo-mbuso, iimfazwe zamakhaya, iimvukelo—zisiliwa kumazwe asakhasayo. Kubantu abaninzi abakumazwe atyebileyo nahambele phambili kwezoqoqosho, ukubulawa kwesiqingatha sesigidi sabantu eSudan, okanye ukubulawa kwabantu abangaphantsi kancinane kwesiqingatha sesigidi eAngola, akubonakali kubangel’ umdla kangako. Enyanisweni, kukho abo bema ngelithi ihlabathi liye langenela ithuba loxolo elingazange libekho ukususela ekupheleni kweMfazwe Yehlabathi II kuba akukhange kubekho mfazwe phakathi kwamazwe ahambele phambili nokuba, phezu kwako nje ukujongana ngezikhondo zamehlo nokufunjwa kwentaphane yezixhobo, amagunya amakhulu awakhange angquzulane.

Ngaba Likho Ithemba Ngoxolo?

Ukuba uxolo luthetha nje ukungabikho kwemfazwe yenyukliya yehlabathi lonke, ngoko ke mhlawumbi ubani unokuma ngelithi iintlanga zehlabathi ziye zaphumelela ngandlel’ ithile kwimigudu yazo yoxolo. Inkqubo ekuthiwa Kukutshabalalisana Okuqinisekisiweyo iye yawathintela amagunya amakhulu ukuza kuthi ga ngoku. Kodwa ngaba luxolo lokwenene olo? Inokuba lulo njani, xa abantu besoloko besoyika imbubhiso engenzeka ngokuqhwanyaza kweliso nenokutshayela kuthi tu yonk’ into? Sinokuthetha njani ngoxolo xa, kulo lonke ihlabathi, abantu abaninzi kangaka bephulukana nobomi babo, izinto ukuphila kwabo okuxhomekeke kuzo zisonakaliswa, nethemba labo lokuphila ubomi obunentsingiselo nobunenjongo litshayelwa ziimfazwe, ezinkulu nezincinane?

UElie Wiesel owafumana ibhaso likaNobel wakhe wabhala wathi: “Ukususela kwixesha elingenakukhumbuleka embalini, abantu baye bathetha ngoxolo kodwa bengade balufumane. Ngaba kungenxa nje yokuba singenamava awaneleyo? Nangona sithetha ngoxolo, silwa imfazwe. Maxa wambi side silwe imfazwe egameni loxolo. . . . Imfazwe isenokuba iyinxalenye enkulu kakhulu yembali ukuba ingapheliswa—nanini na.”

Yaye kutshanje imfazwe kuMbindi Mpuma iphinde yalenza mfiliba ithemba loxolo. Ngaba kusenokuba kungenxa yokuba uluntu belukhangela kumthombo ongenguwo ukuze lufumane uxolo?

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 3]

“Esi sizukulwana sabantu esilapha emhlabeni sisenokuba ngamangqina okuzibonela ukufika kwexesha loxolo olungasokuze luphele kwimbali yempucuko yomntu.”—Umongameli waseRashiya uMikhail Gorbachev, kwingqungquthela yeenkokeli zehlabathi eyayiseWashington, D.C., eUnited States, ngoMeyi 1990

[Inkcazelo]

UPI/Bettmann Newsphotos

[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 4]

“Ihlabathi elitsha lenkululeko naliya elundini phayaa . . . , ihlabathi apho uxolo luhlala luhleli, apho kungasayi kubakho buqhetseba kwezorhwebo nalapho izinto ezinokwenzeka zenzekayo khona.”—Umongameli waseUnited States uGeorge Bush, kwingqungquthela yeenkokeli zehla-bathi neyayingoqoqosho lwehlabathi eHous-ton, eTexas, eUnited States, ngoJulayi 1990

[Inkcazelo]

UPI/Bettmann Newsphotos

“Iindonga ezazikhe zasisithintelo ebantwini yaye zibenza bangazivakalisi iingcamango zabo ziyadilika. Abemi baseYurophu bazikhethela ngokwabo oko kulikamva labo. Bakhetha inkululeko. Bakhetha inkululeko yezoqoqosho. Bakhetha uxolo.”—Isibhengezo seNATO kwingqungquthela enkulu eLondon, eNgilani, ngoJulayi 1990

[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 2]

Cover photos: U.S. Naval Observatory photo (stars); NASA photo (earth)