Ummangaliso Waminyaka Le WaseNamaqualand
NGUMBHALI KAVUKANI! EMZANTSI AFRIKA
Iintyatyambo ezimibalabala zithe qwelele kwisithabazi sethafa. Abakhenkethi badla ngokungakwazi ukuzibamba yimincili njengoko bebona lo mmangaliso waminyaka le waseNamaqualand. Omnye umkhenkethi uthi: “Xa uqala ukuzibona, ezi ntyatyambo zifana nodaka lwentaba-mlilo lusihla kancinane luphuma kwiindawo eziqhekekileyo zentaba luzalisa yonke indawo ngombala oqaqambileyo o-orenji.”
Noko ke, yintoni eyenza le ntwasahlobo ezaliswe ziintyatyambo imangalise kangaka? INamaqualand yindawo enkulu nebharhileyo ekumntla-ntshona womZantsi Afrika. Ngaphesheya kweentaba ezisemntla, kukho uMlambo iGqili ongumda wasemntla wale ngingqi. INamaqualand, ummandla omkhulu ngaphezu kweSwitzerland (omalunga nezikwekhilomitha ezingama-50 000), inabela ezantsi malunga neekhilomitha ezingama-200, kude kufuphi naseKapa. Iqondo lobushushu lale ndawo iyinkqantosi lifikelela kuma-40 ngokukaCelsius emini lize ebusuku liqhaqhazelise amazinyo lifikelele kwisi-8 ngaphantsi kweqondo lokukhenkca ngokukaCelsius, phantse unyaka wonke. Ekubeni phantse ingenawo amachibi okanye imilambo kodwa inamanzi amtyuba aphuma phantsi komhlaba, iNamaqualand isenokubonakala ingabangeli mdla—de ibe lixesha lommangaliso waminyaka le!
Nyaka ngamnye kamsinya emva kweemvula ukususela ebutsheni buka-Agasti ukusa phakathi kuSeptemba, amathafa abharhileyo aseNamaqualand ngesiquphe aye achume ziintyatyambo. Onke amathafa azaliswa ziintyatyambo ezimibala eorenji, emthubi, epinki, emhlophe, engqombela, elubhelu nemfusa. Ekubeni zihlala kangangeeveki ezimbalwa kuphela ngonyaka, ziye zilindelwe ngolangazelelo njengoko abo batyeleleyo abasuka ehlabathini lonke bekhangele phambili ukubona ezi ntyatyambo zithi ndijonge.
Ukuze zibe ngulo mbono umhle kangaka eyona nto ifunekayo yimvula eyaneleyo kunye nelanga. Emva koko wonke umntu uye anqwenele ukuba ingafiki imimoya ebhudlayo evela empuma, kuba ngokukhawuleza iya kwenza ezo ntyatyambo zibune iphele naloo mibala yazo.
Enye into ebangela lo mhlaba waseNamaqualand umangalise, yindlela ezichuma ngayo iintyantyambo. Noko ke, iintyatyambo ezininzi azikhuli nyaka ngamnye—ziye zityhile ubuhle bazo kuphela kwiimeko ezithile zemozulu. Ngoxa ezinye iimbewu zintshula emva konyaka, ezinye ziye zingantshuli, zilindele ixesha elifanelekileyo lokukhula. Olunye undwendwe lucacisa lusithi: “Ezinye iimbewu, zikhuselwa yinkqubo ethile ethintela ukuba zingakhuli ngaphambi kwexesha. Kunokuba zintshule ngenxa yokunetha kwemvula isihlandlo esinye xa kushushu, ezo mbewu zikhula kuphela xa kupholile yaye kufumile—imozulu efanelekileyo ukuze zikhule zize zisinde kwimozulu yalapho emaxongo.”
Nyaka ngamnye kubakho iintyatyambo ezahlukileyo, yaye kweminye iminyaka ziba ntle ngakumbi kuneminye kuxhomekeka kwimvula ene ngokwaneleyo nokungabikho komoya oshushu. Incwadi ethi Namaqualand—South African Wild Flower Guide, icacisa isithi: “Ekubeni uhlobo ngalunye lufuna iqondo lobushushu elithile ukuze lukhule, yaye iimvula zokuqala zisenokuna ukususela ngoAprili ukuya kuJulayi (iinyanga ezineqondo lobushushu obahlukahlukeneyo), nyaka ngamnye kuye kukhule iintlobo ezahlukahlukeneyo, kuxhomekeka ukuba iimvula zokuqala zine nini.”
Kukho iintlobo ngeentlobo zeentyatyambo—ezingaphezu kwama-4 000, zahlukile ngendlela ezimile ngayo, umbala nangendlela ezikhula ngayo! Kwezinye iindawo kukho iintlobo zeentyatyambo ezahlukahlukeneyo ukususela kwezili-10 ukusa kwezingama-20 kumgama nje osisikwemitha. Lo mbono uzukileyo ubangela ukuba umfanekiso owenziwe ngumzobi ubonakale ungenamtsalane. Kwanawona mazwi acingisiswe kakuhle abonakala engakwazi ukuchaza ubuhle obugqwesileyo beNamaqualand.
Sekunjalo, abazobi, iimbongi nababhali nabo bayachukunyiswa ngulo mbono umangalisayo wezi ntyatyambo. Imbongi yaseMzantsi Afrika uD. J. Opperman uqiqa ngelithi: “Yayiyeyona mini ibalaseleyo yokuhlwayelwa komhlaba, kwakungathi . . . iimbewu ezixabisekileyo ziphume kwingxowa yeNkosi enezona mbewu zintle.” Omnye wababukeli abachukumisekileyo wabhala wathi: “Kwakubonakala ngathi umnyama uye wanqumla loo ntlango, uthulula imibala kuyo yonke indawo.” Olunye undwendwe lwathi: “Ubuhle obunjalo obungenasiphelo benza ubani axabise isisa nobulumko obukhulu boMdali wethu, uYehova.”
Okungakumbi kukuba, ubuhle bommangaliso waminyaka le waseNamaqualand busiqinisekisa ukuba uMdali unokusebenzisa amandla emvelo anjalo ukubuyisela iParadesi emhlabeni wonke—ukuze avuyise abakhonzi bakhe abathembekileyo nabanoxabiso ngonaphakade. (INdumiso 37:10, 11, 29) Kuya kwandula ke ngomlinganiselo omkhulu, “intlango ibe nemihlali, yaye neentyatyambo ziya kutyatyamba kwiindawo eziyinkqantosi.”—Isaya 35:1, Today’s English Version.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 16, 17]
Onke amathafa, agubungela malunga nezikwekhilomitha ezingama-50 000, azaliswa ziintyatyambo