Yazana Nomgankla Ozifihlayo

Ngomlobeli wePhaphama! eKenya

‘EZIFIHLAYO ini yona?’ uyabuza. Umgankla ozifihlayo! Inyamazane enhle ehlala emapaki esizwe aseMpumalanga Afrika naseziqiwini. Futhi elithi ozifihlayo liyigama elikahle kakhulu lokuchaza lesilwane esinamahloni ngokweqile. Ake siye eTsavo National Park eKenya sibone ukuthi singawubona yini owodwa.

Kusemini yasekuseni lapho singena engxenyeni esentshonalanga yepaki. Sibona intaba yaseAfrika ephakeme kunazo zonke, iKilimanjaro. Isiqongo sayo esiphakeme kakhulu esimbozwe yiqhwa singomunye wemibukwane eminingi esiyijabulelayo njengoba sihamba kulelipaki elithandekayo. Cha, ngeke sibone ngisho nowodwa umgankla manje. Idla futhi izulazule kuphela ekuseni kakhulu, ntambama kakhulu, noma ebusuku. Phakathi nokushisa kosuku, iphumula emahlashaneni aminyene. Ngakho-ke ukuze siyibone, kumelwe sibe sendaweni ekahle masinyane ngemva kokuphuma kwelanga noma emahoreni athile ngaphambi kokushona kwelanga.

Lapho kuhwalala, sigxumeka itende lethu esikanisweni samatende phezu kwegquma elincane elinesihlabathi elibheke eMfuleni iTsavo. Sivuka kusempondo zankomo, futhi ngemva kokudla kwasekuseni okulula, siyahamba, sehle kancane ngomzila. Bheka laphaya! Phela, umgankla wesilisa, umile awunyakazi.

O, yeka indlela ukukhanya kwasekuseni okuwukhanyisa kahle ngayo! Uyinqama enhle enombala ompunga ngokumnyama. Umzimba wawo uhlanganiswe imithende emincane emhlophe engu-13 noma engu-14 ebheke phansi. Ibala eligqamile elimhlophe lihlobise umphimbo wawo, futhi umthende omhlophe uhlobise ingezansi lentamo yawo. Imishwana emhlophe ephakathi kwamehlo awo ancwaba nendawo emhlophe ezungeze umlomo wawo kwenza ubuso bawo obumnyama buhluke. Umoya obandayo wasekuseni uphephetha kancane umhlwenga wawo omfushane omhlophe owehlela entanyeni, emahlombe, nasemhlane. Ikhanda lawo lihlotshiswe izimpondo ezimbili ezigobeke kathathu ezisontene ngokuphiqikayo zabheka phezulu nangaphandle.

Umgankla esiwubonayo ungomunye wezinhlobo ezimbili ezitholakala eAfrika. Waziwa ngokuthi umgankla omncane. ‘Umfowabo omkhulu,’ umgankla omkhulu, uvame enyakatho Kenya futhi ubonakala ngokwethukela eTsavo. Ngaphandle kokuba mkhulu, umgankla omkhulu ungabonakala ngoboya obulengayo obunombala onsundu nomhlophe obuze bufike esifubeni ngensephe yentamo enesithunzi. Izimpondo zawo zinkulu kakhulu, futhi amadlebe awo makhulu ngokulingene. Unemithende emhlophe engengaphezu kweyisishiyagalombili emzimbeni.

Ubuntwana Nokubekisa Izindawo

Lapho kuzelwe isixhumo somgankla, unina usikhotha sihlanzeke masinyane ukuze singabi nephunga izilwane ezidla ezinye ezingasizwa ngalo. Khona-ke lapho unina eyofuna ukudla, isixhumo sihlala ngokuzithoba singanyakazi, silale lapho unina esibeke khona. Unina uzosigeza njalo ‘ngokusikhotha’ ukuze asigcine singenaphunga kanjalo sivikelekile ezilwaneni ezidla ezinye. Kodwa ngosuku lweshumi, lapho isixhumo sakhe siqala ukunqampuna izitshalo, siba nephunga lomzimba. Njengoba isivikelo saso esikhethekile sokungabonwa sesilahlekile, kusukela lapho, sihamba nonina yonke indawo.

Isici esivelele somgankla esokwakha imingcele yezindawo. Lokhu ukukhetha nokubiyela ibala elithile lendawo okwenziwa imigankla yeduna. Ekubekiseni indawo, umgankla weduna uphawula imingcele ngokubeka ubulongwe bawo otshanini nasezihlahleni. Khona-ke uvikela indawo yawo ngokuxosha noma yimiphi imigankla yeduna engamenyiwe eyeqa lemingcele yendawo enephunga. Kuthiwani ngemigankla yensikazi engamenyiwe? Phela, ayiyona engamenyiwe! Iyizivakashi ezamukelekile ukuba zihlale. Eqinisweni, ingase icindezelwe ukuba yenze kanjalo!

Ubufakazi Bomklamo Wobuhlakani

Lendlela engokwemvelo yokuphawula imingcele yezindawo igcina imihlambi isabalele futhi ivikela ukudliwa kwezitshalo ngokweqile. Kanjalo, imigankla enqampunayo iyaqiniseka ngokuthola izihlahla ezingamakhasi ezithandayo ngaphandle kokuphazamiseka. Kodwa kwenzekani lapho kufika isomiso?

Usosayensi wokulondolozwa kwemvelo uDaphne Sheldrick uyachaza kumagazini weNhlangano Yezilwane Zasendle iSwara: “Nokho, lapho izikhathi zinzima, futhi ukudla namanzi kuntuleka, iMvelo iveza indlela emangalisayo ehlukile kweyokubekisa indawo . . . , futhi leyo eyokuthuthela kwenye indawo. Ukubekisa indawo kukhuthaza ukuhlukana nokushesha ukulwa nokukhwelana; ukuthuthela kwenye indawo kuvimbela zombili lezizejwayezi njengoba isidingo sokunamathelana eduze sikhula. Ukusinda kuba ukukhathalela okuyinhloko kwayo yonke imigankla, ngenxa yalokho imigankla yeduna neyensikazi ihlala ndawonye . . . njengeqembu elihlangene elinokuthula. Khona-ke ngolunye usuku, njengokungathi ngoMyalo Waphezulu, iyoshiya leyondawo futhi kube ufuduko olukhulu.” Yebo, iyahamba, ifune izindawo zokudla ezintsha lapho amahlamvu emaningi khona!

Ingabe amandla angenabuhlakani, angaqondiswa, abizwa ngokuthi iMvelo abengaklama futhi aveze izindlela zokuziphatha ezihlukene kanjalo? Ngokuqinisekile, uMklami Omkhulu onobuhlakani kuphela obengaklama lendlela yokuziphatha eyinkimbinkimbi engokwemvelo yomgankla.

Uhambo Oluyisimanga

Manje, ingabe awujabuli ngokuthi ukufuna kwakho ukwazi ngomgankla kukushukumisele ukuba uhambe nathi? Njengoba siwubuka ulaphaya, umatasa unqampuna izihlahla, awubonakali ungozifihlayo! Kodwa ususibonile! Ngokuphazima kweso, amakhala namadlebe awo amakhulu ayadikiza. Ngokukhala okusakukhwehlela, ugxumela ezihlahleni futhi ubaleke. Njengoba sisamangele, kukhona okusimangazayo futhi! Ngokungalindelekile, umgankla wesifazane ompunga ngokumpofu ugxuma emva kwawo. Sonke lesikhathi ubumi ezihlahlaneni eziseduze! Umbala wawo nokuma unganyakazi bekuwufihle ngokuphelele.

Yilendlela umgankla onokuthula osinda ngayo ezindaweni zasendle zaseAfrika. Isivikelo sawo siyikhono elingokwemvelo lokuma unganyakazi futhi uzifanise nezinto eziwuzungezile. Akumangalisi umgankla uzifihla kangaka! Ukuphila kwawo kuxhomeke kukho.