INkulungwane Yesithathu Yeminyaka—Ingabe Iyowagcwalisa Amathemba Akho?
UKUBALWA kwesikhathi esisele sekuqalile. Iwashi elingaphambi kwesikhungo sezempucuko saseBeaubourg eParis, eFrance, libonisa inani lemizuzwana esele. Lizoqhubeka nokubala kwalo isikhathi esisele ngokunganqamuki kuze kube phakathi kwamabili ngoDecember 31, 1999. Ngalesosikhathi, okuthile okwabonwa kanye kuphela ngaphambili eSikhathini sethu eSivamile kuyokwenzeka: ukuqala kwenkulungwane entsha yeminyaka, inkulungwane yesithathu yeminyaka.
“U-2000, ngandlela-thile, ‘uyisenzakalo esikhulu kakhulu esilindelwe’ kunanini emlandweni wesintu,” kusikisela umcwaningi womphakathi uBernward Joerges waseBerlin, eJalimane. Kungani kunokulangazelela okungaka? Kakade, unyaka ka-2000 umane nje ungolunye usuku ohlwini lwesikhathi. Ngaphandle kwalokho, lolusuku luqashelwa kuphela yilabo abalandela ikhalenda laseNtshonalanga. Ngokwekhalenda lamaSulumane, u-2000 C.E. uba phakathi nonyaka wamaSulumane ka-1420; ngokwekhalenda lamaJuda, uba ngo-5760 A.M.
Kodwa lapho ebuzwa ephephandabeni lansuku zonke laseSweden iDagens Nyheter, uProfesa Joerges uyachaza: “Ngenxa yesimiso sokulawulwa kwamazwe amancane nesokwandiswa kombuso phezu kwamanye amazwe, ukubala kwethu izikhathi ngokwekhalenda elivamile, sisukela ekuzalweni kukaKristu okucatshangelwayo, kuye kwasekelwa ezingxenyeni ezinkulu zomhlaba.” Ngakho unyaka ka-2000 uzoba isenzakalo somhlaba wonke esiphawula inkathi entsha engxenyeni enkulu yesintu. UProfesa Joerges uthi: “Bonke abantu bazohlanganisa imilando yokuphila kwabo kanye nakho konke okunye nalesenzakalo.”
Nokho, abaningi banokwengeziwe engqondweni kunokumane nje baphawule isikhathi. “Imisebenzi emikhulu kakhulu nezinhlelo ‘zokuphawula’ lesenzakalo, zokusinikeza ukubaluleka nokugubha umkhosi waso kakade isiyaqhubeka kuzo zonke izici zokuphila nakuzo zonke izigaba ezingokwenhlalo,” kusho uJoerges. Wenezela ngokuthi “kuwo wonke umhlaba, abasunguli abakhulu bemisebenzi yezamabhizinisi ‘nochwepheshe bezemibukiso’ banemibono ngezenzakalo ezinkulu futhi bayaziklama.” Abanye ababikezeli bathi “sizocwila enqwabeni yezincwadi ezikhuluma ngekhulu leminyaka elidlule. Yonke imisakazo emikhulu iyosangana ngokuphela kwenkulungwane yeminyaka. Isiteshi seTV saseNtshonalanga Jalimane sihlela ukusakazwa kokuphuma kwelanga emhlabeni wonke okuyothatha amahora angu-24.”
Abezindaba bayoqiniseka futhi ngokuthi bathola imininingwane eminingi ngosana lokugcina oluyozalwa ngo-1999 nolokuqala oluyozalwa ngo-2000. Izintatheli ziyoba nogqozi lokuthola abambalwa abasasele abazalwa ekhulwini le-19 leminyaka ukuze zibabuze ukuthi kunjani ukuba ngophilé emakhulwini amathathu eminyaka nasezinkulungwaneni ezimbili zeminyaka! Abanye bananomuzwa wokuthi konke lokhu kubungazwa kwenkulungwane yeminyaka kuyobangela uhlobo oluthile lomhayizo omkhulu. Ngokwesinye isibikezelo esisabekayo, ngokushaya kwensimbi yaphakathi kwamabili ngaloboBusuku bukaNcibijane, abaningi bayozibulala.
Naphezu kokweqisa okusobala okunjalo, kuyaqondakala ukuthi lesisenzakalo sivusa ukulangazela. Ngabaningi kulomhlaba wethu okhathele ngenxa yezinkathazo, inkulungwane entsha yeminyaka ibhekwa njengenhlansi yethemba, isango eliholela esikhathini esizayo esingcono. Abanye babheke kwezesayensi nakwezobuchwepheshe ukuba kulethe ikusasa esiyodla kulo kangcono futhi siphile kulo isikhathi esengeziwe, sisebenze kancane futhi sihlale ngokwengeziwe ekhaya; lapho amarobhothi eyosikhulula khona emisebenzini ecasulayo; lapho ukuncibilikiswa kwezinto okulawulwayo kuyoguqula khona amanzi abe umthombo wamandla. Baba nombono wekusasa leTV ethwebula izithombe ngaphandle kwekhamera, iziNgcingo Eziveza Imifanekiso, imishini yefax enemibala, nezingcingo ezihumusha ngokuphazima kweso. Bacabanga ngokuyohlola iNyanga, iMars, noma ezinye izindikimba zasemazulwini, bagqibe imicebo yabo.
Kodwa akubona bonke abalindele okuhle. Abanye abacubunguli babheka inkulungwane entsha yeminyaka njengeqalisa isikhathi sokukhula okungenakulawuleka kwenani labantu emhlabeni nokuwohloka kwendawo yonke. Ukungcoliswa komoya kuyoshintsha umkhathi womhlaba ube indawo eshisayo ekhipha isisi. Amakhekheba eqhwa ayoncibilika futhi izilwandle ziyogcwala, zikhukhule izindawo ezikhiqizayo nezinabantu kodwa ziguqule izigidi zamahektare zendawo yokulima zibe izingwadule. Banombono wokuwohloka kwezentengiselwano komhlaba wonke, ukuntengantenga kwezombangazwe okuyozamazamisa ohulumeni kanye nemiphakathi, ubugebengu obungalawuleki, futhi okubi kunakho konke, ukuqothulwa kwabantu yinuzi okuyophelisa konke ukuphila kwesintu.
Ababikezeli bakhuluma kakhulu ngezinto ezicatshangelwayo nakuba kungekho abaqiniseka ngakho uma kuziwa enkulungwaneni yeminyaka ezayo. Ngokukhanyayo izici eziningi kakhulu ezingenakubonakala kusengaphambili zihilelekile ukuze kubikezelwe ikusasa ngokuqondile. Umbikezeli wekusasa okhokhelwayo ufanisa ukwenza kanjalo nokudlala ichess: “Ngaphambi kokuba ngidlale ngokulandelayo, ngibheka iminyakazo eminingi ngangokunokwenzeka esengaphambili. Kodwa ngemva kokuba engidlala naye esedlalile, ngiyaphinda futhi ngenze okufanayo.”
Ukuthi ngempela unyaka ka-2000 uphetheni, isikhathi kuphela esizokubonisa. Nokho, lokhu akusho ukuthi ikusasa lakho kumelwe lingaqiniseki. IBhayibheli linikeza ubufakazi obanele bokuthi siseduze nokufika kwenkulungwane yeminyaka ebaluleke ukwedlula leyo ezoqala eminyakeni engaphansi kweyishumi. LeNkulungwane yeMinyaka ezayo iyowadlula kude noma yimaphi amathemba esintu! Kusho ukuthini lokhu ngempela? Kuyohilelani? Sikumema ukuba ucabangele isihloko sethu esilandelayo futhi ufunde lokho iBhayibheli elikushoyo.