U-Gqoba, William Wellington

U-Gqoba wayeyiMbongi yasemZantsi Afrika ephum'izandla, enguchwepheshe ekuyibekeni ngesiXhosa intetho eze ngesiNgesi. Kwayena wayegqwesa kubuntatheli. Kwiminyaka yoo-1800, le ndoda yayingumbhali wesiXhosa ovunyiweyo. Xa sithetha ngoWilliam Wellington Gqoba sithetha ngomntu owayenesiphiwo kwizinto ezininzi kunjalo nje engasileli nakwenye into athe wathabatha inxaxheba kuyo. Ndithetha ngomntu owayesuke aqgwese xa kufuneka engumabhalane, angafundisi asus'amaphepha xa kufuneka etitshile, ze kuthi xa kufuneke eyibhale ngesiXhosa sakhe intetho ebhalwe ngesiNgesi, abengathi uzelwe naso eso sakhono. Andisathethi ke xa ezakwabelana nabantu ngezakwaLizwi, yho! ingqarhama yomfundisi. Oshumayela kudilik'iindonga elibeka licace gca oku komva webhokhwe ilizwi leNkosi. Ndiyekeni ngomnt'a kaGqoba. Uyidlalile indima yakhe emhlabeni. Usimele isiZwe samaXhosa. Halala!!!

U-William Wellington wakwaGqoba wazalwa ngo-August ka-1840, ezalelwa eGaba kufuphi naseMpuma-Koloni (eEastern Cape). Uyise wayenguGqoba uCirha. Uyisemkhulu yena wayenguPeyi, indoda eyayingumlandeli nomhlobo omkhulu kaNtsikana. Uyakukhumbula kaloku okokuba uNtsikana wadlala indima enkulu nebonakalayo kwimbali yesiXhosa, nakudliwano-ndlebe olwalubanjwa rhoqo ngamaXhosa olwalungalunga nobuKristu.

U-Gqoba ufunde kwisikolo seMishini yaseTyhume. Akuphumelela apho wenjenjeya ukuya kwiziko lemfundo ephakamileyo eLovedale. Uqale ukusebenza ngo-1856 kwaseLovedale. Emva koko wathi ngonyaka omnye wayakusebenza eQonce (eKing Williams Town). Waza wagqibela ngokusebenza kwisitishi saseBrownlee. Ngo-1858, wabekwa ngokusesikweni njengegqala kwiMishini yeCawa ka Tiyo Soga eMgwali.

Ukusukela kumnyaka ka-1884 wasebenza njengomhleli wephepha 'Isigidimi samaXhosa', apho watsho wapapasha khona amaphepha akhe awayegxile kwimbali yamaXhosa.

Kodwa ke ukubaluleka kwakhe kwakungenxa yokubonga kwakhe, ingakumbi imibongo yakhe emibini nemide ethi: "Ingxoxo phakathi kobuKristu noPagan" ("The Discussion between the Christian and the Pagan" kunye nalo uthi, "Ingxoxo enkulu ngeMfundo" ("The Great Discussion on Education"). Uhlobo lwakhe lokubonga lwalufakwe ifuthe ngumbhalo ka-John Bhunya kwincwadi ethi "John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress" neyayibekwe nguTiyo Soga ngentetho yesiXhosa eyithatha kwintetho yesiNgesi. Kuyo yomibni le mibongo, umfo kaGqoba wayevusa ingxoxo-mpikiswano ngobuKristu nezinye inkolo, apho kwacaca mhlophe okokuba ubuKristu buyaphumelela.

U-Cirh'omkhulu wasutywa kukufa ngomhla wama-26 kuTshazimpuzi/kuApril ka-1888 eseLovedale, kufuphi naseAlice. Lala ngoxolo Cirh'omkhulu!!!

UWilliam Wellington Gqoba wayedume kakhulu ekupheleni kwenkulungwane yethoba kwizifundiswa zaseAfrika, nezaziphuma kummandla weMpuma-Koloni yoMzantsi Afrika. Ngokomsebenzi, wayengumakhi weenqwelo, engumshumayeli osesikweni weFree Church of Scotland, engutitshala, engumbhali wembali, eyimbongi, engumbalisi weembali, iintsomi namaqhalo, ekwanguye nomhleli.

Ngokufutshane ngobomi bakhe, usebenze kwiizitishi zemishini njengomfundisi womthetho-siseko wenkolo yobuKhrestu, waze wayigqibezela inkqubela-phambili yobomi bakhe njengomhleli wephepha-ndaba laseLovedale, Isigidimi samaXhosa, apho athe wayila waze wancedisa ekubhaleni izibongo ezithetha phandle ngokubhukuqa nokugweba imfundo yaseNtshona, ukulawulwa kwabantu abamnyama ngabaseNtshona nocalu-calulo ababephantsi kwalo. Lo kaGqoba wayengumfanekiso wendoda yomXhosa efundileyo. Ngokungenakulinganiswa nabani na, ngexesha lakhe lohlobo loluhlu lokubhala kwakhe, ebengumbhali weeleta, amabali eembali ezimfutshane, iinkcazelo zamaqhina, iimbali nezibongo, kuquka izibongo ezimbini ezide ezikwintlobo yeengxoxo-mpikiswano nezabakho ngaphezu kweminyaka engamashumi amahlanu kulwimi lwesiXhosa.

Le ncwadi idibanisa, ikwaguqulela imibhalo ebonakala ngokucace gca kaWilliam Wellington Gqoba kulwimi lwesiNgesi. Le mibhalo iveza imbono yombhali ngoguquko lwesizwe se-Afrika, ekuziqhelelaniseni ngendlela enganelisiyo kumasiko nezithethe nobulungisa baseNtshona, sikhangele ukuqinisekisa ubuni baso ngokuqwalasela kwixesha laso elidlulileyo, sime kwinkcochoyi yokuhlanganisa inkcaso yokuphathwa ngabantu abamhlophe kunye nokwakha intlalo, inkululeko yepolitiki nenkolo yesithanga saseNtshona.