Itlowe ngu: Dr Sibongile Mabena
IsiNdebele NLB Chairperson
UBafana Richard Mtsweni wakhulela endaweni yemakhaya eRamokgeletsane ngaphasi kwesiyingi seSiyabuswa. Wafunda iimfundo zakhe zamabanga asisekelo eQhubekani Primary School (eseBuhlebesizwe) neRamokgeletsane Primary School (eseRamokgeletsane). Bese-ke, amabanga aphezulu wawafundela eDuduzile Secondary School ngeRamokgalatsane.
Waragela phambili ngefundo ngomnyaka ween-2007 lapho wazitlolisa khona njengomfundi ngaphasi kweziqu zeSayensi yelwazi (kwezokukhiqhiza nokugadangisa ilwazi) eYunivesithi yangePitori. UBafana Mtsweni waba ngumdosiphambili wehlangano ebizwa ngokuthi amaNdebele@tuks iminyaka embili, okumnyaka ween-2008 noween-2009. Kukulapho uBafana Mtsweni nomnakwabo, uVusi Mtsweni, bathoma khona ukulwela isiNdebele netuthuko yaso begodu bakwazi ukuthumba ipi yokuthi isiNdebele siragele phambili sinzinze godu siqinelele ngeYinivesithi yangePitori. Ngaleso sikhathi uBafana Mtsweni wakateleleka bonyana athathe nanyana angezelele eemfundweni zakhe zeziqu zeSayensi yezeLwazi ngeemfundo zelimi, ekufaka hlangana isiNdebele. Igadango leli walenza ngomnqopho wokuthi nakakhuthaza abafundi bonyana bathathe isiNdebele njengesifundo eYunivesithi ekubeni naye udosa phambili kujima lelo njengomunye osele azithethe.
Ngomnyaka ween-2011, wathathwa ngaphasi kweemfundo zamaLimi we-Afrika ku-Honours Degree. Bese-ke, ngomnyaka wona lo, waqatjhwa ngengomsizi wezokugadangiswa kwelwazi e-Maskew Miller Longman Publisher lapho bekaqalelene neencwadi zesiNdebele. Ezinye zeencwadi ezabayipumelelo ngesikhathi sakhe kwaba yi-Focus: IsiNdebele Grade 4 ukuya ku-Grade 6.
Ngomnyaka ween-2012, wasebenza njengososihlathululimagama omncani ngaphasi kweZiko lesiHlathululimagama lesiNdebele ukufikela ngomnyaka ween-2014. Iziko lesiHlathululimagama lesiNdebele leli lalinzinze ngeYunivesithi yePitoria ngaphasi komNyango wamaLimi we-Afrika. Ngomnyaka ween-2014 wasebenza njengomBulungeliincwadi weBulungeloncwadi lomPhakathi, eLibangeni ngaphasi komNyango wezamaSiko, ubuKghwari nemiDlalo weMpumalanga.
Ngomnyaka ween-2015, waqatjha njengosolimi osisazi sesiNdebele mayelana nokurhumutjha ePalamende yeRiphabhliki yeSewula Afrika. Uragele phambili nokuthuthukisa isiNdebele ePalemende yeRiphabhliki yeSewula Afrika bekwaba lapho akhethwa njengelunga leBhodi yeNarha yesiNdebele ngaphasi kweBhodo eyangamele amaLimi woke asemThethweni weSewula Afrika ngomnyaka ween-2019. Bese-ke, ngawo wona umnyaka lo ween-2019 wazitlolisela iimfundo zeziqu zezinga le-Honours ngaphasi kweSeyansi yezeLwazi. Ngaphasi kweBhodi yeNarha yesiNdebele, uBafana Mtsweni wayedosa phambili ikomidi yezekuthuthukiswa kweenhlathululimagama netheminologi begodu njengelunga lekomidi yezamalungelo wobuntu welimi.
Ngaphasi kwekomidi yezokuthuthukiswa kweenhlathululimagama netheminoloji kukhitjhwe bekwagadangiswa amatheminoloji adlula itjhumi nahlanu kanye nesihlathululimagama seenthombe sinye sabentwana. Ngakwelinye ihlangothi, ngaphasi kwekomidi yezamalungelo wobuntu welimi bararulule bebathumba amacala adlula alikhomba, ekufaka hlangana ukuphulwa kokutlolwa kwesiNdebele yi-Indipendent Electorate Commission, nokutlhogeka kwelwazi lesiNdebele eentjhwaratjhwareni zomlayezo wokugidinga amagugu wethu ze-Dischem.
Ngomnyaka ween-2020, waqatjhwa njengosolimi wesiNdebele ngaphasi kwesiBethamthetho seLimpopo. Begodu ngawo wona umnyango lo, wazitlolisela iziqu zeBulungelo lezeBhoduluko ngokutjheja zamaphilo ngaphasi kwe-Bachelor of Arts eYunivesithi yangeSewula Afrika.
Ngomnyaka ween-2023, waqatjhwa njengomfundisi wesiNdebele eYunivesithi yeSewula Afrika ngaphasi komNyango wamaLimi we-Afrika. Begodu ngawo wona umnyaka lo wazitlolisela iimfundo zerhubhululo lezinga le-Master of Art ngaphasi komNyango wezamaLimi we-Afrika eYunivesithi ye-Johannesburg. Umnyaka olandelako (ween-2024) waqeda irhubhululo leemfundo zezinga le-MA. Irhubhululo leli walenza begodu walitlola ngesiNdebele. Irhubhululo leli leemfundo zeziga le-MA, bekungelekuthoma elwandwini wezefundo ephasini loke ukuthi kube nerhubhululo elitlanywe, lenziwe belaphasiswa ngeLimi lesiNdebele. Kungakho kungamthunaneli ukuthi ngomnyaka ween-2025, atlonyeliswe ngomtlomelo werhubhululo lokuthoma lezefundo lezinga le-MA lokutlolwa ngokupheleleko ngesiNdebele. Wanikelwa umtlomelo obizwa bona yi, Trailblazer Award: Groundbreaking Achiever in IsiNdebele Research 2024 yikhamphani iVusa Group.
Ngomnyaka ween-2024, wafaka isandla ekwenzeni isiqiniseko sokuthi isiNdebele siba nekhasi elizijamele ngaphasi kwe-Wikipedia lokha nakatlola ama-athikili adlula ama-40. Amanye wama-athikili ngila: Imibala yeflarha yeSewula Afrika nehlathululo yawo, umvuzo wokulala ngokwaneleko, ikoloyi yegezi, isiquwi seenlwana neenntjalo ezisengozini yokutjhabalala. Khona ngomnyaka lo ween-2024, wathumba iphaliswano ebelenziwe yi-Wikipedia, PanSALB ne-Swift lokutlola i-athikili ngelimi lendabuko. Walithumba nge-athikili yesihloko esithi, Umehluko Hlangana Kwedamu Nomlambo.
ILimi lesiNdebele kulilimi elisasaleleko kiyoyoke imikhakha yezefundo. Kulilimi elingathathelwa kuhle ehloko. Ukuze lithuthuke lifike ezingeni lamanye amalimi, kufuneka abantu abazimiseleko ekulisebenzeleni ngaphandle kokubhadelwa. Ilimi ngelesitjhaba kufanele lithuthukiswe ngokukhulunywa nangokulitlola ngokuzikhakhazisa. Nokho-ke kuseseneentjhijilo emiNyangweni yomBuso nemaZikweni weFundoePhezulu lapha kutholakala khona ukuthi abafundi bamaNdebele abavunyelwa ukwenza iimfundo nofana amarhubhululo wabo ngelimi lesikhethu. Emazikweni wefundo kusesenomcabango godu wokuthi ukuze uphumelel ngesiNdebele kufanele usebenzise isiNgisi.Nokho-ke, kukhona okumbi ngaye lomswa wakwaMtsweni. Kwathi ngomnyaka ween-2008, umNyango wamaLimi we-Afrika ngaphasi kweYunivesithi yangePitori wenza isimemezelo sokobanyana uzokuvala isiNdebele ngombana akukho abafundi abaneleko abathatha isiNdebele njengesifundo. Lokhu kwaletha ukutshwenyeka khulu kuye nomnakwabo uVusi Mtsweni. Ngebanga lelo basungula ihlangano yokulwela abafundi besiNdebele nokuthuthukisa isiNdebele eYunivesithi yePitori eyaziwa ngokuthi yi-AmaNdebele@tuks.
UBafana Mtsweni umumuntu onekani ngombana waragela phambili nokulwela isiNdebele nokwenza isiqiniseko sokuthi ilimeli liyahlonitjwa njengokuthi adosele ku-PanSALB umNyango wezamaSiko, ubuKghwari nemiDlalo wesifunda seGauteng (ngokutlola kumbi isiNdebele ekhasini lawo lobunzinzolwazi ngaphasi komlayezo wokugidinga amagugu wethu) nomBuso wesiYingi seTshwane (ngokutlola kumbi igama uKwamHlanga e-East lynne) ngaphasi kweBhodi eyangamele amaLimi wOke asemThethweni weSewula Afrika nakuKomitjhana yamaLungelo wobuNtu weLimi.
