UMA kushone umuntu onohlonze, ofana noMnuz Richard Maponya kuye kuthiwe "uwile umuthi omkhulu."
UMaponya uyibekile induku ebandla. Njengesihlahla esikhulu esimagatshagatsha, kanjalo-ke nempilo kaMaponya ibimikhakha eminingi. Ungamchaza uthi ubengumnumzane oqotho, obeyisithombe esihle kubantwana kubazukulu bakhe nasemndenini wonke nje.
Ungaqhubeka uthi ubengungqondongqondo wesigagayi esisekhaleni lempi yenkululeko yabantu abamnyama kwezomnotho. Ungaphinda futhi umchaze njengosonhlalakahle obezikhathaza ngesimo sokuphila nentuthuko yabantu abakhelene naye. Abantu baseSoweto bangofakazi balokhu.
Lapho ubuhlakani bukaMaponya obuzibonakalise khona kwezohwebo nakwezamabhizinisi. Lapho-ke uMaponya ube ngumakhonya obengenantanga. Ngo-1964, uMaponya owayevele esemkatsh’ubomvu kwezohwebo, wahlangana nezinye izingwazi zangaleso sikhathi, basungula inhlangano esiyaziwa manje ngokuthi i-Nafcoc (National African federated Chambers of Commerce), qede bamqoka waba ngumengameli wokuqala wayo.
Lesi senzo simuveza uMaponya njengomuntu owayekholelwa kakhulu ekuhlanganeni nasebumbanweni lwabantu abamnyama kwezohwebo. Le nhlangano wayihola ngobukhulu ubuqotho nokwethembeka, qede izintambo zobuholi wazidlulisela kwabanye abaholi abanohlonze, abafana noDkt Sam Motsoenyane.
Le Nafcoc eyasungulwa uMaponya isamile namanje, nakuba ibhekene nezinkinga zokungaboni ngasolinye kwabaholi. Kuthe ngo-2011, ngenkathi kubunjwa sakuvuselela iBlack Business Council (BBC), okuyinhlangano ewukhukhulelangoqo oluhlanganisa izinhlangano eziningi zabamnyama kwezomnotho, kwaba uMaponya osishayela ihlombe, esisekela isinyathelo sokubumbana kwabantu abamnyama kwezomnotho. Imibono yakhe namasu okuqhuba impi yenkululeko kwezomnotho ibinohlonze oluyisimangaliso. Buningi kakhulu ubufakazi bokuthi uMaponya ubelusebenzela ubumbano nobudlelwano lwabantu abamnyama.
UMaponya ubengusomabhizinisi wokuqala nowokugcina, owaziyo ukuthi ingcebo iyasetshenzelwa. Ubekholelwa kakhulu ekutheni ukuze umuntu aphile impilo entofontofo kufuneka avuke azenzele. Ngesikhathi esungula amabhizinisi akhe, uhulumeni wobandlululo wayengafuni nokuyizwa indaba yomuntu omnyama ofuna ukuba isicebi. Miningi kakhulu imigomo eyayibekwa uhulumeni wobandlululo endleleni yomuntu omnyama, lokho okwenza ukuthi babe mbalwa abamnyama abangena emkhakheni wezamabhizinisi. Nakuba kwakunjalo, kepha uMaponya akakuvumelanga ukuthi unya lwababusi babelungu lumuvimbe. Kuzokhumbuleka ukuthi kwalo mhlaba osekwakhiwe kuwo iMaponya Mall, uMaponya kwase kukudala ezama ukuwuthenga ukuze akhe inxanxathela yezitolo eyayizoletha ubungcono ezimpilweni zabathengi baseSoweto. Uphikelela onguMaponya uyena owazitholela ayezosebenzisana nabo abakwaZen Prop, okwaba yisinyathelo esibaluleke kakhulu esamsiza ukuthi iphupho lakhe liphumelele seyevile iminyaka engamashumi amabili esewuphethe umhlaba.
Kuningi esikufundayo empilweni kaMaponya. Lena yindoda ebingakholelwa ekuthenini umuntu ahlale nje dekle phansi, angenzi lutho. Wakubeka ngembaba ukuthi yena uyosebenza kuze kufike ukuphela kwezinsuku zakhe emhlabeni. Nempela, ushona nje ubesavuka aye ehhovisi lakhe ayosebenza. UMaponya ubekholelwa wukuthi yinde kakhulu indlela okufanele ihanjwe umuntu omnyama anduba kutholakale inkululeko kwezomnotho. Ngakho-ke, ubethi phezu komkhono kuwo wonke umuntu onengqondo nezandla. UChichi, oyindodakazi yakhe, uthi uyise ubesazikhathaza nangemfuyo yezinkukhu nomkhiqizo wamaqanda okusepulazini labo elise-Winterton, ethi kufuneka balikhulise kakhulu kulo nyaka ka-2020.
Umndeni bekuyinto ebaluleke kakhulu kuMaponya. Wasebenza ngokukhulu ukubambisana nonkosikazi wakhe umama uMarina Maponya, owashona emuva kokuxinwa isifo somdlavuza. Benonkosikazi wakhe bavula ibhizinisi elalinezinqola zokudayisa ubisi emigwaqweni yaseSoweto. Ngaleyo minyaka yama-1950s, iningi lemizi yangaleso sikhathi yayingenazo iziqandisi. Baba namahhashi emijaho, elinye lawo elaphuma phambili. Kuthe noma eseshonile unkosikazi wakhe, wafaka nabantwana bakhe emabhizinisini. Omunye wamadodakazi akhe abavelele asemabhizinisini asekhaya, uyena uChichi. Lokhu kukhombisa ngokusobala ukuthu uMaponya ubekholelwa kakhulu ebuhlakanini babantu besimame. Indlela nje abesebenzisana ngayo nabantwana nabazukulu bakhe ebhizinisini, kuyafakazela ukuthi uMaponya bekuyindoda yamaqhinga namasu amahle. Siyathandaza, siyethemba ukuthi umndeni wakhe uzoqhubeka nokulivikela, uliphakamise igama nesithunzi sikaMaponya. Kumfanele ukuthula nokukhanya kwaphakade.
Kuningi okuphawulekayo uMaponya ayezibophezele kukho. UMaponya wayenobuqotho obuyisimangaliso ekwakheni umcebo wakhe. Ubungeke nje uzwe kuthiwa uMaponya uyanukeka ekukhwabanisweni kwezimali zikahulumeni. Ubungeke uzwe kuthiwa uMaponya uqole abesebenzisana naye, wabaxhopha, qede wadla yedwa inzuzo. Ubengesilo isela elithatha ngozwane.
UMaponya ubencamela ukuzinika isikhathi sakhe ezintweni abezenza, abe nesiqiniseko ukuthi uhambisa nohlelo lomthetho kukho konke abekwenza. Yikho nje engakhubekanga emjahweni abewungenele empilweni yakhe yonke. UMaponya ube wubufakazi bokuthi ukusebenza kanzima kunezithelo, bese kuthi ukusebenza ngobuqotho nokwethembeka benza impumelelo ingabi namkhawulo.
Alale ngoxolo ubaba, uDokotela Richard Maponya.
* UZungu ungumsunguli nosihlalo weZunguness neZungu Investments Company futhi ungumengameli weBlack Business Council