Esinye sezona zinto zingundoqo entliziyweni yomntu kukufuna ukuhlala phakathi kwabanye. Noko kunjalo, abantu abaninzi kuluntu lwethu baziva ngathi bangabaphambukeli. Bahamba ezitalatweni zethu, basebenza emasimini ethu okanye bahlale kumagumbi okufunda, kodwa bahlala beziva bengekho kwindawo. Abanye ngabaphambukeli abavela kwamanye amazwe, abanye ziintanga zethu abanenkcubeko ebonakala ingafani neyethu. Kodwa kanti, ngaba abo sibajonga “abangaphandle” ngabantu abanye abathunyelwe nguThixo ukuze basifundise uthando?
Lo ngumyalezo weBhayibhile othi philoxenos. Igama lesiGrike lithetha ngokuthe ngqo “uthando lwesihambi,” livela ku philos (uthando) kunye no xenos (isihambi okanye umphambukeli) (Strong’s Concordance, G5382). Uninzi lweenguqulelo zale mihla ziwubeka ngokulula njengokuba ububele. Hebhere 13:2 ithi: “Ningalilibali ukububele kubaphambukeli, kuba abanye, ngokwenza oko, bamkela iingelosi bengazi” (NLT). Ububele bokwenene abupheleli ekunikeni ukutya okanye indawo kubahlobo, buquka ukumkela ongaziwayo ngothando.
Ukugqitha kwiXenophobia
Kuphandlo lwam kwi Reforming Worcester, ndaphawula ukuba philoxenos ichasana ngokucacileyo ne xenophobia, echazwa ngokuba “luloyiko okanye inzondo yabaphambukeli okanye nantoni na engaziwayo” (Merriam-Webster 2022). Emazantsi eAfrika sele kube neziganeko zobundlobongela ngokuchasene nabaphambukeli, nto leyo ebonisa ukuba kunzima kangakanani ukububeka phambili ububele. Kodwa “umphambukeli” eBhayibhileni akanguye kuphela umfuduki okanye umphambukeli, kodwa ungumntu osecaleni kuthi onezithethe ezisikhathazayo (Guntelach 2023, 46–47).
Usapho lwamaXhosa lungabona amasiko amaBhulu engaziwa, ngelixa amaBhulu enokufumana izinto zamaXhosa zingenamsebenzi. Ukutya, ihlaya, indlela yokusingatha iingxaki, amasiko okutyelelana (ngesimemo okanye ngaphandle), impahla, okanye nendlela yokujonga ixesha—zonke ezi zinokwahluka kakhulu. Ukuziqhelanisa ne philoxenos kukukhetha uthando phakathi kwezi mahluko, nokuba la mahluko avela kwelinye ilizwe okanye kumntu osecaleni kwebala.
Ububele obusebenzayo
Christine Pohl uqaphele ukuba ububele beBhayibhile ngasoloko budlula nje isenzo sokuba nobubele. Yayingumkhwa oqatha, ochasene nenkcubeko, wokwenza indawo kwabaphambukeli nokubavuma njengabathwali bomfanekiso kaThixo (Pohl 1999, 4–6). UYesu wazichaza naye kunye nomphambukeli: “Ndandilambile nandipha ukutya. Ndandinxaniwe nandinika into yokusela. NdandisisiHambi nandamkela” (Mateyu 25:35, NLT). Ububele abunyanzelwanga—bumalunga nokuba ngumfundi kaKristu kwaye bubonisa ubukumkani bukaThixo buza ehlabathini.
Kodwa ke, buza njani ububele eWorcester okanye kwenye indawo? Kungabandakanya ukumema ummelwane waseZimbabwe ukuba aphange nawe, kodwa kungathetha nokwamkela isimemo somnye umSouth Africa, nokuba indlela zakhe zokuphila zingaqhelekanga kuthi. Ukuthanda ongaziwayo kuquka ukuxabisa okwahlukileyo, hayi ukuvumela nje. Kungabandakanya ukuhleka ngohlobo olwahlukileyo lwesihlekiso, ukonwabela ukutya okungaqhelekanga, okanye ukuvuma ukuba ngoxa inkcubeko enye ibeka ubudlelwane ngaphezulu kokufika ngexesha, enye inkcubeko ingathetha ngokuthe ngqo ngaphandle kokungahloniphi.
Ububele abuyonto yokunika kuphela, kodwa kukwamkela. Ukuhlala etafileni yomnye, ukutya ukutya kwakhe nokuhlonipha indlela yakhe yokuphila kunamandla ngokulinganayo njengokumema abanye. Kulo ndlela, ububele (philoxenos) buyatshintsha hayi nje indlela esiphatha ngayo abanye, kodwa nendlela esivumela abanye basisuse ngayo.
Umngeni wobuqu
Masibuyele apho siqale khona. Kuwo onke amahlakani kukho abantu abaziva ngathi bangabaphambukeli. Abanye bangabantu abatsha kweli, abanye batsha kwinkcubeko yethu, abanye bahluke ngendlela esenza singakhululeki. Ngaba siya kubasondelela ngothando?
UPawulos uthethe ngokulula, kodwa ngendlela enomngeni: “Hlalani nilungele ukububele” (Roma 12:13, NLT). Nantsi umbuzo oza kuwuthwala kule veki: Ngubani umphambukeli ebomini bam, kwaye ndingamthanda njani namhlanje ngendlela esebenzayo?
Iingxelo
Guntelach, Bruno. 2023. Reforming Worcester, South Africa: A Strategy to Establish
a Culture of Communal Productivity. Executive Master’s Thesis, University of
the Nations.
Merriam-Webster. 2022. “Xenophobia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/xenophobia.
Accessed 6 November 2022.
Pohl, Christine D. 1999. Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian
Tradition. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
Strong’s Concordance. n.d. “Philoxenos.” Entry G5382. Accessed 19 August 2025.
The Holy Bible. New Living Translation, 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale
House Foundation. https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-Living-
Translation-NLT-Bible/. Accessed 19 August 2025.