EyoMsi 2025 – Bruno Loyiso
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 ndawo. Abanye ngabaphambukeli abavela kwamanye amazwe, abanye ziintanga zethu abanenkcubeko ebonakala ingafani neyethu. Kodwa kanti, ingaba abo sibajonga nje ngabantu “bangaphandle” ngabantu abathunyelwe nguThixo ukuze basifundise uthando?
Lo ngumyalezo weBhayibhile othi philoxenos. Igama lesiGrike elithetha ngokuthe ngqo “uthando lwesihambi,” livela ku philos (uthando) kunye no xenos (isihambi okanye umphambukeli) (Strong’s Concordance, G5382). Uninzi lweenguqulelo zale mihla zilubeka ngokulula ngokuthi ububele. KumaHebhere 13:2 ithi: “Zenzeleni ububele emakhaya iindwende. Ngokwenjenjalo abanye abantu lwathi lanti babuka izithunywa zezulu bengaqondi” (Xho96). Ububele bokwenene abupheleli ekunikeni ukutya okanye indawo kubahlobo, buquka kulwamkela longaziwayo ngothando.
Ukugqitha kwiXenophobia
Kuphando lwam kwi Reforming Worcester, ndaphawula ukuba philoxenos ichasana ngokucacileyo ne xenophobia, echazwa ngokuba “luloyiko okanye inzondo yabaphambukeli okanye nantoni na engaziwayo” (Merriam-Webster 2022). Emzantsi Afrika 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 kwaso), impahla, okanye nendlela yokujonga ixesha—zonke ezi zinokwahluka kakhulu. Ukuziqhelanisa ne philoxenos kukukhetha uthando phakathi kwalo mahluko, nokuba lo mahluko uvela kwelinye ilizwe okanye kumntu osecaleni kwebala.
Ububele obusebenzayo
UChristine Pohl uqaphele ukuba ububele beBhayibhile buyinto eyodlula isenzo sokuba nobubele. Ngumkhwa otheqatha, ochasene nenkcubeko, umkhwa wolwamkelo lwabaphambukeli nokubavuma njengabo benziwe ngomfanekiso kaThixo (Pohl 1999, 4–6). UYesu wazichaza naye ekunye nomphambukeli: “Ndandilambile, nandipha ukutya; ndandinxaniwe, nandipha amanzi; ndangowasemzini nandamkela” (uMateyu 25:35, Xho96). 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 atye 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 basiphathe 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 ububele” (Roma 12:13, NLT). Nanku 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.