UNovemba 9 umaka iminyaka engu-105 selokhu kwazalwa uMbhishobhi Omkhulu waseThekwini uDenis Hurley. Wayengumphikisi owayenomdlandla futhi enolaka embusweni wobandlululo futhi wayaziwa ngokuzinikela kwakhe kwezobulungiswa kwezenhlalo kanye nezinhloso zenkululeko, iqiniso kanye nokulingana. Mhlawumbe ngaphezu kwakhokonke, wayaziwa njengesibani sethemba esiqondisayo phakathi nobumnyama bobandlululo. Ubaba wakhe wabe eyisibani sethemba, kanjalo, umbhali odumile u-Alan Paton wambiza ngokuthi “umqaphi wokukhanya “guardian of the light.“ Umsebenzi wempilo yakhe kwakungukuba isibani nokuqinisekisa ubulungiswa, futhi wasebenzisa isikhundla sakhe esivelele eSontweni LamaKhatholika ukuphikisa namazwi anobudlova. Ubengumuntu oqavile emzabalazweni weTheku, ekuhlonipheni isikhumbuzo sokuzalwa kwakhe eminyakeni engu-105 eyedlule, kumele kukhunjulwe umyalezo wakhe onamandla futhi siwusebenzise ukuqinisekisa ukuthi siyaqhubeka nokulwela ubulungiswa.
I-Fierce Opponent of Injustice
UHurley wazalelwa eKapa ngo-1915 ngabazali base-Ireland futhi wajoyina ibandla lezithunywa zevangeli lapho eqeda isikole. Wagcotshwa njengompristi eneminyaka engu-24 ngemuva kokufunda e-Roma nase-Ireland, ngokumangazayo, waba ngumbhishobhi omncane kunabo bonke emhlabeni ngo-1931. Ngo-1951, waba nguMbhishobhi Omkhulu waseThekwini. Kwakukuwo ilowo nyaka – ngesikhathi engusihlalo we-South African Catholic Bishops ‘Conference – lapho abhala khona incwadi yomphakathi elahla umbuso awobandlululo. Uveze ukuthi bekuyinto ephikina nenkolo, eyisola ngokuthi “imbi ngokwedlulele” futhi “iyinhlamba.” Ngasekuqaleni kweminyaka yama-1960, wamenywa ukuba abe yingxenye yekhomishini ye- Second Vatican Council. Leli bhodi kwakungelokuhlola ubudlelwano phakathi kweSonto nezwe manje, futhi uHurley waqhubeka nokuzindla ngalokhu impilo yakhe yonke. UHurley wasebenzisa isikhundla sakhe eSontweni ukulwela inkululeko ngesibindi, futhi lokhu kwakhombisa ukwehla kubaholi bezenkolo abaningi ngaleso sikhathi. Njengoba u-Anthony Eagen ebhala;
“Sasinqatshelwe ngesikhathi sokubusa kwamaDashi, sabekezelelwa kahle abaseBrithani, futhi saphathwa ngokusolwa okukhulu yi- Union of South Africa ngo-1910, iSonto (ngokungaxakile) laliqaphe inselelo yobandlululo. Njengoba iningi labefundisi balo babengabokuzalwa kwamanye amazwe futhi ngenxa yalokho babesengozini yokuxoshwa, kwakukhuthazwa ngisho i-Vatican ukuthi ‘ihlale iqaphile’ ngemuva kokunqoba kokhetho lwe-National Party ngo-1948. Kodwa uHurley, owumlungu waseNingizimu Afrika ngokuzalwa … wacabanga ngendlela ehlukile. “
Kwaba ngulowo mehluko ekucabangeni nasekwenzeni ngemuva kwalokho okwamenza waba ngomunye wababhikisi ababefunwa kakhulu ngumbuso wobandlululo. Ngawo-1970 wayezibandakanya nemibhikisho yansuku zonke, waduma kakhulu ngokubhikisha kwakhe nsuku zonke eposini laseThekwini. Wasukuma walwa nobudlova bohlelo kanye nokususwa kwabantu ngenxa yokuxoshwa futhi wakhetha le ndawo ephakathi ukwenza lokho. Ngo-1984, wabekwa icala ngumbuso ‘wokwephula umthetho wamaphoyisa’ ngenkathi eshicilela imininingwane ngesihluku esasenziwe ngamasosha aseNingizimu Afrika e-Namibia. Ngalesi sikhathi wahlukunyezwa, waboshelwa endlini, futhi wasatshiswa ngokubulawa. Amabhomu amathathu ayeqhumela eduze kwalapho ehlala khona. Kodwa-ke kamuva umbuso wawahoxisa amacala lapho kwakucaca ukuthi izitatimende zakhe zaziyiqiniso futhi zingafakazelwa. Uqhubeke nokuzwakalisa ukungahambisani nokuhlukunyezwa kombuso waphinde wasiza nezinsizwa ezazingafuni ukujoyina i-SADF ngenxa yezindaba zikanembeza.
Icala likaHurley ne-Amplified Activism
UHurley wayeyingxenye ebaluleke kakhulu ekukhululweni kwesishoshovu esasilwa nobandlululo futhi owasungula i-Denis Hurley Centre, uPaddy Kearney. usolwazi Wezomthetho, Tony Mathews, uphawula ecaleni le- “Hurley and Another vs the Minister of Law and Order” kwaba “laliyisinqumo esibaluleke kunawo wonke amalungelo omphakathi amashumi eminyaka [futhi] lisafundiswa ezikoleni zomthetho namuhla.” Ngemuva kwalokhu, ubushoshovu bukaHurley bakhula. Wayevame ukuvakashela imiphakathi ngezinsuku zokuxoshwa futhi, ezimweni lapho izingane zifa kabuhlungu ngesikhathi zisuswa, wayebetha amagama bese ebadedela emphakathini. Ngaleyo ndlela ukhanyisile ngezenzo zombuso eziyimfihlo futhi waqinisekisa ukuthula akuthumeli iqiniso. Emzabalazweni wakhe wokuthola ukwesekwa okukhulu ngokumelene nobandlululo oluvela eSontweni, waphinde wasungula eyakhe, inhlangano yezobulungiswa bezenhlalo yomphakathi, eyaziwa ngokuthi i- Diakonia Council of Churches. Ephendula ubushoshovu bakhe, wanikwa igama lesiteketiso lesiZulu elithi Mehl’emamba (Eyes of the Mamba)yilabo ababebonga imizamo yakhe..
UHurley uthathe umhlalaphansi ngo-1992 futhi waba yishansela ye-University of Natal kusuka ngo-1993-1998. Wayengumuntu obalulekile emphakathini kwazekwaba uyedlula emhlabeni eneminyaka engu-89, ngo-2004. I-Denis Hurley Centre iyingxenye ye- Liberation Heritage Route futhi izama ukuhlonipha ifa likaHurley ngokuqhubeka nokusebenza nemiphakathi yasendaweni. UHurley uqhakambise izindlela ososesheni abangasebenzisa ngazo izikhundla zabo zamandla ukwenza okuhle. Wasebenzisa ugazi lwakhe nobukhona bakhe emhlabeni ngokufaka iso esihlukwini sobandlululo futhi wakhuluma ngokumelene nokuhlukunyezwa kwamalungelo abantu okwakuvunyelwe. Impela wayengumuntu oletha ukukhanya, futhi ifa lakhe lisikhumbuza ukuthi sonke sinengxenye okufanele siyidlale ekuqinisekiseni ubulungiswa. Ngamazwi akhe::
“Labo kithi abehluleka ukwenza ingxenye yethu ukuqinisekisa ukuthi la malungelo ayahlonishwa banecala, hhayi nje lokwehluleka umusa nozwelo, kodwa nokwehluleka kwezobulungiswa.”
Sengathi ifa lakhe lingasikhumbuza ukuthi sihlale sikhetha ubulungiswa.
Izithombe ngezilokotho ze- South African History Online, OMI, ne- Twitter.