NgokwesiZulu abafana noma amabhungu aya ekwaluseni lapho asuke eqaphe khona imfuyo yabaNumzane, baqapha izinkomo ukuze zingadli zishaye ziqothe imbokodo nesisekelo emasini.
Uma lamabhungu esekwaluseni kunemidlalo abayidlalayo abachitha ngayo isizungu. Eminye yayo eyokuzilolonga. Lemidlalo kubalwa kuyo ukuhlaba insema, ukubhukuda, ukubhasha kanye nakho ukungcweka, ukubala imidlalo embalwa.
Ukungcweka umdlalo wezinsizwa namabhungu amancane abawudlala ekwaluseni, uma kungcweka kusuke kudlalwa kufundiswana izinduku noma becijanala ngokulwa. Ukungcweka akufani nokuqhathwa ngezinduku, ngoba uma kuqhathwana kusuke kuqhudelwana futhi kumele kube khona onqobayo.
Uma izinsizwa zingcweka zisuke zifundisana ukulwa noma ukuzicija ngokukushaya induku. Uma kungcwekwa kunemithethwana elandelwayo nokumele ihlonishwe. Eminye yaleyo migomo ukuthi uma oyedwa walaba abangcwekayo esewelwe induku, noma ekhubekile wawa phansi, akashaywa kodwa uyalindwa avuke athathe izihlangu zakhe ngoba phela ukungcweka lokhu umdlalo kusuke kungaliwa kodwa kuzilolongwa.
Uma izinsizwa zingcweka alithezwa phezulu ngoba kusuke kudlalwa futhi kulolongwana. Uma kukhona ophukelwe induku uyalindwa akhe enye noma uma iqathakile uyalindwa athathe enye. Uma izinsizwa zingcweka, lo osuke eseshayekile uthi, “Maluju” noma ayivume induku. Kuyenzeka ukuthi kube amaviyo noma amaqembu amabili uma kungcwekwa kudlaliswana. Uma kukhona abalitheze phezulu kuye, uyaphucwa ikhanda, ageze bese efakwa umhlabelo. Kwenzelwa ukuthi asheshe aphole la akashawe khona, futhi ke lo oshaywe ikhanda akalibambi igqubu ngoba kusuke kungcwekwa kungaliwa futhi akaphindiseli ngokulwa.
Uma kungcwekwa kubuye kusetshenziswe amahlamvu esihlahla noma umuthi othile, zibhulane ngawo izinsizwa lezo ezingcwekayo. Ukungcweka akukhethi iminyaka ngoba nomuntu usekhulile uyabangcwekisa abafana abacushise ngokuthi idlalwa kanjani induku nokuthi kuliwa kanjani.
Brief overview
When young guys herd cows at the pastures , they play all kind of games to pass the time. These games vary and some of them require great skill. Most of these games are funny games and they are also utilised for educational purposes, where young men are taught by veterans about how to be disciplined. Ukungcweka is a game played by young men while they are herding cattle on the pastures. Ukungcweka is utilised as a way to train these young men herding on how to fight and also on disciplined combat.
It is not like contest fighting which is also orchestrated during herding but it is a game, where ideas about fighting are shared while they are practise fighting, but as an act. During the ukungcweka process, sticks and sometimes tree branches are used for fighting, and if someone gets injured by mistake, then that person does not avenge themselves against their opponent, as one has articulated before that this is a game.
The are certain rules and regulations to be followed during ukungcweka, such as that if the opponent has fallen, then there is no need to hit him. Also, if their fighting stick breaks, then they are given are a chance to fetch another one. One has to also highlight that during ukungcweka, if one person feels they can no longer fight they have to say, “Maluju” which is a term used for retreating.