Ntombifikile Ngwazi
Isibongo sakaCele singesinye sezibongo ezandile KwaZulu Natali, kunezincazelo ezahlukene ngemvelaphi yabantu bakhona. Sixoxisane noMama uNtombifikile Ngwazi owazalelwa endaweni yaseMzimkhulu esizweni sakwaCele wakhulela khona waze wangena esigabeni sokuthi agane waba nezi ngane eziyishumi nantathu manje sebezinze eThekwini. Basuka ngonyaka ka 1980 endaweni yaseMzimkhulu ngenxa yokuthi kwakuliwa njalo esizweni sakwaCele.
Manje sebehlala endaweni yaseMtshebheni eNanda. Uthi umndeni wakwaCele wawumkhulu beneNkosi yabo. Nakhona eMtshebheni baningi abantu bakwaCele bakhelene futhi bahlobene ngokwemvelaphi yabo. Igama leNkosi yesizwe sakwaCele kwakunguManzolwandle Cele. Kuthiwa wasiphatha kahle isizwe kunokuthula. Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi kwaqala kwabakhona ukungezwani ngenxa yokungcola okwenzeka ebukhosini. Kuthiwa kwakukhona intombazane eyayiyinhle esizweni sakwaCele, ngendlela yokuthi uma kuyothezwa noma kuyokhiwa amanzi kwakuthutheleka ngisho izinsizwa zakwezinye izigodi ziyoyishela lentombi . Zonke izinsizwa zazizibika ngobukhulu ubuciko kodwa lutho ukuqoma intombi. Kanti nayo iNkosi iyabubona lobuhle balentombi kwaze kwafika isikhathi lapho iNkosi izibika khona nentombi yayithanda iNkosi. Bathandana kulokhu kuyimfihlo ngoba babesaba isizwe ukuthi sizothini ngoba phela abathandani abantu bandawonye noma izihlobo. Kodwa kwagcina sekuvelile ngoba abantu babesola ukuthi kukhona okushaya amanzi phakathi kweNkosi nentombazane kodwa babuye bangakholwa.
Kwathi uma kuvela lelihlazo iNkosi yafuna ukuyishada lentombi. Yase ibiza abantu abadala ukuze kuqedwe ubuhlobo nentombazane base buyaqedwa ubuhlobo. INkosi yashada nentombazane ngemuva kwalokho yahlukanisa isibongo sakwaCele ngezigodi zazo. Kodwa ngaphambi kokuthi abahlukanise abantu baqala bakhuluma bethi umkhonto ugwaze ekhaya kwaba ukuqala kwesibongo sakwaNgwazi. UNgwazi waqhamuka esibongweni sakwaCele kodwa abantu bakwaNgwazi bayaganana nabakwaCele ngoba izithakazelo kazifani zonke kukhona esisodwa esibahlanganisayo. Inkosi yazihlukanisa izibongo kwabakhona uCele eTholeni, uCele uMkhungo. Kwathi ngobuningi babantu kwaphinde kwahlukaniswa isibongo sakwaNgwazi naso sahlukaniswa kwabakhona uNgwazi kaYiya, uNgwazi wakoBokadisa, noNgwazi eMaweleni.
Izithakazelo zesibongo sakwaNgwazi waseMpuse: UNgwazi kaYiya, Mabuza, Inyoka,UMabuza ngenduku nodukambali.
Inkosi yaphinde yakhipha uMthethwa, okuyisibongo esaziwa kakhulu KwaZulu Natali sona esakha isigodi esisodwa. Kwaphinde kwakhishwa uMdabe, nabo abakha isigodi esisodwa. Isibongo sakwaMdabe sandile endaweni yaseMbumbulu yilapho ababalekela khona ngesikhathi sezimpi. Abantu bakaCele iningi lamasiko abo ancikene nawamaXhosa. Lokhu ukubona kakhulu uma ekhaya kunengane ezelwe, iyagcatshwa ebusweni.
English Summary – The History of the division of the Cele surname
We had an interview with Ntombifikile Ngwazi, she was born in Umzimkulu and now stays at eMtshebheni in Inanda. Ntombifikile grew up at Umzimkulu under the Cele chieftancy and is a mother of 13 children but in early 80’s they moved to Durban. She tells us about the history of the division of the Cele clan. The Cele surname is common in KwaZulu Natal but originally they are from Umzimkhulu, they relocated because of the clashes between clans. The problem started because of a girl that was considered beautiful by people and surrounding areas. Warriors wanted her hand in marriage but the girl was not interested.
Even the Chief by the name of Manzolwandle Cele had his eyes on the girl and they started to date but in secret. People started to see the signs and they started talking until the chief could not hide it and he called on the elders to perform a ritual where a goat is slaughtered when people of the same clan are involved in an intimate relationship. This was a disgrace in the eyes of the community since people from the same clan can’t be involved in an intimate relationship. The origin of Ngwazi surname was during this time when people claimed that the spear has. The tension spread and the chief decided to divide the clan. They were divided like this: there was Cele from Tholeni and Cele from the Mkhungo clan. The Ngwazi clan was also divided into two; Ngwazi of Yiya, Ngwazi of Bokadisa and Ngwazi of Maweleni. The Mthethwa clan also comes from the Cele clan but this surname is very common in KwaZulu Natal.
Another clan that was part of the Cele clan is Mdabe who resided at Umbumbulu after fleeing the tensions in their ancestoral area. The Ngwazi clan can marry in the Cele clan. Their praises are not similar but some share one of the clan praises. They don’t consider themselves as relatives. Some Cele people who are based in KwaZUlu Natal still follow or performs the Xhosa tradition e.g. when there is a new born, one of the customs is to do incesions on the cheeks, some Cele people are identified by that.