EMINYAKENI embalwa nje edlule, kwakubonakala sengathi ubuphekula benzeka ezindaweni ezithile kuphela, njengaseNyakatho Ireland, eBasque Country enyakatho yeSpain nakwezinye izindawo eziseMpumalanga Ephakathi. Manje—ikakhulukazi kusukela ngo-September 11, 2001, lapho kubhidlizwa i-Twin Towers eNew York—sebenzeka emhlabeni kabanzi, ngisho naseBali esapharadesi; eMadrid, eSpain; eLondon, eNgilandi; eSri Lanka; eThailand; ngisho naseNepal. Nokho, ubuphekula abubusha. Lisho ukuthini igama elithi “ubuphekula”?

Ubuphekula buchazwa ngokuthi “isenzo lapho iqembu noma inhlangano ehleliwe isongela noma isebenzisa izikhwepha noma ubudlova kubantu noma empahleni ngenjongo yokusabisa noma yokuphoqelela imiphakathi noma ohulumeni, ukuze kuvezwe imibono noma ngezizathu zezombangazwe.” (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language) Nokho, umlobi uJessica Stern uthi: “Umuntu ozama ukuqonda ukuthi buyini ubuphekula uthola izincazelo eziningi . . . Kodwa kunezici ezimbili kuphela zobuphekula ezibalulekile ezibenza buhluke kwezinye izinhlobo zobudlova.” Yiziphi? “Okokuqala, ubuphekula buqondiswe kubantu abangahilelekile empini. . . . Okwesibili, amaphekula asebenzisa ubudlova ukuze ashaqise abantu: ngokuvamile ukwesabisa abahlaselwayo kubaluleke ngaphezu kwemiphumela ebonakalayo. Le ndlela yokubangela ukwesaba ngamabomu iyona eyenza ubuphekula buhluke ekubulaleni noma ekuhlaseleni okuvamile.”

EJudiya langekhulu lokuqala, iqembu elinobudlova okuthiwa amaZealot lalifuna ukuba amaJuda azimele, aphume ngaphansi kweRoma. Abanye babashisekeli abakhulu baleli qembu babaziwa ngokuthi amaSicarii, noma amadoda enkemba, okuyigama elisuselwa ezinqindini ababezifihla ngaphansi kwezingubo zabo. Ngokungena ezixukwini ezize emkhosini eJerusalema, amaSicarii ayenqamula oqhoqhoqho bezitha zawo noma azigwaze emhlane. *

 Ngo-66 C.E., iqembu lamaZealot lathatha inqaba yaseMasada eduze koLwandle Olufile. Labulala ibutho lamaRoma elaligadile futhi lenza le nqaba esesiqongweni sentaba isikaniso salo. Kwaphela iminyaka lisebenzisa leyo nqaba njengendawo elisukela kuyo lapho liyohlasela futhi lalihlupha amabutho asebukhosini. Ngo-73 C.E., iButho Leshumi LamaRoma elaliholwa uMbusi uFlavius  Silva labuye layithatha iMasada, kodwa alikwazanga ukunqoba amaZealot. Isazi-mlando esasiphila ngaleso sikhathi sithi esikhundleni sokuba azinikele kumaRoma, la maZealot ayengu-960 azibulala wonke ngaphandle kwabesifazane ababili nezingane ezinhlanu.

Abanye bathi ukuvukela kwamaZealot kwakuyisiqalo sobuphekula banamuhla. Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi lokho kuyiqiniso noma cha, kusukela ngaleso sikhathi ubuphekula buye baba nethonya elikhulu emlandweni.

Kusukela ngo-1095 kuqhubeke iminyaka engamakhulu amabili eyalandela, kwakunamabutho ezimpi zokholo ayehla enyuka phakathi kweYurophu neMpumalanga Ephakathi. Ayelwa namabutho amaSulumane ase-Asia naseNyakatho Afrika. Ayelwela ukubusa iJerusalema, futhi uhlangothi ngalunye lwaluzama ukuthola amandla. Ezimpini zawo eziningi, ohlangothini ngalunye lwala “maqhawe angcwele” kwakulala uyaca. Futhi ayegenca nabantu nje abangenacala ngezizenze nezinkemba. Umfundisi wekhulu le-12, uWilliam waseThire, wachaza ukungena kwamabutho ezimpi zokholo eJerusalema ngonyaka ka-1099:

“Ayethubeleza emigwaqweni ephethe izinkemba nemikhonto. Ayegenca bonke abantu ayehlangana nabo, amadoda, abesifazane nezingane, engashiyi muntu. . . . Abulala abantu abaningi emigwaqweni kwaze kwaba nenqwaba yezidumbu, futhi kwakungenandlela yokudlula ngaphandle kokweqa lezi zidumbu. . . . Kwachitheka igazi eliningi kangangokuba laligeleza emiseleni nasemizileni, futhi kuyo yonke imigwaqo yasedolobheni kwakudindilize abantu abafile.” *

Emakhulwini eminyaka alandela, amaphekula aqala ukusebenzisa iziqhumane nezibhamu, abulala abantu ngendlela enyantisayo.

Izazi-mlando zibheka u-June 28, 1914 njengesikhathi senguquko emlandweni weYurophu. Insizwa ethile, abanye ababeyibheka njengeqhawe, yadubula indlalifa yase-Austria, iNkosana uFrancis Ferdinand. Leso senzakalo saholela isintu eMpini Yezwe I. Le Mpi Enkulu yaphela ngemva kokufa kwabantu abayizigidi ezingu-20.

Ngemva kweMpi Yezwe I kwalandela iMpi Yezwe II, eyavela namakamu okuhlushwa, kwabulawa izakhamuzi ngokuhlaselwa ngamabhomu nokuziphindiselela ngokubulala abantu abangenacala. Ngemva kwale mpi ukubulawa kwabantu kwaqhubeka. Kwafa abantu abangaphezu kwesigidi ezinkundleni zokubulala zaseCambodia ngawo-1970. Kanti abantu baseRwanda basashaqekile namanje ngokubulawa kwabantu abangaphezu kuka-800 000 ngawo-1990.

Kusukela ngo-1914 kuze kube sesikhathini sethu, abantu baye bahlaselwa amaphekula emazweni amaningi. Kodwa abanye namuhla benza sengathi akukho lutho abantu abangalufunda emlandweni. Njalo amaphekula abulala inqwaba yabantu, agoge izinkulungwane futhi aphuce izigidi ilungelo lokuba nokuthula kwengqondo nokulondeka. Kuqhuma amabhomu ezimakethe, imizana ishiswa ingqongqe, abesifazane bayadlwengulwa, izingane ziyathunjwa kubulawe nabantu. Nakuba kunemithetho futhi amazwe emhlabeni wonke ezilahla lezi zenzo ezinonya, zisaqhubeka. Ingabe likhona ithemba lokuthi ubuphekula buyoke buphele?