News / Local
LISTEN: Tsvangirai 'justifies' Gukurahundi
06 Sep 2017 at 10:55hrs | Views
MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai has intimated that the reason why Gukurahundi had to be meted out on the people of Matabeleland was because they 'promoted ethnicity'. He labeled as 'dangerous' people who are promoting ethnicity and ethnic affiliations'.
Stung by the snubbing of the launch of the MDC Alliance at White City stadium on Saturday by top opposition political executives, Tsvangirai launched an attack on the 'divisionists' in Bulawayo, saying Gukurahundi came because of such people.
Tsvangirai's Bulawayo based executives who include Thokozani Khuphe, Abednicho Bhebhe and Lovemore Moyo, alongside those of People's Democratic Party snubbed the MDC Alliance launch and had been campaigning against it due to a litany of issues chief among them, recognition of their contribution as a region in the opposition political sphere.
"Coming here to Bulawayo, as we launched this alliance, I am very concerned about one issue. Ever since we formed opposition political parties, we have never talked about ethnicity.
"It's surprising, but the reason is very simple, it's because Mugabe and the nationalists have failed to build a nation that makes everybody feel part of.
"I am very concerned, that we are now creating small groupings, Zezuru unconquerable, Karanga invincible, Ndebele hegemony, Manyika with their eastern grouping.
"Now this is a very dangerous development. This country must not be divided on ethnicity. If we want to build a nation that is proud of its identity and integrity, then we must destroy the culture of ethnicity," he said.
As evidenced by his seething anger at those opposed to the MDC Alliance, Tsvangirai's sentiments are confirmation of his 'big bully' mentality where divergent views are treated as 'dissidents', in a similar fashion to those of the instigators of Gukurahundi who viciously eradicated diverging political views with the aim of creating a one party state.
"I will give you an example. The reason why YOU had Gukurahundi, was because you promoted ethnicity at the expense of defending all Zimbabweans. WE would never had anything to do with ethnicity. And I want to emphasize here, those who are promoting ethnicity and ethnic affiliations are dangerous for this country," he said.
Tsvangirai's sentiments, which seemingly justify Gukurahundi on Matabeleland people, have invited scorn from the people that were affected by Gukurahundi, where more than twenty thousand people were estimated to have been killed by the Zimbabwean army in the 80s.
"Does he mean that the late Joshua Nkomo, Dumiso Dabengwa killed their own? When PDP leadership and Thokozani Khuphe disagree and refuse to be part of the alliance, are they inviting another Gukurahundi?
"We know those who were behind it and Tsvangirai is defending them through ethnicity," said one of the people that attended the rally.
The former leader of Zapu Dr Nkomo was known as Father Zimbabwe for the efforts he made to unite the whole of Zimbabwe. He was endeared throughout the country and in the process, was viewed as a threat to Mugabe's Zanu rule which ostensibly meted out Gukurahundi to weaken his Matabeleland support-base into submission, leading to the 1987 Unity Accord.
Stung by the snubbing of the launch of the MDC Alliance at White City stadium on Saturday by top opposition political executives, Tsvangirai launched an attack on the 'divisionists' in Bulawayo, saying Gukurahundi came because of such people.
Tsvangirai's Bulawayo based executives who include Thokozani Khuphe, Abednicho Bhebhe and Lovemore Moyo, alongside those of People's Democratic Party snubbed the MDC Alliance launch and had been campaigning against it due to a litany of issues chief among them, recognition of their contribution as a region in the opposition political sphere.
"Coming here to Bulawayo, as we launched this alliance, I am very concerned about one issue. Ever since we formed opposition political parties, we have never talked about ethnicity.
"It's surprising, but the reason is very simple, it's because Mugabe and the nationalists have failed to build a nation that makes everybody feel part of.
"I am very concerned, that we are now creating small groupings, Zezuru unconquerable, Karanga invincible, Ndebele hegemony, Manyika with their eastern grouping.
"Now this is a very dangerous development. This country must not be divided on ethnicity. If we want to build a nation that is proud of its identity and integrity, then we must destroy the culture of ethnicity," he said.
As evidenced by his seething anger at those opposed to the MDC Alliance, Tsvangirai's sentiments are confirmation of his 'big bully' mentality where divergent views are treated as 'dissidents', in a similar fashion to those of the instigators of Gukurahundi who viciously eradicated diverging political views with the aim of creating a one party state.
"I will give you an example. The reason why YOU had Gukurahundi, was because you promoted ethnicity at the expense of defending all Zimbabweans. WE would never had anything to do with ethnicity. And I want to emphasize here, those who are promoting ethnicity and ethnic affiliations are dangerous for this country," he said.
Tsvangirai's sentiments, which seemingly justify Gukurahundi on Matabeleland people, have invited scorn from the people that were affected by Gukurahundi, where more than twenty thousand people were estimated to have been killed by the Zimbabwean army in the 80s.
"Does he mean that the late Joshua Nkomo, Dumiso Dabengwa killed their own? When PDP leadership and Thokozani Khuphe disagree and refuse to be part of the alliance, are they inviting another Gukurahundi?
"We know those who were behind it and Tsvangirai is defending them through ethnicity," said one of the people that attended the rally.
The former leader of Zapu Dr Nkomo was known as Father Zimbabwe for the efforts he made to unite the whole of Zimbabwe. He was endeared throughout the country and in the process, was viewed as a threat to Mugabe's Zanu rule which ostensibly meted out Gukurahundi to weaken his Matabeleland support-base into submission, leading to the 1987 Unity Accord.
Source - Byo24News
