News / Local
Youths arrested for wearing Zapu t-shirts on Heroes Day
14 Aug 2012 at 10:46hrs | Views
Gwanda - Heroes Day turned sour for seven youths when they were arrested in Gwanda for wearing their Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (ZAPU) t-shirts.
ZAPU's Matabeleland South Youth Provincial Chairman, Canitius Nkala and six other young party faithful, Moses Basuthu, Sabelo Moyo, Nkosana Mathwasa, Bhekani Mathwasa, Augustine Gumede and Clement Zikhali were seized on Monday, 13 August, by police. The youths had gathered at the Gwanda Provincial Heroes Acre, which is a deserted small park in Gwanda, a small town 116 kilometres southeast of Bulawayo. At the time of writing this report, the seven were detained at Gwanda Police Station.
"We are very disappointed, because Heroes Day commemorations are not a one party issue," said ZAPU's Youth National Executive Member, Mqondisi Moyo.
When asked to comment on whether it was unusual for police to arrest members of a party that had participated in Zimbabwe's liberation struggle, Mqondisi remarked: "Is it not a fact that ZAPU's armed wing, the Zimbabwe Peoples' Revolutionary Army (ZPRA), was responsible for lethal attacks on crucial Rhodesian targets? Is it not ZPRA's supremacy on the battlefield, which brought the racist minority regime led by Ian Smith to ask Britain to convene the Lancaster House conference?"
When asked who had given the order for the arrest, Police Officers in Gwanda Police Station refused to disclose the
information.
"We are working on orders. It is not your business to know which of our bosses ordered the arrest," a male police officer identified only as Moyo said.
What has upset ZAPU members is that Zanu-PF cadres were allowed to wear their party regalia. In addition, the arrests of the seven ZAPU youth took place in full view of Zanu-PF supporters.
"Why should anyone who wears a ZAPU t-shirt be arrested in independent Zimbabwe?" asked Mqondisi.
The Gwanda incident comes fresh in the heels of the failure by the Government to accord national hero's status to Amos Jack Ngwenya, a fallen ZPRA ex-combatant, who was buried in Bulawayo on Saturday 11 August. Ngwenya is not the first ZAPU or ZPRA cadre to be denied hero's status by the Government. The late ZPRA commander, Lt. General Lookout Masuku, as well as Tarcissus Swazini Ndlovu and Masala Sibanda, are among those who served on ZAPU's war council, and who have all been excluded from honour and recognition. They lie buried at Bulawayo's Lady Stanley Cemetery, while other cadres from Zanu-PF who participated in the liberation struggle in lesser capacities are interred at the National Heroes Acre.
"No one can doubt that Amos Ngwenya was a national hero. However, ZAPU did not follow the proper procedure in applying for national hero's status. Instead of approaching the Zanu-PF Bulawayo Province, ZAPU made its application to have Ngwenya honoured as a national hero, straight to Harare", explained Matabeleland South Governor, Angeline Masuku, who spoke on behalf of Bulawayo Metropolitan Governor, Cain Matema.
ZAPU President, Dumiso Dabengwa, responded to Masuku's reason by saying, "ZAPU knows all its heroes. We do not need to go through Zanu-PF's Bulawayo Province to get their national heroes' status conferred".
Speaking on behalf of the Zanu-PF Politburo, after the death of ZAPU legend, Thenjiwe Virginia Lesabe on 11 February 2011, Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration, Didymus Mutasa said that the party had not conferred heroine status on Lesabe, "because she was not consistent". Mutasa's statement was interpreted by the press to refer to Lesabe's defection to ZAPU from Zanu-PF shortly before her death.
Mutasa made this statement despite the fact that South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) sent a high-level delegation, which was led by ANC National Chairman, Baleka Mbete, to attend Lesabe's funeral.
Speaking at the funeral of Lesabe, Dabengwa said:"We will consider having all ZAPU members, including Father Zimbabwe Joshua Nkomo, removed from the National Heroes Acre, because it seems to have become a preserve for Zanu-PF members".
ZAPU's Matabeleland South Youth Provincial Chairman, Canitius Nkala and six other young party faithful, Moses Basuthu, Sabelo Moyo, Nkosana Mathwasa, Bhekani Mathwasa, Augustine Gumede and Clement Zikhali were seized on Monday, 13 August, by police. The youths had gathered at the Gwanda Provincial Heroes Acre, which is a deserted small park in Gwanda, a small town 116 kilometres southeast of Bulawayo. At the time of writing this report, the seven were detained at Gwanda Police Station.
"We are very disappointed, because Heroes Day commemorations are not a one party issue," said ZAPU's Youth National Executive Member, Mqondisi Moyo.
When asked to comment on whether it was unusual for police to arrest members of a party that had participated in Zimbabwe's liberation struggle, Mqondisi remarked: "Is it not a fact that ZAPU's armed wing, the Zimbabwe Peoples' Revolutionary Army (ZPRA), was responsible for lethal attacks on crucial Rhodesian targets? Is it not ZPRA's supremacy on the battlefield, which brought the racist minority regime led by Ian Smith to ask Britain to convene the Lancaster House conference?"
When asked who had given the order for the arrest, Police Officers in Gwanda Police Station refused to disclose the
information.
"We are working on orders. It is not your business to know which of our bosses ordered the arrest," a male police officer identified only as Moyo said.
What has upset ZAPU members is that Zanu-PF cadres were allowed to wear their party regalia. In addition, the arrests of the seven ZAPU youth took place in full view of Zanu-PF supporters.
"Why should anyone who wears a ZAPU t-shirt be arrested in independent Zimbabwe?" asked Mqondisi.
The Gwanda incident comes fresh in the heels of the failure by the Government to accord national hero's status to Amos Jack Ngwenya, a fallen ZPRA ex-combatant, who was buried in Bulawayo on Saturday 11 August. Ngwenya is not the first ZAPU or ZPRA cadre to be denied hero's status by the Government. The late ZPRA commander, Lt. General Lookout Masuku, as well as Tarcissus Swazini Ndlovu and Masala Sibanda, are among those who served on ZAPU's war council, and who have all been excluded from honour and recognition. They lie buried at Bulawayo's Lady Stanley Cemetery, while other cadres from Zanu-PF who participated in the liberation struggle in lesser capacities are interred at the National Heroes Acre.
"No one can doubt that Amos Ngwenya was a national hero. However, ZAPU did not follow the proper procedure in applying for national hero's status. Instead of approaching the Zanu-PF Bulawayo Province, ZAPU made its application to have Ngwenya honoured as a national hero, straight to Harare", explained Matabeleland South Governor, Angeline Masuku, who spoke on behalf of Bulawayo Metropolitan Governor, Cain Matema.
ZAPU President, Dumiso Dabengwa, responded to Masuku's reason by saying, "ZAPU knows all its heroes. We do not need to go through Zanu-PF's Bulawayo Province to get their national heroes' status conferred".
Speaking on behalf of the Zanu-PF Politburo, after the death of ZAPU legend, Thenjiwe Virginia Lesabe on 11 February 2011, Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration, Didymus Mutasa said that the party had not conferred heroine status on Lesabe, "because she was not consistent". Mutasa's statement was interpreted by the press to refer to Lesabe's defection to ZAPU from Zanu-PF shortly before her death.
Mutasa made this statement despite the fact that South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) sent a high-level delegation, which was led by ANC National Chairman, Baleka Mbete, to attend Lesabe's funeral.
Speaking at the funeral of Lesabe, Dabengwa said:"We will consider having all ZAPU members, including Father Zimbabwe Joshua Nkomo, removed from the National Heroes Acre, because it seems to have become a preserve for Zanu-PF members".
Source - zimeye
