News / National
'Mnangagwa not to blame for Gukurahundi'
24 Jan 2017 at 06:08hrs | Views
Civil rights activists yesterday accused Norton Independent MP Temba Mliswa of denying the scope of the Gukurahundi genocide after the voluble legislator said VP Emmerson Mnangagwa was not to blame for the killing of 20 000 civilians in the Midlands and Matabeleland provinces.
They said Mliswa must acknowledge that slayings took place and minimize the ethnic dimension of the tragedy.
The former Zanu-PF chair for Mashonaland West was addressing journalists in Harare, where he placed the blame on President Robert Mugabe while saying Mnangagwa was merely a victim of a grand plot by the former to annihilate non-Zezurus.
Mliswa, a perceived Mnangagwa ally, said it was unfair to blame the VP and current Air-Force Commander Perence Shiri for the genocide which was waged by a North Korean trained Zimbabwean army unit ostensibly to track down armed army insurgents which were loyal to former VP and one time bitter Mugabe rival, Joshua Nkomo.
"Gukurahundi was an act by the Zezurus against the Ndebeles and the Karanga people.
"President Mugabe was the Commander-in-Chief, Minister of Defence was (Sydney) Sekeramayi and the army commander was (Solomon) Mujuru; you cannot blame Shiri, he was taking instructions," Mliswa said.
Mliswa said current claims Mnanagwa was at the forefront of waging Gukurahundi were calculated to discredit him in his current pursuit to succeed President Mugabe.
"There was Gukurahundi in Midlands and you want to point to Mnangagwa; he is Karanga. Why would he want to see his people dying, he is from the Midlands," Mliswa said.
He added: "Let's not try to beat about the bush. Gukurahundi was an act by the Zezuru people to eliminate any other tribe so that they would maintain superiority. No-wonder why they have ruled from 1980 to now.
"I have always said to Honourable Mnangagwa, ‘the President doesn't like you, you are a Karanga but you protect him every day and you are loyal to him', and in his own way, he says ‘I have worked with this man I continue working this man'.
"In 2004, Mnangagwa was supposed to come in from a democratic point of view and Mai (Joice) Mujuru, a secretary for production, a Zezuru was elevated to the position of a Vice President in place of a Karanga."
Mnangagwa, a top aide to Mugabe for decades, has been linked to post-independence Zimbabwe's darkest period which President Mugabe has avoided discussing, his closest public explaination about it being that the atrocities were "an act of madness".
The former Chirumanzu-Zibagwe has since denied any involvement in the atrocities after former education minister David Coltart fingered him in his book as having played a big role in the killings.
Meanwhile, Mliswa has vowed to block any attempts by Zezurus to continue ruling the country beyond the 2018 elections.
"I now talk about the tribal aspect of 2018," he said.
"I will never vote for a Zezuru President, I am done. It's about time other tribes enjoy what we call the balance of power and the balance of power cannot be on one side."
They said Mliswa must acknowledge that slayings took place and minimize the ethnic dimension of the tragedy.
The former Zanu-PF chair for Mashonaland West was addressing journalists in Harare, where he placed the blame on President Robert Mugabe while saying Mnangagwa was merely a victim of a grand plot by the former to annihilate non-Zezurus.
Mliswa, a perceived Mnangagwa ally, said it was unfair to blame the VP and current Air-Force Commander Perence Shiri for the genocide which was waged by a North Korean trained Zimbabwean army unit ostensibly to track down armed army insurgents which were loyal to former VP and one time bitter Mugabe rival, Joshua Nkomo.
"Gukurahundi was an act by the Zezurus against the Ndebeles and the Karanga people.
"President Mugabe was the Commander-in-Chief, Minister of Defence was (Sydney) Sekeramayi and the army commander was (Solomon) Mujuru; you cannot blame Shiri, he was taking instructions," Mliswa said.
Mliswa said current claims Mnanagwa was at the forefront of waging Gukurahundi were calculated to discredit him in his current pursuit to succeed President Mugabe.
"There was Gukurahundi in Midlands and you want to point to Mnangagwa; he is Karanga. Why would he want to see his people dying, he is from the Midlands," Mliswa said.
"I have always said to Honourable Mnangagwa, ‘the President doesn't like you, you are a Karanga but you protect him every day and you are loyal to him', and in his own way, he says ‘I have worked with this man I continue working this man'.
"In 2004, Mnangagwa was supposed to come in from a democratic point of view and Mai (Joice) Mujuru, a secretary for production, a Zezuru was elevated to the position of a Vice President in place of a Karanga."
Mnangagwa, a top aide to Mugabe for decades, has been linked to post-independence Zimbabwe's darkest period which President Mugabe has avoided discussing, his closest public explaination about it being that the atrocities were "an act of madness".
The former Chirumanzu-Zibagwe has since denied any involvement in the atrocities after former education minister David Coltart fingered him in his book as having played a big role in the killings.
Meanwhile, Mliswa has vowed to block any attempts by Zezurus to continue ruling the country beyond the 2018 elections.
"I now talk about the tribal aspect of 2018," he said.
"I will never vote for a Zezuru President, I am done. It's about time other tribes enjoy what we call the balance of power and the balance of power cannot be on one side."
Source - dailynews
