Crunch time: David Coltart vs Thabitha Khumalo in Bulawayo East

As a native of Matabeleland North province and Tsholotsho district in particular, I love following the politics of Matabeleland region and Bulawayo. I see our own people showing us their abilities and failures; I put aside my political affiliations and give credit where it is due. In this past legislative session, I enjoyed seeing some of our leaders shine at national stage. If ever there was a man who made us proud, it was Senator David Coltart; he is one of the leaders our nation yearns for. Senator Coltart turned around our education system outshining even his own leader Professor Welshman Ncube who did not succeed that much in turning around the industries. I was also impressed by Ms Thabitha Khumalo (MaKhumalo) for her stand on rights of the marginalised; the prostitutes. She even challenged Thokozani Khuphe for the deputy position in the MDC T party showing courage and determination in a nation where no one dares challenge those in power. Now, these two amazing individuals are facing off in a titanic struggle, who are we to support?

Coltart, hate or love him, call him a former Selous Scout or whatever name, was among the achievers of the Zimbabwean government. He came into the scene when schools were facing collapse; there were no books, publishing companies were struggling and no one knew what the future of our children was like. I worked in school textbook publishing in Harare between 2003 and 2007 and I know how difficult it was for schools to purchase even a single novel for students. By 2009, the already dire situation had escalated. Then came Coltart who surprised all and sundry by turning down the many perks associated with government ministers. He did not want a brand new Mercedes Benz, but preferred to use whatever transport he already had. What a gesture from this servant of the people! After that, he went to work straight away mobilising funds to purchase school books. Coltart went as far as New York in the USA where he surprised all and sundry by arranging meetings with Zimbabweans in this country and came for meetings like an ordinary man with no body guards, make-up artistes, bag carriers and other entourages associated with government ministers. At the end, he was able to mobilise the resources that have transformed our country's education system again making us number one in Africa.

By securing resources to print thousands of books for schools, the minister revitalised the publishing and printing industries in Zimbabwe which led to job stability. I am still in touch with colleagues in the publishing industry and they have told me how much the good minister's hard work saved their jobs. Coltart also saw the publishing and teaching of ChiTonga language. An indigenous publisher (my former employer) finally managed to print the books, Bwacha Lino (It has dawned) when it was certain ChiTonga was now to be taught in schools. I am proud to say that I trained the authors of those books in 2003 and it took over 7 years for those books to hit the market. Thanks to Coltart's swift move in promoting indigenous languages, learning ChiTonga is now a reality.
Now let me turn to MaKhumalo and see what she has done. MaKhu (as I affectionately call her) has stood out as a courageous woman. When everyone hides their heads in the sand, she stands out and says her mind. I admire her for that. Here is a woman who exhibits the courage of Zinkabi Khumalo, (King Mzilikazi's daughter) for those who know Ndebele history, a woman who believes in challenging the establishment. Zimbabwe is known for its "holy" people who display extreme morality and for MaKhu to stand and call for the rights of prostitutes took more than courage. She believes in the rights of the marginalised and I salute her for that. To cap her courage, MaKhu even challenged Ms Khuphe for MDC T vice presidency. What a courageous young lady she is! I salute her for believing in standing up; people must be able to come forward if they think they have something to offer.

Having examined these two, the question remains for Bulawayo East: MaKhu or Coltart? As an individual, I will make the difficult choice of backing Senator Coltart. As we say in Ndebele, usebenzile umkhiwa weNkosi manga mabi, the man did extremely well if we are to tell the truth. He deserves his seat in the honourable house. He did not just talk the talk, but walked the walk to the delight of those who support achievement rather than political affiliation. To the honourable senator: whether Bulawayo East decides to keep you or not (I am almost certain they will), know that there are some of us who appreciate your hard work. You did the nation proud and please continue to fight for our schools. As a high school teacher in Washington DC Metro Area, I see the impact of resource availability on students' achievement. As for MaKhu, you are also a sheroe (heroine) among us; we were motivated by your ability to take difficult stances. I however feel that Coltart has done a lot more and deserve another chance ahead of you.

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Phithizela Ngcobo, a product of rural Tsholotsho, is a high school teacher in Washington DC. He holds a BA from the University of Zimbabwe, an MA in Publishing from Oxford Brookes University (UK) and another MA in Education and Human Development from the George Washington University (USA).