The Matabele Renegades Have Bolted Out

Introduction

A few weeks ago a number of Matabeleland renegades stationed in the house of Zanu PF have come out of the woods with their guns blazing against their kith and kin calling them all sorts of demeaning names and deploying every negative label they have in their vocabulary against their own for daring to challenge the inequitable distribution of development in that country that has marginalized the region since 1980 as epitomised by the recent massive collapse of Bulawayo and its industries.

 The greatest sin committed by the Matabele people in the eyes of the renegades has been the fact that they have finally had the audacity to summon their indefatigable spirit to challenge a system that has caused so much suffering in the region through genocide and deliberate underdevelopment for over 30 years to the point that kwaBulawayo is now almost a ghost town. For the renegades the Matabele should be conformists for eternity to the system that seeks to subjugate and under-develop them forever. They should not raise their heads above the parapet to demand and seek justice for Gukurahundi as well as demand the freedom to exercise their right to govern and develop themselves.  As the debate about Matabeleland rages on, it is pleasing to note that the Matabeleland people are giving the renegades the contempt they deserve as they advance the debate to another sophisticated level and proffer lasting solutions for the region.

Twin Towers of Genocide and Marginalization

It is however regrettable to observe that the renegades have given themselves the right, just like the house of Zanu PF, to abuse the name of the late commander in chief of the mighty ZIPRA forces, Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo to defend the indefensible about the Gukurahundi genocide and the marginalization of Matabeleland, the very twin towers of evil in our region. According to the renegades Matabeleland is not marginalized and as for the Gukurahundi Indaba, Joshua Nkomo, before his death, individually declared it a closed chapter not to be discussed in Zimbabwe.  How can one individual declare the mass murder of over 20 000 people a closed chapter in Zimbabwe without the mandate and consent of the victims on the issue? The fact of the matter is that Joshua Mqabuko's name is being abused in defence of Zanu PF's genocidal forays in the territory of Matabeleland in 1980, a 'madness' act that Nkomo consistently decried and denounced as the leader of Zapu at the time.

The renegades should allow Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo to rest peacefully in his grave. It is surely the victims and the victims alone who will have a final say on how they would want this issue to be dealt with and resolved. The perpetrators of this criminality and their agents cannot, using Joshua Nkomo's name, try to sweep this genocide under the carpet. The people of Matabeleland will never allow it. The youths of Matabeleland and indeed the new Matabeleland man will not entertain such an idea because the new Matabeleland man has and continue to suffer the consequences and effects of the twin towers of genocide and marginalization.

Differing Opinions

I have heard some arguing that there is nothing unique about Matabeleland and its under-development as under –development is spread across the country. The fact of the matter is that Matabeleland started on a bad footing in 1980 with a massacre of over 20 000 people who were its vital human resource which was followed by the mass exodus of survivors of genocide to regional countries as Zanu PF upped its game to kill them all. Those who remained in the country were to be pushed out through the marginalization game in all areas of life creating another mass exodus of the survivors of genocide over a period of 30 years. The marginalisation plan was the 'final push' for Zanu PF and its functionaries in Matabeleland. There is no other region is Zimbabwe that has faced the decimation of its human resource as Matabeleland over a period of 30 years in Zimbabwe. This is the reality of facts in Zimbabwe and these facts are not susceptible to being corrupted in whatever shape or form. They remain reality and remain home truths. They should be embraced.

Justice and Equality

A closer look at Nkomo's speech at the burial of Lookout  Mafela Khalisabantu Vumindaba Masuku in 1986 point to a person who did not believe in the trampling of peoples' rights but someone who was an advocate for the protection of peoples' rights in Zimbabwe. As cited in Judith Todd's book, 'Through the Darkness; A Life in Zimbabwe', the lion of justice and equality is quoted as having said:

'It is appropriate that the site chosen for Lookout's grave lies near a memorial to those who fought against Hitler. Lookout fought against fascism, oppression, tribalism and corruption. Any failure to dedicate ourselves to the ideals of Masuku will be a betrayal of him and of all those freedom fighters whose graves are not known'

Joshua Nkomo's ideals and that of his liberation fighters were to fight fascism, oppression, tribalism and corruption. If the truth be told, Zimbabwe as it is today, is much more a theatre of fascism, oppression, tribalism and corruption, the very evils that Joshua Nkomo and his compatriots fought against. Zimbabwe is basically the black Germany of Africa. In Hitler's Germany the Jews were the targets for mass murder and mass rape. In Zimbabwe, we are the Jews of Africa. Gukurahundi sought to annihilate us and wipe us out of the face of the world using the North Korean trained 5th Brigade. The marginalization game has had the intended callous aim to break the indefatigable Matabele spirit of surviving against the odds. It is therefore only right and fitting that the Matabele people dedicate themselves to fight against these evils so as to live the ideals that King Lobengula, Joshua Nkomo, Lookout Masuku and many freedom fighters fought for and died for.

Renegades Saluted!

The Matabele people should only thank the renegades for giving the Matabeleland debate the much desired attention and focus the debate deserves. We thank them for putting the debate in the radar of Zimbabwean politics as well as giving the people of the region the impetus and the oxygen to regroup and demand what is rightfully theirs. It is indeed getting hot in the kitchen and the political terrain of Zimbabwe is receiving the heat.

Bayethe!