Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo: marking his death on the 1st of July

If I was at home I would be drinking utshwala bamabele, but I am here in Germany where our party Zapu sent us to acquire that education which was to fight economic independence, you said. However, I am having red wine, Spanish red wine to drink it to remember you, my hero, my father and Comrade. I have too, igwai lamakhala I take double potion of it, I snuff and then suddenly I sneeze out the goodies of it to confirm you are present in my midst, it does not matter how humble and how far my place is. I am grateful for this moment that I will take to talk to you personally and tell it all what is happening in our Zimbabwe. As the Father of this nation, you are dully entitled to know it all. I am sure too that since you departed from this world you have never rested for once in your grave knowing the chaos you left behind, leaving us in those callous hands of Robert Mugabe and his killer henchmen! They are still killing, maiming, abducting, we are getting used to hate-speeches that are uttered on daily basis to this date, but let me take everything brick by brick!

Having read the letter you wrote Robert Mugabe when you were in exiled in London in 1983, (I read it several times Baba Nkomo) it is to my amazement regarding the vision you had for this great country. It is ironic too, considering the deep love I have for you as my hero, to say that I am glad you passed on, so that you did not need to see the decayed social fabrics, pit-latrine-economic policies of Zanu-PF that smell, bankrupt political policies and general chaos prevailing in Zimbabwe. The people of this great country are now reduced to donor services; benefit food vouchers from the benevolent minded western countries. Robert Mugabe, despite his complete failure in ruling this country since 1980, he refuses to relinquish power at 92 years. He has become painfully frail, and just looking at his advanced aged face, it revokes complete anger in us and embarrassment to all of Zimbabweans even to Zanu-PF members themselves. We are stuck with the man called Robert Mugabe as President of this country. His failing eyes, his frothing mouth, his falling at the airport, his near falling at an Indian visit he did,  all those episodes are captured by international press; he falls down easily because of old age, naturally.

There are succession battles going inside Zanu-PF, too fearful to comprehend the endgame. One group is G40 and the other is Lacoste, whatever both mean! He will be 94 when he goes to elections once more in 2018, he told us already upfront that he will win elections, he will win by landslide majority, rigging and intimidation of voters is still the order of the day. One wonders the rational of going for elections in the first place if the buzz word in Zimbabwe is nikuv and rigging in a smart way.

It would appear that Zanu is not done with you even in your grave Baba Nkomo. How many times have we been told you were a traitor, betrayed the country to imperialists by shameful genocide perpetrators, Emerson Mnangagwa. Some misguided, self-made intellectual George Charamba utters the unimaginable at leisure, with impunity; Gugurahundi is a myth, it never took place. He utters those unimaginable to hurt more than a political argument or rhetoric. The people of Matabeleland are cowards, another absconder from bush war said. That came from Ripoti, the then young man that absconded from the war for fear of bitter guerrilla war, to free the peoples of Zimbabwe. He decided to stray from the war and remain in Maputo with his young wife. But you will be surprised if I tell you that Zanu-PF has elevated him, politically more than you, Baba Nkomo. He hides behind his finger and make us believe that Gugurahundi was a western conspiracy. Here is a CIO fugitive who thinks that people of Mathebeleland are stupid, he will casually give them any casual explanation to remove genocide away from Mugabe's hands. Despite his dark past, he is politically and socially better off, the comfort stay in Sheraton Hotel with grandchildren too, for good two years and no intensions to move to a decent government home, enjoys freedom unlimited, a freedom that Dumiso Dabengwa cannot afford despite the sterling contribution he made in the liberation war. We really do not know the trauma that DD is suffering, after those Chikurubi incarcerations with General lookout Masuku. Isn't politics indeed a dirty game Comrade Nkomo?

Most politicians from former Zapu have joined the Zanu-PF gravy train. There are full time politicians in Zanu bootlicking as usual. Painful still when they take turns in praise of Robert Mugabe, Robert Mugabe who killed and maimed the people of Mathebeleland and Midlands in genocide style. Those party values and principles you taught us have been thrown through the window because each and everyone is thinking about his/her stomach. Let me have men about me that are fat! Sleek headed men/women as such sleep a nights! Eunice Moyo, please come on my left ear and tell me what that tribalist Dabengwa is saying about me there in Bulawayo and his Zambezi Mathebeleland Water Project that will never be realized as long as I live? Why are the people of Mathebeleland not voting for me, Eunice? They are not kind to you, Baba Mugabe, said Mrs. Sandi Moyo.

 Baba Nkomo, Commander Solomon Mujuru died a mysterious death. He tried to reason with Mugabe to step down and he met his death, we do not want to imagine how he died, I am sure he will tell you since he has joined you there. Some young man called Itai Dzamara is missing to this day was abducted broad day light by the notorious CIO agents of death. Did you prophesy this that Zanu will end up eating it's in calves because they smelled like goats? The government of Zanu-PF is worse than that white regime of Ian Douglas Smith, I remember Dr. Ariston Chambati saying this in Bonn Germany. He was right, there are similarities between Zanu and Smith's UDI government in their execution of justice and civil obedience. The only difference between Zanu government and Smith's is that Smith's UDI had a good functional government than Zanu's regime.

Robert Mugabe divides and controls his subordinates by constantly calling them for secret talks so that they sell each other. Comrades from Zapu went clandestinely, one by one selling you Baba Nkomo and the Zapu comrades to Mugabe. Just when we think there is nothing to sell anymore, whatever secrets we wanted to keep for ourselves and from ourselves, we thought they have exhausted all news about Zapu and Mathebeleland people, but we never cease to appear in our social media being insulted mostly by the very people of Mathebeleland. Abantu besi Ndebeleni ngo titisi, cowards, we do not treat Mugabe kindly, Worst of all the bootlickers is your former personal adviser, Simon Khaya Moyo and Sithembiso Nyoni, Khutshwekhaya Naison Ndlovu. You will be amused if I tell you the whole Professor Callistas Ndlovu went silent in Bulawayo, you would not be blamed if you said he does not exist politically anymore, he is as silent as the dead donkey; the political events in Zanu-PF put him to silence.

But what we fear most now from Mphoko is his ignorance more than his having sold away the Zapu revolution. This is evidenced by his national speeches that lack all substance and intellect. His mouth, his mouth, his mouth, we wish he did not say a thing, adle nje imali ka hulumende ethule. He continues to utter disconnected events recklessly on press removing all doubt that he is not an imbecile. We wish Jonathan Moyo would do some hand-handling, groom him to be at least able to speak sense and not nonsense. Jonathan Moyo groomed the genocide perpetrator Mnangagwa from a lizard to a crocodile, why can't he do that to VP Mphoko too? That is our good question, Baba Nkomo. Perhaps VP Mphoko should seek advice from Jonathan Moyo, get his speeches written for him by the younger and eloquent intellectual, Jonathan Moyo. VP Mphoko talks nonsense off script and he seriously interchanges sermons he makes at the Seventh Day Adventist Church and the political rallies with Dr. Grace Mugabe.

But while I am at it with JN Moyo, Baba Nkomo, most people will agree with me that we are at pains with this young man. We are not able to tell how deep he is in Zanu-PF. Is JN Moyo a truly Zanu-PF persona? Pains, in as much as Zanu-PF is at pains with JN, they cannot do much without his intellectual input in their party. I say so because how many times has JN suffered expulsion, ridicule and permanent threats inside Zanu-PF itself. He was likened to weevils that must be gamatoxed, devil incarnate, and of late labelled as a cockroach with his close G40, but the young man survived. Is Jonathan really one with them? That question is a 15 billion US dollar one. He gets politically crushed in as much as he can crush equally.

However I have warmed up with the JN Moyo because of the way he has developed Tsholotsho North. He is busy building schools and dormitories for children who have to travel long distances to get education, there is a football club, some roads are constructed, and not even the late John Nkomo managed to develop Tsholotsho North the way JN has done it. That intellectual abilities and capabilities of JN rightly belong to us, is benefiting us, but painfully becoming challenging to critique his Zanu-PF connections.

Bulawayo is now a ghost town, no viable industry, we are told that Mphoko's chain Shopies supermarkets will industrialise Bulawayo, but we don't know how feasible it is, a supermarket-chain can possibly industrialize the whole city of Queens and Kings. He gave three women three sewing machines as one of his endeavours to industrialize Bulawayo too. As a result of gross unemployment in Bulawayo, most young people relocate to South Africa to work. When they remit their cash to Zimbabwe, in this way, most families survive in Bulawayo. Just for going to South Africa and work so that they can look after their families, they are ridiculed again by Mphoko, why go to South Africa, remain in Zimbabwe! They should remain in Zimbabwe and do what, in a country where there is 90% unemployment and rains are unreliable? Will they surely be happy if they see these young men and women are seen collapsing and die of hunger, and together with their families in the streets of Bulawayo? What I know is that they do not care about ordinary people anywhere, Baba Nkomo. There are no comprehensive, short and long term, sustainable plans in place to resuscitate the Bulawayo industries.

The rains have been unreliable the past three years; the El Nino is devastating the food production and livestock in large proportions and numbers. Immediately after your passing on in 1999, there were land reforms implemented unprofessionally resulting in much worse poverty and desperation resulting in a vicious cycle of famine and destitution. These reforms, because they failed dismally, everything is twisted to mean that it was your intension, Baba Nkomo, to grab land from the white population and give it to the black population. What you actually said is well documented in your letter you wrote Robert Mugabe in 1983 and you were in exile. Most Zanu ruling elite are downright dishonest that land reforms are the fulfilment of the wishes of Umdla Wethu, the Father of the Nation of Zimbabwe, u Joshua Nkomo. They want to push their failures to your grave and remain clean from the worst land reforms ever to be imagined by normal senses. The very farmers they (some brutally killed) violently chased away from Zimbabwe are now producing in neighbouring countries, selling the very maize productions to Zimbabwe, how daft and how stupid they can they still go? There seems no near end to their economic failures and blunders. The economy will bring the rot party of Zanu-PF to a halt anytime now, our daily prayer.  

Let me dwell on the positives as well Baba Nkomo, Comrade, and Commander-in-Chief of Zipra Armed Forces, life is indeed made of positives and negatives. Your daughter Dr. Joyce Runaida Mujuru was made to apologise to you for the insults she meted on you on several occasions. If I were you Baba I would accept her apologies. She has met her fate in a miserable style, purged out of political life by the very wife of Robert Mugabe, Grace, she wants to be President herself. "They" killed her husband, Solomon leaving her very vulnerable in the sense of the word. She came to visit Bulawayo as u "Mandlovu" and her rally was warmly received. The gathering was decent, I wonder if Dabengwa would have managed to draw such a large crowd for a political rally. Mai Mujuru apologised to you again now calling you her father. I was flattered, it is for this reason that you have to take her apology seriously on board and the nation moves on. Mr. Strive Masiiwa is doing very well, I am sure he is still very grateful for the effort you made to empower him. In return he has several orphanages across the southern continent of Africa, God bless the hand that gives.

We managed to revive Zapu and we removed ourselves from the Unity accord. It was not serving any purpose as the people of Mathebeleland are as marginalised as before. What we do not have in Zapu at the moment is a political leader who has the clout like yours Baba Nkomo. Dabengwa is more of a military man than a politician; he is not managing to lead Zapu effectively, that charisma you had is missing in him profoundly. We do openly tell DD to take a back seat in Zimbabwe politics. We truly believe too that DD must have been traumatized by the cruel death of his mother by Rhodesia Special Branch during the guerrilla war and the time he spent at Chikurubi with commander Lookout Masuku under barbaric Zanu-PF government.

The peoples of Zimbabwe of all ethnic groups and races love you Baba Nkomo. Most people from all Mashona ethnic groups have come to realize your greatness and wisdom in your political approach, however late. You are indeed Chibwechitedza still, the unifier of all ethnic and race groups. It is touching and moving when one reads the articles written by the peoples of Shona ethnics tracing all your noble political processes that were ignored, but the arrogance of Zanu-PF with Mugabe as leader, led us into this divided Zimbabwe and a messy economy. They are citing you as a shining example of a leader who had selfless vision for all who live in Zimbabwe regardless of their ethnicity and race. This makes many of us think that there is hope after Mugabe era, after Zanu-PF era. We shall unite as peoples and realise the need for multi-culturalism were all ethnic groups will be able to live side by side and respect one another's cultures and traditions, and not impose cultures on minority groups, your wishes Baba Nkomo, if I remember well.

The new constitution outlines devolution as a means to solve our ethnic divisions, it needed genuine political players to take devolution on board and make it workable.

We shall never wish you a good sleep, Baba Nkomo, if we are still in this mess, sorry to say this. We believe in divine intervention, please talk to our ancestors and tell them all is not well in Zimbabwe. We want regime change as soon as yesterday and we shall then sort ourselves when Mugabe and his entire henchmen have gone. We are under the colonial yoke, colonial bondage of Zanu-PF, we are stuck with him. We fear to even write an obituary, fear to die, and leave him still in the Zimbabwe State house enjoying himself together with his young wife Grace. We are in a serious predicament; we really do not know how and when the Mugabe era will come to end; will it be peaceful or violent. Will there be civil war in Zimbabwe? Any conflict puts women and children in danger and very vulnerable to criminals.

Lastly Baba Nkomo, your struggle to liberate Zimbabwe was not in vain. The majority of the peoples of Zimbabwe appreciate your good work and the energy, selflessness you put into developing Zimbabwe into a civilized society. The 36 years under Zanu rule could be a lesson to all of us, never to be careless when we deal with the people's lives and the lives of the future generations to come. You are loved and talked about in every corner of Zimbabwe and beyond. You are our Zimbabwe's Mandela, Baba Nkomo. Robert Mugabe and his henchmen will be on the dark side of history books. If that does not worry him, then he is beyond any redemption indeed.

I pen off for today, it was nice talking to you, and we shall meet one day in the other world where you are right now. In the meantime please talk to our ancestors; we need a peaceful transition from Mugabe era to a better Zimbabwe, never to be stuck again with Mnangagwa for another 20 years. A big hug Baba Wethu and Comrade and thank you for your presence.

Nomazulu Thata
Nomazulu.thata(at) hotmail.com