Thokozani Khuphe gets a public, cold bath at Makhokhoba market place!

Zimbabwe politics has always been marred by tribalism since the early 1960s, and MDC-T in 1999 is no exception to this sad and very African development. MDC-T is deeply tribalistic and was created on tribal lines. The notion that a Shona person has to be at the helm was wholly accepted by all founders of MDC; Shona peoples and Ndebele peoples together during the formation processes of MDC. It is for this reason that Richard Morgan Tsvangirai and not Gibson Sibanda, was chosen to be the leader of the opposition to fight the despotic Zanu-PF that had lost all its revolutionary values and principles in governing the country. But because MDC, their main agenda was to remove Mugabe from power, no political ideology at place to guide them in their struggle to fight genuine independence from Zanu-PF, they lost it to map out how they were going to deal with tribal and racial conflicts affecting the political landscape of Zimbabwe. MDC, from its inception has had no clear outlined policies how they would deal with the marginalisation of Mathebeleland, be inclusive with minority White race groups in their social, economic and political development.

Today MDC-T has three Vice Presidents plus the President himself making it four members in the Presidium, the good question is, where is the need for three vice presidents in a country that has population of 13 million with 90% unemployment.  Is MDC copying and pasting from Zanu-PF hymn-book? Are these posts necessary or are just some political appeasements? Is President Richard Morgan Tsvangirai appeasing the younger lawyer Chamisa or is he demoting Thokozani Khuphe openly for us all to see? Genuine trust in MDC-T has gone down the drain; it has been lost, from Mathebeleland perspective. The elevation of the two VP at the expense of Thokozani who evidently will not survive her arc enemy Nelson Chamisa tells us that there something bigger that we still do not know, is coming. The tribal insensitivity in Richard Morgan Tsvangirai confirms in us those fears we have always harboured in him, that the man is a hard-core tribalist.  

How are we going to build those bridges, multi-culturalism if there is no genuine inclusion of ethnics in the politics of Zimbabwe? To deputize MDC-T and to curry and colour tribal balance in the party, giving a lipstick to the pig, Thokozani Khuphe allowed it to happen with MDC-T blessings as long as she gave the party the Ndebele vote. The elevation of these two VPs means to most of us in Mathebeleland constituencies, open exclusion. We have been shown the middle finger by MDC-T weather we like to know this fact or not. Richard Morgan's illness was meant to quickly rethink all eventualities and to block the rise of Ndebele leadership to lead the MDC-T party.

Not beyond VP is the tenor, this is how far you can go with your Ndebele credentials and not beyond deputazation. AmaNdebele should remain perpetual deputies and second class citizens of this great country in some political organisations in Zimbabwean political landscape. The rhythm and grammar is; Thokozani you are too Ndebele to be replacing President of MDC-T, you do not qualify to be the leader of this vibrant political party, you are too Ndebele hence you have been openly sidelined, if I was rude I would say you have been given a cold public bath at Makhokhoba market, your former constituency. It is a clap on your face (you are not alone in this clap, we share it all) you will need to recover from this pain for some time, unless if you don't realize the tribalistic interplay in the nomination of two VPs in the party. Those people from Mathebeleland who voted MDC-T are not happy about the nomination of two VPs resulting from the illness of President Richard Morgan Tsvangirai.

How naïve, how gullible is our Thokozani Khuphe? Did you think really you could make politics in MDC-T with your Ndebele, tribal-trust birth certificate successfully? You have been sidelined openly by your master President Richard Morgan Tsvangirai himself. He is simply saying you do not deserve to be the leader of MDC-T for whatever reason, always! Your master sees you inadequate as Ndebele and as a woman to take over from him. President Tsvangirai selectively chose two Vice Presidents on your nose to make sure his post is not taken over by a Ndebele speaking persona in case of all eventualities regarding his illness. Tsvangirai is openly taking serious precautions and sending an eloquent message to all and sundry that Ndebele speaking leader in any political party in Zimbabwe should never smell real power, never near the highest post in the land. AmaNdebele in most political parties or organisations are camouflaging real hard-core tribalism going on in the land, they cover up tribal disparities in parties so that they appear as "normal" in an abnormal tribalistic moods all at the detriment of the people of Mathebeleland.   

Decent "inclusive" politics does not mean selling your soul, values and principles one holds highly to be deputy leadership of MDC-T establishment. Would you rather you went back to Njelele, Thokozani to ask for that wisdom, where all your regional predecessors consulted before they entered politics of the land. Talk to those stones around Njelele and touch them and let them tell you their stories about existence of isizwe sika Mthwakazi and how it survived to this date.

The politics in Zimbabwe is not only tribalistic but gender insensitive too. Zimbabwe politics is misogynistic but it is the women who get along with the traditions at the detriment of the women. Our societies in Zimbabwe still consider women as second class citizens in this great country Zimbabwe. It was President Robert Gabriel Mugabe who said: a woman can never be equal to the man and at no time. All Presidents of the AU were present, when President Mugabe made that sad stamen, most Presidents in Africa shared that disposition anywhere! The AU Chairperson Dr. Nkosazana Zuma never contested that statement. This will be talked about some other time and certainly not today.

How many time has the social media of Zimbabwe aggressively wrote about Amai Mujuru and her corruption, incompetence, her connection to Zanu since 1980. Agreeable she was part and parcel of Zanu-PF, equally Mnangagwa was too part and parcel of the old regime. But why are the same authors in the social media not saying the same about Emerson Mnangagwa? Are they fearful of the crocodile? Are they fearful to insult him the way Amai Mujuru is insulted because Emerson could be President and they are found on the wrong side of the pale? The more one reads through Zimbabwe politics in the social media, one can easily establish the insincerity and dishonesty of it all. The commentators in the social media are most of the time writing for some big persona in the Zanu government. They target one person and damage the reputation of that particular person on social media at the behest of the Zanu-PF paymaster. I n this case Amai Mujuru is a complete victim of social media mud-sliding. Why killing a dead snake, said Jacob Zuma. Amai Mujuru was done and dusted in December 2014 at the Zanu-PF congress.

Why is VP Mnangagwa getting away with murder in Zimbabwe social media articles, few authors writes the truth or not at all, about Mnangagwa, but Amai Mujuru is an easy target, a soft target, she is a woman after all, will be split to downright nastiness because of her alleged corruption, laziness and incompetence. But 90% of Zanu-PF administration is incompetent, corrupt and lazy.  It may be true that her late hubby was dealing with diamonds, but Amai Mujuru was not near the production and processing of those precious germs that sent 15 billion dollars missing. Where was Mnangagwa when the US 15 billion loot was embezzled by foreign producers and processors? Do these people in the social media tell us how Mnangagwa became rich just like Obert Mpofu and Kasukuwere who owns a 50 bed-roomed villa?  Why are the corruption sounds and fury of Amai Mujuru louder than that of Mnangagwa? Are they not both corrupt to the core? Why is the trumpet for Amai Mujuru's corruption, laziness and incompetence louder than that of Mnangagwa, we do not read about his incompetence, corruption, illicit diamond dealings, illicit diamond dealings he made in the Democratic Republic of Congo on daily basis, but VP Mnangagwa's criminal activities are almost silent and unheard because of fear of the crocodile, or they are working for him, and we do not know! They are secretly boosting his presidential ambitions unknowingly to the public!

The people in the social media are so schooled by their paymasters that they even implicate JN Moyo in the US 15 dollars loot! JN is of Ndebele and therefore must be sent into mud-sliding, that's all tribalism per se. JN Moyo is not at all clean, but people who want to implicate him with diamond dealings must do thorough research to establish the truth about the missing diamond and their US 15 dollar missing loot. Jonathan's ministerial portfolios he has held so far, unlike Obert Mpofu, had no access to diamond looting. JN Moyo is Zanu-PF and in most cases he makes very insensitive comments towards other people's fate, evidenced with the comments he made towards Itai Dzamara's disappearance.

Ms. Thokozani Khuphe, please smell the coffee and react accordingly. You have done enormous work in this MDC-T party. Let's just look at the recent events that you did so well to boost the MDC-T party.  You made sure that the people of Mathebeleland voted for MDC-T and you did that very well. You won a sit in Makhokhoba against Professor Welshman Ncube. Press fast forward, in April 2016, you were the person who drew a large number of MDC-T members in Bulawayo MDC-T demonstrations and was a sounding success despite the fact that your master Tsvangirai was ill in bed. Few weeks later, you went to Mutare, it was the same, you drew a large number of followers; Mutare was red with MDC-T regalia and you were visible in the leading position. Your speech was powerful and has always been. Despite the energy you put in developing power base in the party, how does you master Tsvangirai connive your demotion behind your back, having worked so hard for MDC-T party? Everybody knows that the Mathebeleland vote has always been strategic for the victory of MDC-T. Did you deserve that kind of treatment that MDC-T gave you in choosing two VPs in your absence, not privy to the developments?

I recommend you to go to Njelele, and sincerely connect to the ancestors in that area. The grass around Njelele may mislead you as they do not have the answers, they have been renewing for ages, but the stones, the rock of ages have seen it all, they have the answers as they have seen it all. Touch them and feel the energy coming from them, let then pass on that knowledge that they have, pass on wisdom of generations, messages that you will understand as the daughter of the soil! When you come back you will know where to start, to go back to your home, politics begins at home. Thokozani learn to act locally at your community and think nationally and not the other way round. Develop your community first and foremost. Invest practically in your people more, only then can you speak about national politics. Frank talk breaks no friendship Sis Thoko! You are lucky Sis Thoko in the sense that you do not need to alter your birth certificate at all. Your master Richard Morgan Tsvangirai, for him to think national, he has to remove Richard and Morgan in his birth certificate to remain with Tsvangirai.

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Nomazulu Thata <nomazulu.thata@hotmail.com