Opinion / Columnist
You have no right to belittle Mthwakazi, Patrick Guramatunhu!
18 Jul 2016 at 13:02hrs | Views
Nomazulu Thata
Patrick you have no rights whatsoever to belittle the name of Mthwakazi for whatever political reasons. This name Mthwakazi means us as people and it is our identity as people of Mathebeleland and therefore you have no legitimacy whatsoever to belittle us and the name that identifies the peoples. Ungalibambi ngeze ighama lika Mthwakazi, Patrick. Don't you think we have heard enough of insults coming from your corner of the country, literally disregarding us as people, our nationhood, our heritage, our culture, disregarding the people of Mthwakazi? We have been insulted by the President, his wife, the VPs Mnangagwa and Mphoko, and most of the time unprovoked. We are taking none of your belittling anymore; we say enough is enough too.
You say: "Of course this is all this Mthwakazi is about - political power and you desire to govern" said Patrick Guramatunhu.
As a matter of fact: Patrick, we the people of Mthwakazi do need our political power, the desire to govern ourselves; we want that political power to determine our destiny Patrick. We do not want to be misgoverned by Zanu PF anymore; we do not want our destiny to be determined by the central government of Zimbabwe. Our experience as subjects of Zanu PF is painful and horrendous enough; I know you will never comprehend the suffering we went through during the Gugurahundi genocide atrocities, I do not expect you to do so, what for? Hence we need our devolution at all cost to take our destiny in our hands and determine our fate as Mthwakazi people, and nothing less than that Patrick. It is for this very reason that we shall ask the government of Zimbabwe to give us our autonomy through devolution of power.
I have been passionately reading your articles, Patrick and I sincerely thought you were one of the progressive thinking Zimbabweans who were going to usher some semblance of stability in our country, post Mugabe era. Inherently your latest article sold you out, we know that you are anti- Mthwakazi, you could not hide enough your detest of our name Mthwakazi and its identity. Just yesterday we experienced a raw tribalism in MDC-T, a political party we thought it was going to exemplify multi-culturalism in Zimbabwe. VP Ms. Thozani Khupe was not even consulted when a decision was made to bring in two VPs unconstitutionally into the running of the MDC-T party operations. Yet MDC-T got a clear lead in general elections through Thokozani's political clout in Bulawayo and Mathebeleland. We see and view that as an act of tribalism per se. MDC-T got that victory edge, that strategic win through Mathebeleland vote. She is nowhere today after ten years hard work in the party, she has been used and discarded, and MDC can now move on without her, they don't need her anymore!. Are we supposed to watch as dormant and beaten-to-submission-tribe that was threshed during the Gugurahundi atrocities of the 1980s?
Multi-culturalism does not mean one smaller tribe surrendering to another larger and dominant one. Multi-culturalism means absolute sensitivity of dominant and larger tribes in respect to other of other tribes irrespective of their smaller size and the other way round. Multi-culturalism means embracing that difference in each tribe as unique and special.
What Israel Dube said in the article of 18th July 16 in Bulawayo24 was wholly correct; this information is all known to all of us, nothing was exaggerated in his analysis. Kuyini okukunyakazileyo lapho? The people of Mthwakazi must put up with all sorts of humiliations on daily basis. If teachers e. g. from Mashonalands, teachers who do not communicate isiNdebele with the primary pupils they are supposed to impart knowledge to, at primary school level, then the parents are rightfully concerned about the educational development of their offspring. Is it wrong again, to say that loudly and protest about it to the extent of being imprisoned? Such situations are not normal, but the people from Mathebeleland are forced to cope with that misshape as if we are occupied zones, subjects, that do not need to air their emotional grievances in terms of social and economic developments in their areas; we are less as people ever to challenge that status quo, do you say?
It is fundamentally wrong to bundle us with the wickedness and the atrocities committed by Zanu PF in areas of Mashonalands. Quote you verbatim: "
You are not different from Robert Mugabe for it was his lust for absolute power that driven him to commit all the corruption and murderers dragging the nation into this hell-on-earth. He did not give a dam about the suffering he cause or how many innocent lives were long as he enjoyed absolute power and remain president for life!" said Patrick Guramatunhu.
Our situation is unique; atrocities relating genocide must be treated uniquely. Crimes committed in Mashonalands were crimes against humanity and not genocide. Legally these are two legal entities that should be treated differently. To say that Israel Dube is not different from Robert Mugabe is insult ipso-facto. Israel Dube is a complete victim of Gugurahundi atrocities; so to say he is now a Robert Mugabe? The good question is who voted for Robert Mugabe in the first place? Are they not the majority of the people of Mashonalands? Mr. Israel Dube is saying, (I do not support Israel on this issue, we should all gather together to remove Zanu PF) can you remove this monster Robert Mugabe you voted for in the first place, no peoples of Mathebeleland should take part in that? There are no peoples of Mathebeleland and some peoples of Midlands who voted for Robert Mugabe in 1980 except one Ndebele: Enos Nkala. Robert Mugabe is a creation of the peoples of Mashonalands including General Solomon Mujuru!
Please, next time do not quote Comrade Joshua Nyongolo Mqabuko in vain. Ungamkoti ngeze ubaba uNkomo. This person Nkomo has been used and abused in all manner of evil to justify an opinion that suites you. The good question is, why did you not defend him when he was chased by Zanu PF like a snake, a cobra in the house of Zimbabwe in 1983? Did most of the peoples from Mashonalands who were aware of the genocide say it was right and good to remove the chaff, the dissidents from Zimbabwe? Sure we would like to ring-fence the atrocities committed during the Gugurahundi atrocities and some other atrocities so that we give our great nation a chance to heal.
Well, we still need to build bridges, Patrick Guramatunhu. We need a multi-cultural society that respects other cultures and we co-exist and live in harmony with each other. For argument sake, if Mthwakazi liberation Front managed to get its autonomy from Zimbabwe we shall still need to peacefully co-exist as diverse peoples and cultures. I and many other citizens including Ms. Theresa Makoni of MDC-T want devolution as the immediate solution to our tribally-divided nation.
I am still of the opinion that there should be some tribal manifesto in Zimbabwe that will be a guideline on how we shall deal with our volatile tribalism that is inherent and entrenched in our sub-consciousness. A manifesto will give voice to all in the country how to deal with post Mugabe tribalism. A successful country is a country that development towards building bridges and not shying away from tribalistic interplays that give discord to Ubuntu and respect for the one next door.
Nomazulu.thata(at) hotmail.com
You say: "Of course this is all this Mthwakazi is about - political power and you desire to govern" said Patrick Guramatunhu.
As a matter of fact: Patrick, we the people of Mthwakazi do need our political power, the desire to govern ourselves; we want that political power to determine our destiny Patrick. We do not want to be misgoverned by Zanu PF anymore; we do not want our destiny to be determined by the central government of Zimbabwe. Our experience as subjects of Zanu PF is painful and horrendous enough; I know you will never comprehend the suffering we went through during the Gugurahundi genocide atrocities, I do not expect you to do so, what for? Hence we need our devolution at all cost to take our destiny in our hands and determine our fate as Mthwakazi people, and nothing less than that Patrick. It is for this very reason that we shall ask the government of Zimbabwe to give us our autonomy through devolution of power.
I have been passionately reading your articles, Patrick and I sincerely thought you were one of the progressive thinking Zimbabweans who were going to usher some semblance of stability in our country, post Mugabe era. Inherently your latest article sold you out, we know that you are anti- Mthwakazi, you could not hide enough your detest of our name Mthwakazi and its identity. Just yesterday we experienced a raw tribalism in MDC-T, a political party we thought it was going to exemplify multi-culturalism in Zimbabwe. VP Ms. Thozani Khupe was not even consulted when a decision was made to bring in two VPs unconstitutionally into the running of the MDC-T party operations. Yet MDC-T got a clear lead in general elections through Thokozani's political clout in Bulawayo and Mathebeleland. We see and view that as an act of tribalism per se. MDC-T got that victory edge, that strategic win through Mathebeleland vote. She is nowhere today after ten years hard work in the party, she has been used and discarded, and MDC can now move on without her, they don't need her anymore!. Are we supposed to watch as dormant and beaten-to-submission-tribe that was threshed during the Gugurahundi atrocities of the 1980s?
Multi-culturalism does not mean one smaller tribe surrendering to another larger and dominant one. Multi-culturalism means absolute sensitivity of dominant and larger tribes in respect to other of other tribes irrespective of their smaller size and the other way round. Multi-culturalism means embracing that difference in each tribe as unique and special.
What Israel Dube said in the article of 18th July 16 in Bulawayo24 was wholly correct; this information is all known to all of us, nothing was exaggerated in his analysis. Kuyini okukunyakazileyo lapho? The people of Mthwakazi must put up with all sorts of humiliations on daily basis. If teachers e. g. from Mashonalands, teachers who do not communicate isiNdebele with the primary pupils they are supposed to impart knowledge to, at primary school level, then the parents are rightfully concerned about the educational development of their offspring. Is it wrong again, to say that loudly and protest about it to the extent of being imprisoned? Such situations are not normal, but the people from Mathebeleland are forced to cope with that misshape as if we are occupied zones, subjects, that do not need to air their emotional grievances in terms of social and economic developments in their areas; we are less as people ever to challenge that status quo, do you say?
It is fundamentally wrong to bundle us with the wickedness and the atrocities committed by Zanu PF in areas of Mashonalands. Quote you verbatim: "
You are not different from Robert Mugabe for it was his lust for absolute power that driven him to commit all the corruption and murderers dragging the nation into this hell-on-earth. He did not give a dam about the suffering he cause or how many innocent lives were long as he enjoyed absolute power and remain president for life!" said Patrick Guramatunhu.
Our situation is unique; atrocities relating genocide must be treated uniquely. Crimes committed in Mashonalands were crimes against humanity and not genocide. Legally these are two legal entities that should be treated differently. To say that Israel Dube is not different from Robert Mugabe is insult ipso-facto. Israel Dube is a complete victim of Gugurahundi atrocities; so to say he is now a Robert Mugabe? The good question is who voted for Robert Mugabe in the first place? Are they not the majority of the people of Mashonalands? Mr. Israel Dube is saying, (I do not support Israel on this issue, we should all gather together to remove Zanu PF) can you remove this monster Robert Mugabe you voted for in the first place, no peoples of Mathebeleland should take part in that? There are no peoples of Mathebeleland and some peoples of Midlands who voted for Robert Mugabe in 1980 except one Ndebele: Enos Nkala. Robert Mugabe is a creation of the peoples of Mashonalands including General Solomon Mujuru!
Please, next time do not quote Comrade Joshua Nyongolo Mqabuko in vain. Ungamkoti ngeze ubaba uNkomo. This person Nkomo has been used and abused in all manner of evil to justify an opinion that suites you. The good question is, why did you not defend him when he was chased by Zanu PF like a snake, a cobra in the house of Zimbabwe in 1983? Did most of the peoples from Mashonalands who were aware of the genocide say it was right and good to remove the chaff, the dissidents from Zimbabwe? Sure we would like to ring-fence the atrocities committed during the Gugurahundi atrocities and some other atrocities so that we give our great nation a chance to heal.
Well, we still need to build bridges, Patrick Guramatunhu. We need a multi-cultural society that respects other cultures and we co-exist and live in harmony with each other. For argument sake, if Mthwakazi liberation Front managed to get its autonomy from Zimbabwe we shall still need to peacefully co-exist as diverse peoples and cultures. I and many other citizens including Ms. Theresa Makoni of MDC-T want devolution as the immediate solution to our tribally-divided nation.
I am still of the opinion that there should be some tribal manifesto in Zimbabwe that will be a guideline on how we shall deal with our volatile tribalism that is inherent and entrenched in our sub-consciousness. A manifesto will give voice to all in the country how to deal with post Mugabe tribalism. A successful country is a country that development towards building bridges and not shying away from tribalistic interplays that give discord to Ubuntu and respect for the one next door.
Nomazulu.thata(at) hotmail.com
Source - Nomazulu Thata
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