High walled border between Mashonaland & Matabeleland is the solution

MLO strongly believes that the revival of the dormant border between Matabeleland and Mashonaland known as the Jameson Line would be a permanent peaceful solution to Matebele- Shona hostilities which are threatening to develop into a full scale war.

Amongst many irreconcilable issues which stand as catalysts of unending tensions between Matebele and Shona nations are:

a) Continued illegal occupation of Matabeleland by the apartheid government of Zimbabwe which inherited Matebeleland as a political gift from Britain thanks to a scandalous Lancaster House imperfect  decolonisation  process of 1979.

b) 1982-87 Matebeleland genocide aimed at physically annihilating and psychologically damaging Matebeles which the government of Zimbabwe and the people of Mashonaland continue to deny and sweep under the carpet.

c) The evil Grand Plan document of 1979  which is a conspiracy theory against Matebeles authored by the government of Zimbabwe.

d)Illegal resettlement and deployment of people of Mashonaland in Matabeleland to abuse Matebeles, grab land, take up jobs and all economic opportunities at the expense of down trodden Matebeles as per the Grand Plan.


e) Continued oppression of the people of Matabeleland by the government of Zimbabwe through its  segregative policies.

The government of Zimbabwe is the conspirator and it is not doing everything on its own but deploys the willing people of Mashonaland to implement the Grand Plan in Matabeleland. This makes Shonas the foot soldiers and beneficiaries of the Grand Plan and Matebele oppression.

As I write this article the people of Bulawayo are boiling with anger as the security company known as Guard Tech Security Services fired without notice or warning 106 workers of Matebele origin and replaced them with Shona employees  from Harare.

In 2013, ZESA was exposed for busing in people all the way from Mashonaland to take up manual jobs in Bulawayo. Injustices against Matebeles happen everyday in Zimbabwe most of which are not captured by the media. It is painful. But how long are the people of Matabeleland going to watch while they are treated like unwanted rubbish? By the look of things there is great frustration and anger.

War vets and many people from Mashonaland were deployed in  Matabeleland during the so called fast-track land  revolution to steal farms and businesses under the guise of indigenisation.

Now the evil government is resettling Zanupf youth from Mashonaland in the urban areas in Matabeleland through its controversial stand allocation process at the expense of poor Matebeles  who do not have land.

Tensions are high, tempers are high as angry people of Matabeleland cannot stand the yoke of oppression any more.

The government of Zimbabwe must do away with its "Goliath mentality" as it is the same that led the biblical character to his demise.

Armed with a spear, sword, shield and javelin, his body covered in bronze armour from head to toe, Goliath thought of himself as invincible he bragged and behaved like a war champion and hero. He cursed David with his gods and challenged him to a battle.

Young David aimed for a vulnerable spot on the forehead and brought down Goliath with a single stone using a sling.

Zimbabwe's vulnerable spot is its ailing economy and the bruising succession battles that have teared the ruling Zanu-pf into pieces.

The state coffers are empty, the country is battling with an ever swelling debt of more than 11 billion United States Dollars. Highest unemployment rate in Southern Africa if not the whole of Africa that is above 90%, ranked amongst   poorest and most corrupt countries in the world and failing to pay civil servants.

We at MLO see reason and desire for dialogue to separate our two countries. This would be amicable and less costly and is our preferred and chosen path. If the Shona apartheid government behaves like white colonialist or "Goliath" then they would pay an enormous price and statistics may include you who is reading this article. Are you and your loved ones prepared to be part of the statistics? Think again!

The Prime Minister of Rhodesia made a fatal decision that cut the life of so many young white people by engaging in a senseless war and later negotiating and handing over the country to clueless and murderous regime if Robert Mugabe. We hope and trust our Shona brothers would not become statistics in the war that Zimbabwe will definitely lose.

I wish anyone who takes this as a lie to see how the President of MLO, Cde Paul Siwela, battles on a daily basis to stop the youth who want the reinstatement of Matabeleland statehood negotiated through the barrel of the gun.

The ball is now in the court of the Zimbabwe government. It is up to them to put on their thinking cape and allow rationality and peaceful process to take its own course to eliminate war and unnecessary spilling of blood. Avoid humiliation and further downfall of the economy and destruction of already worn out and outdated infrastructure.

Peace or narrow minded "Goliath approach"  for aggressive and oppressive government of Zimbabwe? The choice is theirs.

John F. Kennedy put it well when he said, "those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable"

Matebeles have nothing to lose but the yoke of oppression. To those Matebeles who are still gripped by fear we say free yourselves from fear and fight for your freedom.

Izenzo Kungemazwi!

Israel Dube

MLO Secretary for Information and Public Affairs

Contact: infomlo13@gmail.com