Columnist / Nqaba matshazi
Highlanders versus Dynamos: The anatomy of violence
Once again — and not for the last time — a Highlanders versus Dynamos football match ended in violence with the usual accusations and counter accusations of referee bias and oppression being the o...Published: 10 Sep 2023 at 21:33hrs | 9 | by Nqaba Matshazi
March against sanctions a banal, scapegoating exercise
THIS lot do not get it, do they?Or maybe they are deliberately obtuse?When I first read that President Emmerson Mnangagwa was due to address an anti-sanctions march, I thought it was o...Published: 05 Sep 2019 at 08:05hrs | 1 | by Nqaba Matshazi
Chamisa repeating Tsvangirai's mistakes
In the aftermath of the 2013 elections, then MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai cried foul, claimed the polls were rigged and threatened to go to the Constitutional Court with a dossier to prove he had be...Published: 29 Aug 2019 at 07:59hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Mnangagwa's government: The mask has slipped
In April last year, on these pages, I expressed concern at President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his government's obvious fascination with Rwanda and China.On the face of it, it seemed as if Mnanga...Published: 22 Aug 2019 at 07:45hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
#ShutDownZimbabwe: Why Chamisa's MDC needs to spell out its objectives
On June 2, 2003, the MDC undertook its most ambitious action ever; they were going to stage a three-day demonstration known as the "final push", with the intention of either forcing then President Rob...Published: 15 Aug 2019 at 07:32hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Chamisa's MDC needs to rethink by-elections strategy
An inquest was inevitable following the opposition MDC's loss in the weekend by-elections, particularly the Lupane East constituency, with finger-pointing predictably being the order of the day. For m...Published: 08 Aug 2019 at 07:58hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Chamisa's MDC at crossroads: Damned if they do, damned if they don't
FOR the best part of the last 12 months, the MDC has been threatening to roll out demonstrations and mass protests to either force President Emmerson Mnangagwa out of power or at least to the negotiat...Published: 25 Jul 2019 at 08:06hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Token anti-corruption drive breeding apathy and despondency
Last week, I agonised on what to write about. I had travelled and had a bit of work to do, but still thought I could get my column in.In the end, I did not write anything because I failed to f...Published: 18 Jul 2019 at 08:11hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Mugabe is gone; long live Mugabe!
When a king dies, an announcement is made that: "The king is dead; long live the king", quite a confusing statement for many of us that may not be aware of the intricacies of death and ascension in mo...Published: 04 Jul 2019 at 09:02hrs | 1 | by Nqaba Matshazi
Applying lipstick on a pig will not work Mnangagwa
EACH American election cycle produces a phrase or word that either becomes controversial or defines the election.In 2008, then Senator Barack Obama found himself in the eye of a storm when he ...Published: 27 Jun 2019 at 06:54hrs | 1 | by Nqaba Matshazi
Sunshine journalism: What happens on cloudy days?
I RECENTLY read on the ZBC website that Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa had "urged the media to write positive developmental stories about Zimbabwe in the new dispensation", and this reminded m...Published: 20 Jun 2019 at 07:58hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Deny, deflect and divert: Zanu-PF's flawed approach to governings
When the news that the Association of Rural Teachers of Zimbabwe (Artuz) boss, Obert Masaraure had allegedly been kidnapped, brutalised and left for dead first filtered in, the government and by exten...Published: 13 Jun 2019 at 07:20hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Ndiweni, the chief who dared bell the cat
IF ever you did history in a Zimbabwean school or at least watched ZBC-TV, you are sure to have come across the name of Manicaland traditional leader Chief Rekayi Tangwena, who is famed for helping Ro...Published: 06 Jun 2019 at 07:32hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Dabengwa, one of the last of a dying breed
WHEN the news of Dumiso Dabengwa's death filtered in, a colleague asked that I write an obituary, an offer I turned down politely because I hardly knew the former Home Affairs minister and our encount...Published: 30 May 2019 at 10:53hrs | 2 | by Nqaba Matshazi
Mnangagwa's dialogue will not work, simple!
LET me start with the conclusion: The political parties dialogue that President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched last Friday is a political theatre and pageantry that will not yield anything, and the best ...Published: 23 May 2019 at 06:55hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Sanctions a convenient scapegoat for Zimbabwe’s political elite
One of the issues that has dominated the Zimbabwe political landscape for a while is the matter of sanctions, with campaigners for their removal saying they are holding back Zimbabwe, but I argue this...Published: 01 Nov 2018 at 17:48hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
How Zec has failed the credibility test
WE have projected and forecast, analysed and pontificated on the elections and in four days' time this comes to an end, as Zimbabweans will have their say on who their next leader is.These ele...Published: 26 Jul 2018 at 07:38hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Beyond the rhetoric, what does Mnangagwa offer?
When President Emmerson Mnangagwa (pictured)came to power, I was one of the sceptical ones, as he has been in government since independence and I believed he was as much to blame for the economic, pol...Published: 05 Jul 2018 at 07:10hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Zanu-PF bombing: Barwe feeds reckless ethnic narrative
At the height of the Oscar Pistorius murder trial, I read about an interesting concept in South Africa, "swart gevaar" (black danger), as the athlete's defence was that he thought there was an intrude...Published: 28 Jun 2018 at 07:22hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Gukurahundi: The axe may forget but the tree remembers
I ALMOST threw up in my mouth recently when I read that Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans' Association (ZNLWVA) secretary general, Victor Matemadanda had said former President Robert Mugabe wa...Published: 07 Jun 2018 at 07:30hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Zimbabwe's July 30 elections: Will the will of the people slay Goliath?
A few weeks ago, a colleague, who was not registered to vote, told me he thought voting was a pointless exercise. He strongly believed that the new administrators would not relinquish power if they lo...Published: 31 May 2018 at 07:21hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
The British could be wrong on Zimbabwe once again
In early 2017, a colleague, Everson Mushava, stumbled upon a story about British involvement in Zanu-PF factionalism and that the United Kingdom had a dog in the fight.At the centre of it all ...Published: 17 May 2018 at 07:13hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Who will target the criminals around Mnangagwa this time?
The Zanu PF primaries have come and gone, but the lingering worry for me is the number of people that have either criminal records or have been implicated in something dodgy that took part in the elec...Published: 10 May 2018 at 07:19hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
2018 polls could be Zanu-PF's waterloo
In the past few weeks, the chorus has been how good Zanu-PF is at organising and how they have got the rural areas on lockdown.There is a defeatism about it, as activists and some in the media...Published: 03 May 2018 at 07:02hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Chiwenga should revoke firing of nurses, negotiate
There are a number of events in the past few weeks that flew under the radar, which I feel deserve more scrutiny, as they could have a telling effect on the route Zimbabwe takes in the not so distant ...Published: 19 Apr 2018 at 07:18hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Why Zanu-PF's confidence is worrying
On the eve of elections in 1980, then Zanu-PF leader, Robert Mugabe seemed uncharacteristically confident.The run up to the elections had been fraught with violence and intimidation, with the ...Published: 12 Apr 2018 at 07:14hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Chamisa dares Zimbabweans to dream again
Last December, a friend tweeted that he thought then MDC-T deputy president, Nelson Chamisa was the most overrated politician and my response was that I was tempted to agree with him.My gripe ...Published: 29 Mar 2018 at 06:54hrs | 1 | by Nqaba Matshazi
Khupe created her drama, now she deserves her karma
In early 2008, a few months before the elections, opposition party supporters waited with bated breath on a meeting that could decide the country's future, as the two factions of the MDC - anti-Senate...Published: 22 Mar 2018 at 07:26hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Gukurahundi: When sorry seems to be the hardest word to say
In the past few days, two things happened that make me worry about this country's future, as there seems to be a concerted, but tragic effort to airbrush the country's history in an effort to portray ...Published: 15 Mar 2018 at 06:17hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Time to temper Mnangagwa expectations
Just under a year ago, I began writing this column, where my goal was to bring about dispassionate debate about the political and social developments in the country.At the end of November, whe...Published: 08 Mar 2018 at 14:37hrs | 1 | by Nqaba Matshazi
Mnangagwa: Entitlement doth come before a fall
Just like that, Emmerson Mnangagwa has been fired, something nobody could have imagined just seven days ago.That Mnangagwa was probably going to be axed was now a public secret, but no soothsa...Published: 09 Nov 2017 at 05:40hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Mnangagwa affair: Romanticisation of the underdog
There is something romantic about an underdog, something that attracts one to it and makes people build affinity for no hoppers.From biblical times, the story of David slaying the giant Goliat...Published: 02 Nov 2017 at 05:21hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Mnangagwa's fate in Mugabe's hands
It is beyond doubt that Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa is on the ropes and is literally fighting for his political life, as Zanu-PF's infighting gathers momentum and heads for an inevitable climax....Published: 12 Oct 2017 at 15:35hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Zimbabwe's tribal problem
The past few days have witnessed the closest we have been to a tribal meltdown in a while, as ethnicity has been the main topic in both the opposition and the ruling party.For decades now, eth...Published: 05 Oct 2017 at 06:35hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Reasons why Zanu-PF could be content
Last week, some of us laughed until our bellies hurt when we realised that Zanu-PF supporters marching in the capital had absolutely no clue why they were marching.A solidarity march had been ...Published: 07 Sep 2017 at 06:22hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Khupe out in the cold, as Tsvangirai assembles the band
With some opposition parties having signed an alliance deal, MDC-T finds itself in a familiar, but unenviable position, where some party members are openly challenging their leader, Morgan Tsvangirai....Published: 31 Aug 2017 at 08:46hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Grace Mugabe got us laughing at ourselves
When First Lady Grace Mugabe allegedly went on the rampage in South Africa and assaulted a model she found partying with her sons, Zimbabweans saw the funny side of it and were quick to come up with m...Published: 24 Aug 2017 at 07:50hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
MDC-T violence: A history of impunity
THE news in the past few days was dominated by the alleged assault of MDC-T deputy president, Thokozani Khupe, as the opposition party once again displayed a stunning propensity to shoot itself in the...Published: 10 Aug 2017 at 08:58hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Tsvangirai thinks he is the only one God-ordained to challenge Mugabe
I have come to a point where I am extremely tired by an opposition that feels entitled to my vote.I am exhausted by people who think they deserve my vote simply because they have been in the s...Published: 06 Jul 2017 at 09:59hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Thabo Mbeki not an honest broker
Former South African leader, Thabo Mbeki was in the news recently, saying only Zimbabweans should speak about when President Robert Mugabe should go and he would oppose any South African who wanted a ...Published: 29 Jun 2017 at 08:09hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Tsvangirai at it again with BVR
MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai last week made a surprise declaration that the biometric voter registration (BVR) process would not be manipulated.This is quite bold considering that Tsvangira...Published: 15 Jun 2017 at 08:30hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Mugabe was at his best in the 1980s and somehow lost his way
A COUPLE of weeks ago, war veterans' leader, Christopher Mutsvangwa said President Robert Mugabe was at his astute best in the 1980s and made the best decisions any country could ask for.Close...Published: 01 Jun 2017 at 11:01hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
'Maybe Zimbabweans prefer a reformed Zanu-PF'
A day after the 2013 elections, I sat with one MDC parliamentary candidate, who had lost heavily and was crestfallen, after losing in 2008, he had hoped the 2013 polls would mark his coronation....Published: 25 May 2017 at 07:59hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Tribal and regional schism finds expression during Bosso, Dembare matches
Once again - and not for the last time - a Highlanders versus Dynamos football match ended in violence with the usual accusations and counter accusations of referee bias and oppression being the order...Published: 18 May 2017 at 07:56hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Tsvangirai has to be wary of war vets
IN the past week, the buzzword was "coalition", as MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai signed memoranda of understanding with his MDC and National People's Party (NPP) counterparts, Welshman Ncube and Joi...Published: 29 Apr 2017 at 15:51hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Thokozani Khupe must be worried
Thokozani Khupe must be worried: deals with Mujuru and Ncube mean her status is whittled. Gender and tribe have been taken from her.Did she attend either of the ceremonies?...Published: 20 Apr 2017 at 11:50hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Tsvangirai et al learnt nothing, forgot everything from 2013 debacle
IN 2013 I watched as a seemingly defeated President Robert Mugabe emerged from a Sadc meeting in Mozambique, his body language and his demeanour betrayed his frustration, things had not gone his way....Published: 20 Apr 2017 at 11:37hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Sadc leaders humiliate Mugabe
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe was yesterday ordered by an extraordinary Sadc summit to return to the Constitutional Court and seek an extension of two weeks to the date that he set aside for elections....Published: 16 Jun 2013 at 11:01hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Bulawayo, Indonesian city set for twinning arrangement
Bulawayo is set for a twinning arrangement with the Indonesian city of Walikota Tangerang Selatan in a move envisaged to attract investment to the city.The Indonesian mayor of the city, Airin ...Published: 22 Apr 2013 at 16:13hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
Doubts emerge over Prophet Angel's Margaret Thatcher prophecy
SPIRIT Embassy leader, Uebert Angel last week claimed to have accurately prophesied the death of Britain's former premier Margaret Thatcher, but information at hand suggests the prophet may have been...Published: 15 Apr 2013 at 05:27hrs | | by Nqaba Matshazi
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