Tribalism storm hits Chronicle

Bulawayo residents have accused Bulawayo based Zimpapers publication Chronicle of being insensitive to readers in Matabeleland after the paper published two stories in the front page of its Saturday edition, full of quotes written in Shona without translation.

The lead story titled Big Post for First Lady had more than 50 percent of its content written in Shona.
The same applied to the second story that anchored the page with the headline Livid Muchinguri Fires Salvo.

Bulawayo residents said they were disappointed with the development as a majority of them could not understand what the paper wrote.

"I did not buy the paper after I heard friends complaining. I later tried to read it at NUST Library but I could not make head or tail of the stories. It seems the paper assumed everyone understands Shona. Being our paper of choice in the Southern region of Zimbabwe they should have done away with the Shona quotes and translated them to English," said Bongani Mpunzi of Cowdray Park.

Sibongile Mpofu of Gwanda in Matabeleland South said she believed the stories were deliberately written in Shona as part of a grand plan hatched by Zanu-PF in the 1970s to undermine, belittle and obliterate the Ndebele language in the country.

"We have indigenous publications like Umthunywa and Kwayedza published in Shona and Ndebele, where such stories may be permitted. I believe this was a deliberate slight on Ndebeles in line with the 70s grand plan that we often hear about. I do not think Herald in Mashonaland would ever publish a story with Ndebele quotations in it," she fumed.

Most of the residents who spoke to Bulawayo24 news said they had stopped reading stories about President Robert Mugabe in the Chronicle because they were almost always written in Shona, in what was supposed to be an English publication.

Readers on the Chronicle website also gave the editor a tongue lashing over the issue.

"Bloody Shonalist… why do you write in Shona n no translation… go sell your paper in Mashonaland [sic]," blasted Nodumo.

"Cde editor, I thought the whole object of reporting is to communicate. The majority of the story is in Shona in an English paper and no translation is provided. Maybe I am missing something," thundered another reader.

Mthembo thought the message in the stories was not for Matabeleland as he wrote: "I guess whatever this lady was saying has nothing to do with non-Shona speaking citizens. Maybe I am the only one who does not understand Shona, so it does not matter as long as the superior tribe understood. Asazi editor."

Seles was more cynical with the questions: "Tell me guys, is this paper now meant for Mashonaland readers? What is happening Cde editor? Are you entertaining ideas of relocating to Harare as well? Why are you no longer translating what has been said in Shona?"

This Saturday edition of the Chronicle was said to be the worst in terms of sales and hits on the internet in recent months, probably due to the stories that angered the target market in the Southern region.