MLF savages Mphoko

THE Mthwakazi Liberation Front (MLF) has blasted Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko, following his recent remarks that it was un-African for the people to dig up the remains of people who were killed during the Gukurahundi era.

The officials dared Mphoko to explain if the butchering of those people by the government-sponsored soldiers was African.

Mphoko last week told Parliament that the government does not condone the exhumation of the victims of Gukurahundi, as such actions were un-African.

The VP, who is also the responsible minister of National Healing, Peace and Conciliation, said the Peace and Reconciliation Bill was already in place and would be tabled before Parliament this week.

"We cannot go to mass graves and start digging. It is not in an African culture. What we are only going to do is to put a big plaque, which will indicate that there are people who were buried there," he told Parliament.

In a long winding political discursive paper jointly authored by MLF secretary-general Andrea Sibanda and acting spokesperson Chrispen Nyoni, the party rapped Mphoko for failing to acknowledge that it is even more unAfrican for the same Zanu-PF government to butcher its people.

"Having demonstrated to the world that (President Robert) Mugabe and his regime have power to deceive, Mphoko has said the government will not dig up mass graves of people who died during post-independence disturbances in the Midlands and Matabeleland region, saying doing so is un-African," the MLF officials said.

"He seems to have forgotten to state also whether it was African to brazenly butcher the Mthwakazi people in what is known as the Gukurahundi genocide done by Mugabe and his Zanu-PF. This is a brazen show of mighty and they show it by stating that they want to attend to it now when it suits them or it is a ploy to hoodwink the Mthwakazi people into believing that something is being done."

The MLF leaders condemned the holding of Mugabe's birthday on February 25 in Matobo, where some victims of Gukurahundi were killed.

"The momentous decision to stage the bash in Matopo was not the right decision because it is perceived as the act of the return of the judo champion to the region to remind them that he is still there and can repeat the same," MLF said.

Mphoko said the statement was made by people who have been trained to subvert and manipulate the unsuspecting people over the Gukurahundi issue.

"It is evident that Mugabe and his Zanu-PF want to treat the Gukurahundi genocide as essentially a contest in manipulation of the minds of the people of Mthwakazi in a show of power," the officials said.