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WATCH: Chiwenga says 'Shonas are cowards'
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Popular street preacher Talent Chiwenga has ignited a political and ethnic firestorm following a sermon in which he accused the ruling ZANU PF party of deliberately marginalising Zimbabweans of Ndebele descent since the country's independence in 1980.
In a provocative address, Chiwenga alleged that the Gukurahundi massacres, which took place in the Matabeleland and Midlands regions between 1983 and 1987, were not merely a brutal crackdown on dissent, but a calculated act of genocide aimed at suppressing the Ndebele population to entrench ZANU PF's dominance.
"If the population dynamics in Zimbabwe were such that the Ndebeles outnumbered the Shonas, ZANU PF could not have lasted more than 10 years in power," Chiwenga said.
"The Gukurahundi genocide was strategic. They wanted to reduce the number of men who could give birth to children. They wanted to control the population growth of the Ndebeles."
The preacher's remarks, delivered during a widely circulated sermon, have stirred significant backlash, with critics accusing him of fuelling ethnic division and undermining efforts at national reconciliation.
Chiwenga further claimed that ZANU PF systematically sidelined Ndebele individuals from government and leadership positions over the decades to consolidate power, warning that the party's longevity in power was partly based on such ethnic manipulation.
He contrasted the perceived bravery of the Ndebele people with what he described as the cowardice of the Shona majority - a highly inflammatory statement that has since drawn widespread condemnation.
"Shonas are cowards… This is why we didn't fight the British colonial rule. We joined the Ndebeles. Yes. It's the Ndebeles who resisted the white men."
To support his argument, Chiwenga cited the First Chimurenga (1896–97), insisting that the Ndebele were the initiators of armed resistance against British colonisers before the Shona joined in.
"Go and find out who started the First Chimurenga. It's not ZANU. It's not the Shonas."
He ended his sermon with an attack on evangelical figure Andrew Wutaunashe, calling him "a fool" and accusing him of promoting a distorted version of Zimbabwean history.
The Gukurahundi atrocities, which saw an estimated 20,000 civilians-mostly ethnic Ndebeles-killed by the North Korean-trained Fifth Brigade, remain a dark and deeply painful chapter in Zimbabwe's post-independence history. Though former President Robert Mugabe later described the killings as "a moment of madness," the state has yet to implement a comprehensive truth, justice, and reconciliation process.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who held a key security portfolio during the Gukurahundi era, has made limited overtures toward national healing, including consultations and some exhumations, but critics say meaningful accountability remains elusive.
Chiwenga's comments have drawn a sharp divide in public opinion. Some activists praised his courage in addressing taboo subjects, particularly Gukurahundi and ethnic exclusion. Others, however, condemned the sermon as reckless, divisive, and potentially inciting ethnic hatred.
Political analysts have warned that such statements, while raising legitimate historical grievances, risk inflaming long-standing tensions if not handled with care and context.
"Talent Chiwenga has raised important but highly sensitive issues. We need honest dialogue, not sensationalism that pits Zimbabweans against each other," one political commentator said.
There has been no official response from ZANU PF regarding the preacher's explosive accusations.
As Zimbabwe continues to grapple with questions of unity, identity, and justice, Chiwenga's remarks have once again thrust Gukurahundi and ethnic marginalisation into the national spotlight-this time, in the voice of an unfiltered street preacher unafraid to challenge the dominant narrative.
In a provocative address, Chiwenga alleged that the Gukurahundi massacres, which took place in the Matabeleland and Midlands regions between 1983 and 1987, were not merely a brutal crackdown on dissent, but a calculated act of genocide aimed at suppressing the Ndebele population to entrench ZANU PF's dominance.
Chiwenga tells it as it is! pic.twitter.com/sdRQtM16mo
— Bulawayo24 News (@Bulawayo24News) April 9, 2025
"If the population dynamics in Zimbabwe were such that the Ndebeles outnumbered the Shonas, ZANU PF could not have lasted more than 10 years in power," Chiwenga said.
"The Gukurahundi genocide was strategic. They wanted to reduce the number of men who could give birth to children. They wanted to control the population growth of the Ndebeles."
The preacher's remarks, delivered during a widely circulated sermon, have stirred significant backlash, with critics accusing him of fuelling ethnic division and undermining efforts at national reconciliation.
Chiwenga further claimed that ZANU PF systematically sidelined Ndebele individuals from government and leadership positions over the decades to consolidate power, warning that the party's longevity in power was partly based on such ethnic manipulation.
He contrasted the perceived bravery of the Ndebele people with what he described as the cowardice of the Shona majority - a highly inflammatory statement that has since drawn widespread condemnation.
"Shonas are cowards… This is why we didn't fight the British colonial rule. We joined the Ndebeles. Yes. It's the Ndebeles who resisted the white men."
To support his argument, Chiwenga cited the First Chimurenga (1896–97), insisting that the Ndebele were the initiators of armed resistance against British colonisers before the Shona joined in.
He ended his sermon with an attack on evangelical figure Andrew Wutaunashe, calling him "a fool" and accusing him of promoting a distorted version of Zimbabwean history.
The Gukurahundi atrocities, which saw an estimated 20,000 civilians-mostly ethnic Ndebeles-killed by the North Korean-trained Fifth Brigade, remain a dark and deeply painful chapter in Zimbabwe's post-independence history. Though former President Robert Mugabe later described the killings as "a moment of madness," the state has yet to implement a comprehensive truth, justice, and reconciliation process.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who held a key security portfolio during the Gukurahundi era, has made limited overtures toward national healing, including consultations and some exhumations, but critics say meaningful accountability remains elusive.
Chiwenga's comments have drawn a sharp divide in public opinion. Some activists praised his courage in addressing taboo subjects, particularly Gukurahundi and ethnic exclusion. Others, however, condemned the sermon as reckless, divisive, and potentially inciting ethnic hatred.
Political analysts have warned that such statements, while raising legitimate historical grievances, risk inflaming long-standing tensions if not handled with care and context.
"Talent Chiwenga has raised important but highly sensitive issues. We need honest dialogue, not sensationalism that pits Zimbabweans against each other," one political commentator said.
There has been no official response from ZANU PF regarding the preacher's explosive accusations.
As Zimbabwe continues to grapple with questions of unity, identity, and justice, Chiwenga's remarks have once again thrust Gukurahundi and ethnic marginalisation into the national spotlight-this time, in the voice of an unfiltered street preacher unafraid to challenge the dominant narrative.
Source - online
