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Our Ndebele heritage destroyed, Zipra liberation legacy stolen: PAMU
2 hrs ago |
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Progressive Alliance of Mthwakazi Union (PAMU) official Cosmas Ncube says Ndebele cultural identity and ZIPRA liberation history have been eroded to the point where people of Matabeleland are “left with nothing but their surnames.”
Ncube said as Zimbabwe marks Unity Day — commemorating the 1987 pact between the late Zanu leader Robert Mugabe and the late Zapu leader Joshua Nkomo — the lived reality in Matabeleland tells a different story.
He argued that decades after the Gukurahundi massacres in Matabeleland and the Midlands, there is still no genuine unity, with people from Mashonaland allegedly dominating positions of authority, land ownership, mineral resources and economic opportunities in the region.
“It’s very difficult and not easy for us to keep quiet because we no longer have anything and have lost our dignity. We are left only with surnames. We are losing everything, even our pride as a people of this region,” Ncube said.
“Even the liberation heritage of ZAPU and ZIPRA is gone — it has been stolen. In our cities and towns, we drink water at our own risk because it is not reticulated. There is an energy crisis, and potholes are all over the roads.”
Ncube said institutions that once symbolised Ndebele pride, including Bulawayo City Council and Highlanders FC, were “crumbling.”
“Today it’s 22 December, Unity Accord Day. There is no unity. We always hear Christopher Mutsvangwa belittling and insulting Ndebele institutions. Minister Daniel Garwe has also said negative things about Ndebeles,” he said.
“Our situation in Matabeleland is bad. We do not have our own government — that is why we are insulted by people in their countries like senseless people.”
Ncube said PAMU, which began as the Liberty Party in 2009, regrouped after realising the extent of marginalisation, suppression and dispossession in Matabeleland. The alliance now brings together several regional groups fighting for land rights, political recognition and cultural restoration.
He said only a few groups remain outside the alliance, “some of them thinking they are too big to join others.”
“As PAMU, we have been engaging with the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention for some time now. We even asked them to produce a statement about the Gukurahundi genocide hearings in Matabeleland,” Ncube said.
“They gave us a draft statement in September, and the final version was produced on 11 December 2025.”
Ncube said as Zimbabwe marks Unity Day — commemorating the 1987 pact between the late Zanu leader Robert Mugabe and the late Zapu leader Joshua Nkomo — the lived reality in Matabeleland tells a different story.
He argued that decades after the Gukurahundi massacres in Matabeleland and the Midlands, there is still no genuine unity, with people from Mashonaland allegedly dominating positions of authority, land ownership, mineral resources and economic opportunities in the region.
“It’s very difficult and not easy for us to keep quiet because we no longer have anything and have lost our dignity. We are left only with surnames. We are losing everything, even our pride as a people of this region,” Ncube said.
“Even the liberation heritage of ZAPU and ZIPRA is gone — it has been stolen. In our cities and towns, we drink water at our own risk because it is not reticulated. There is an energy crisis, and potholes are all over the roads.”
Ncube said institutions that once symbolised Ndebele pride, including Bulawayo City Council and Highlanders FC, were “crumbling.”
“Today it’s 22 December, Unity Accord Day. There is no unity. We always hear Christopher Mutsvangwa belittling and insulting Ndebele institutions. Minister Daniel Garwe has also said negative things about Ndebeles,” he said.
“Our situation in Matabeleland is bad. We do not have our own government — that is why we are insulted by people in their countries like senseless people.”
Ncube said PAMU, which began as the Liberty Party in 2009, regrouped after realising the extent of marginalisation, suppression and dispossession in Matabeleland. The alliance now brings together several regional groups fighting for land rights, political recognition and cultural restoration.
He said only a few groups remain outside the alliance, “some of them thinking they are too big to join others.”
“As PAMU, we have been engaging with the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention for some time now. We even asked them to produce a statement about the Gukurahundi genocide hearings in Matabeleland,” Ncube said.
“They gave us a draft statement in September, and the final version was produced on 11 December 2025.”
Source - Byo24news
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