I will not be silenced: Jele

MTHWAKAZI Republic Party General Commander Mkhululi Jele says his spirit remains unbroken despite his incarceration last year following a confrontation at a Plumtree school over a Heritage Studies lesson that allegedly promoted tribal supremacy.

Jele was arrested after challenging a teacher who reportedly told learners that the Shona language was superior to other languages.

He said no individual "born of a woman" would go unchallenged when promoting injustice, adding that he refused to remain silent in the face of oppression.

"*If peace means keeping my mouth shut in the midst of injustice and evil, I don't want it.* If peace means willingness to be exploited economically, dominated politically, humiliated and segregated, I don't want peace," Jele said, quoting Martin Luther King Jr.

He accused ZANU‑PF of preaching unity while practising exclusion.

"Marginalising the Mthwakazi nation is not unity. ZANU‑PF sings unity when it wants to invade justice, seize our land, take our minerals and shield itself from accountability. True unity cannot exist when people are mistreated and disrespected," he said.

Jele said while Mthwakazi people honour liberation icon Joshua Nkomo, they would not allow his legacy to be used to manipulate citizens.

"Nkomo must not become the road that leads us back into oppression. He was a luminary, not the final word. His role was pivotal, but now it is our duty as Mthwakazi citizens to liberate ourselves from the social, economic and political injustices that plague our nation."

He accused the ruling party of using unity rhetoric to mask selective application of the law, land dispossession, resource monopolisation and disregard for human rights.

"When a government pretends to unite while oppressing, it is not unity — it is domination," he said.

Quoting Nkomo, Jele added: "A country can be free while its people are not free."

He urged ZANU‑PF to stop "bullying" citizens with the Unity Accord.

"True unity must be built on self‑determination, not on suppressing a nation's sovereignty. Shona supremacy is not unity but domination. Mthwakazi is not dividing Zimbabwe; we are liberating our people from oppression," he said.

Jele called on citizens to reject what he described as false unity and to stand firm against exploitation.

"We are the sons and daughters of the stars, descendants of warriors. The future will punish the laziness we protect. We must do what is hard now to rescue our future. Speak out against enablers and collaborators. Choose the hard path today for a dignified tomorrow."

He said liberation did not end with one hero.

"Joshua Nkomo played his part; now it is our turn to write the next chapter of sovereignty, freedom and dignity for Mthwakazi. The time for silence has passed. The time for action is now. Let the revolutionary spirit lead us," he said.