Mthwakazi has never benefited from Mugabe's rule

Mthwakazi Republic Party secretary General Hloniphani Ncube has claimed that People in Matabeleland have never benefited from President Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF government since independence in 1980 but only experienced marginalization and oppression.

"Since the inception of Mugabe and his government in Mthwakazi no single development have been done with the interest of the local Mthwakazi people. Our Mthwakazi Research Council have noted with concern the devilish schemes implemented by the government of Zimabwe before and after they were controversially given the power they continually abuse up to this day, which is slowly but surely coming to an end," he said.

"In 1979 the Zanu PF cronies crafted the most horrific 14 page documents entiled the grand plan which portrayed how the Mugabe led government was going to kill, disempower and underdevelop Mthwakazi among other issues. A lot contained on that document have been implemented even though the results at the end of the day do affect both tribes as this was targeting the people from Mthwakazi."

Ncube said around 1980 to 1987 Zanu PF brutally implemented the Gukurahundi programme which was aimed at killing all the Ndebele people as enshrined on the 1979 grand plan.

"This programme saw more than 25 000 people from Mthwakazi who were not armed loosing their lives, while the President and his fellow cabinet were enjoying tea. The people who were killed by these aggressive soldiers named the 5th brigade specifically reporting to Mugabe were the civil pregnant women, youths, bread winners and children. This brutality was stopped by the madness termed the unity accord. No apology or program to assist those people have been implemented. The peace and reconciliation committee headed and appointed by the subjects of the perpetrators cannot be a solution to the vulnerable victims," he said.

Ncube said the most painful part of this atrocity is that, the people who were killed by the government of Zimbabwe are still lying in pits and hollows, and no decent burials have been carried out except the ones that were done by the Mthwakazi Republic Party.

"Prayers undertaken pertaining that matter have been barred by the perpetrators security agencies. Moreover, many children of the victims did not access education because their relatives who were bread winners were no more. Apart from that, some of the victims still do not have birth certificates because the death of their relatives were not recorded up to this day," he said.

"Around 1999 to 2000 the brutal government of Zimbabwe also went on to take the land from the Mthwakzi people who comprised of both the White and Black Mthwakazi people and gave it to their fellow Shona people. Our research have established that many farms are occupied by people from the intelligence and people who implemented Gukurahundi as a reward. Therefore land was not properly distributed and it is an urgent area that, the party will solve it very soon."

The SG said furthermore, the government of Zimbabwe also implemented the Murambasvina during the era of MDC T which is an extended project of Zanu PF which saw the abolishing of proper houses leaving our people homeless up to today.

He said the stands that were offered after that were given to the members of the army predominately Shona and the war veterans who implemented Gukurahundi.

"As from 1980 to date, Zanu PF have completely deindustrialised Bulawayo and transferred all industries to Harare leaving our youths with an option to look for employment in South Africa. Apart from that, Mugabe regime also introduced the Economic Structural adjustment program without a comprehensive research to eliminate the Ndebele people from the government institution who were left by the colonial government. This serves to depict that Zanu PF have no agenda to develop Mthwakazi because they know that, it would eventually be free," he said.

"Zanu PF also made it a point to employ only Shona people into the public institutions of government. Thus why all government institutions have now officialised Shona language at the expense of the local people. People are dying in government hospitals because the nurses and doctors cannot communicate in local languages."

He said hence many have died after having been given wrong medical prescriptions due to language barrier. Ncube said police are not able to serve justice to our people because they do not understand the local language. Teachers at school as low as ECD cannot pronounce even a single local language, and our children are served with junk Dokora primitive education.

"Bakwethu kunengi osokwenzakele sikhangele. Ungabe usidla amathe esitha kodwa lolucuku olwenziwa nguhulumende weZimbabwe lukhandelwe wonke umuntu wakoMthwakazi. Siyazi silabafowethu abasebenzela luhulumende ekuqhubeni uhlelo lokubulala isizwe, kodwa sithi labo abazinikeleyo ukuthi bakhulule ilizwe basixhase ngoba njengebandla leMthwakazi Republic Party sizimisele ukumelana lokuhlukumezwa kanye lokugxhilazwa kwesizwe," he said.