MRP celebrates 12 years of existence, honours founding cadres …as leader got arrested 17 times

The Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) today marks 12 years of existence, celebrating its founding cadres while reflecting on years of persecution, arrests and political pressure endured by its members as the movement pushed for self‑determination for the Matabeleland and Midlands regions.

In a statement, MRP President Mqondisi Moyo said 11 January was a sacred day on which the party pauses "in solemn reverence" to honour its departed pioneers.

"We honour the great founding leaders, pioneers, and stalwarts of the Mthwakazi Movement who have departed from this world. May their souls rest in eternal peace. Though they are no longer among us in flesh, their spirit, vision, courage, and sacrifice continue to guide our path toward restoration, independence, justice, peace, dignity, and sovereignty," he said.

Moyo said the party draws strength from its ancestors and from those who carried the struggle "in its darkest hours".

Among those honoured were Qhubekani Dube, a founding member and former Ibhetshu LikaZulu chairperson; Busani Ngwenya, in whose Cowdray Park home the party was formed; and Elder Leonard Dube, described as a moral compass and unifier whose death in April 2024 was a major loss to the movement.

MRP was launched on 11 January 2014 at the Presbyterian Church Hall in Bulawayo. Moyo said the party was founded as a peaceful, democratic organisation guided by international human rights instruments and the principle of self‑determination.

He said the people of Mthwakazi had endured decades of political exclusion, economic neglect, cultural marginalisation and forced assimilation.

"Independence came, but democracy did not reach all," he said.

Moyo said despite the party's commitment to peaceful political action, its members had faced criminalisation, intimidation and persecution. He said he personally had been arrested more than 17 times between 2006 and 2022 while leading peaceful protests and civic actions across Matabeleland.

"These arrests arose from peaceful demonstrations addressing economic exclusion, protests against forced linguistic and cultural assimilation, civic actions concerning land use, resource control, and political marginalisation," he said, adding that most charges were withdrawn or dismissed.

He cited the incarceration of the MRP‑9, arrests at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair, and harassment during a public spaces cleansing campaign as examples of sustained persecution.

Moyo also referenced threats made against the party over the years, including remarks by senior government officials. He said such statements formed part of a historical pattern of intimidation.

On the internationalisation of the Mthwakazi question, Moyo said the party submitted petitions to the United Nations offices in Pretoria in 2022 and 2025, the latter accompanied by more than 20,000 signatures.

He said the party had survived internal attempts at infiltration and division, choosing instead "revolutionary renewal" through restructuring, leadership renewal and the adoption of a Revolutionary Transitional Constitution.

New policy orientations include people‑centred governance, restorative justice, cultural restoration, economic justice, and youth and women's inclusion.

Moyo said the party had strengthened its international relations and diplomatic engagement, positioning itself as a credible actor on the global stage.

"As we mark twelve years of struggle, sacrifice, and resolve, we reaffirm that Mthwakazi belongs to everyone who shares its cause. No one will be excluded. No hand extended in solidarity will be rejected," he said.

"Guided by the spirits of our ancestors and anchored in justice and law, we shall complete this journey together."