Opinion / Columnist
Matabeleland must welcome back its prodigal sons
19 Nov 2014 at 09:04hrs | Views
The Nguni people of Southern Africa have a saying: "Inxeba lendoda alihlekwa" which literally means you must never rejoice in another man's misfortunes or when he is going through a rough time.
I am referring to Matabeleland's own prodigal son, the wayward Jabulani Sibanda who is currently out of employment after he was expelled from the ruling Zanu-PF recently.Sibanda is also the leader of the country's liberation war veterans.
The decision to expel Sibanda, a former Zipra cadre, was taken by Zanu-PF's supreme decision making body, the political bureau sitting in Harare. According to the charge sheet produced by the political bureau,Sibanda disrespected his boss, president Robert Mugabe and his wife, the First Lady, Grace Mugabe.
Sibanda allegedly made statements that left party heavyweights reeling with anger.He was quoted by the local media as saying he would continue boycotting political rallies addressed by the First Lady until she and other senior party leaders stopped attacking vice-president Joice Mujuru-liberation war code name, Teurai Ropa Nhongo.
The war veterans leader also accused the First Lady of engineering a "bedroom coup" against Mujuru. Sibanda was quoted by Newsday as saying he would not attend the First Lady's rallies until she changed her language.
Grace is under fire from some political leaders in the country because of her divisive utterances at her rallies where she has been on the warpath, attacking those suspected of causing divisions in the party most of the times without backing up her statements with facts.
Jabu as he is affectionately known has been a loyal servant of Zanu-PFfor a long time even when he knew his involvement with that party did not go down well with many people in his district of Tsholotsho. Zanu-PF was in power when President Mugabe sanctioned the massacres of Zapu supporters in Matabeleland and the Midlands.
Sibanda's father, Samson, a prominent sangoma in ward five of Tsholotsho district council, was shot in the head by soldiers of Gukurahundi. They left him for dead but his ancestors revived him and he managed to regain consciousness. He was then taken to Mpilo Hospital where doctors worked tirelessly to save his life.
Growing up in the village of Mqolweni in ward five, nobody ever thought Jabulani would one day become a powerful man in Zimbabwean politics let alone a Ndebele and former Zipra. But Sibanda worked his way up to earn the trust of the King of political manipulations himself.
Jabu was just four grades ahead of me at Mpindo Primary School where we called him "big brother" (ubhudomdala) and indeed he played that role to most of us who were still very young.
I was at school when Jabu was taken away by Zipra guerrillas at his brother in law's store at Mpindo in 1976.Jabu is a survivor. While on their way to Zambia, the guerrillas came into contact with some Rhodesian soldiers and some of the children in the company of the guerrillas were killed but Sibanda survived and managed to cross into Botswana with the remaining Zipra unit.
I was angry when a Harare Journalist Munyaradzi Huni grilled Sibanda about his involvement in the liberation war and accused him of being too young to lead the war veterans. Huni in the 2012 interview with Sibanda,alleged that the former Zipra cadre was born in the 70s and that he was too young to have taken part in the war.
I wondered where Huni got his information from because it was clear he had no information about Sibanda's liberation war credentials.
Jabulani was born between 1959 and 1960. I know this well because I went to the same primary school with him in the 70s and he was four grades ahead of me at Mpindo school. Sibanda trained as a guerrilla in Angola and returned to Zimbabwe after independence.
No one can dispute his contribution to the struggle to liberate Zimbabwe. But its his involvement with Zanu-PF that has tainted his political career. While working for Zanu-PF Jabu made a lot of bad decisions in his life especially leading war veterans to invade commercial farms and waging a campaign of terror in the rural areas where he targeted opposition supporters.
My million dollar question to the million man march organiser is-why sacrifice your political career for Mujuru, the self-proclaimed Mugabe runner.What has Mujuru done for the people of Matabeleland to deserve the support of Sibanda and other Zipra veterans.
The people of Matabeleland only remember Mujuru as the woman who insulted their beloved dear leader,Joshua Nkomo when she described him as a "senile old man." The old man's only sin was defending businessman Strive Masiyiwa who was being blocked by Zanu-PF leaders from getting a licence for his mobile phone company, Econet in the late 90s.
Trully speaking, Mujuru does not deserve the support of Matabeleland. She is getting what she deserves.She knows how Zanu-PF operates as a political party and has been part of the same institution since her teenage days in Zanla camps in Mozambique.
Whether the allegations that she plotted to kill Mugabe are true or not-it should not concern the people of Matabeleland who have been Zanu-PF slaves for 34 years.
Mujuru's husband of course can be credited with saving the lives of scores of Zipra cadres in the early 80s after they had been rounded up by state security agents and the police in Harare. Yes this is true. Mujuru did save the lives of Zipra cadres. There are many things that happened in Zimbabwe after independence of which many Zimbabweans including Zanu-PF supporters did not know.
I have met and spoken to former Zipra cadres who owe their lives today to Mujuru.At one stage Mujuru allegedly stormed a police camp outside Harare where Zipra cadres were being detained and ordered their release.
The police during those days feared Mujuru because of his power in the military. Solomon Mujuru was himself trained by Zapu together with people like Robson Manyika before he defected to Zanu in the 70s where he was appointed head of its military wing, Zanla.
The people of Matabeleland must not abandon their own wayward leaders like Sibanda.Welcome him back as your prodigal son who has seen the light.Such people can be useful in different ways. In politics, the enemy of your enemy is your friend. Thats the way it is.There are no permanent friends or enemies in the world of politics.The hyenas are out and hungry and the weak will be devoured. This is the second time Jabulani has been expelled from Zanu-PF.
In 2004 he and other provincial party leaders were expelled for taking part in a clandestine meeting Tsholotsho organised by Jonathan Moyo. The meeting had been organised to block Mujuru from becoming vice-president.
Moyo and Sibanda were rumoured to have been working for Mnangagwa faction of the party. Now Sibanda is in trouble for defending the same woman he tried to block her appointment as vice-president in 2004.
If the Shona can embrace and shield genocidares like Perrence Shiri aka Black Jesus or the butcher of the Matabeles why cant we welcome our own even though they caused us pain by aligning themselves with Zanu-PF. Do not crucify your own but show them love and welcome them back when they return home.
---------------
Kunene Thabo can be contacted at kunene2002@yahoo.co.uk
I am referring to Matabeleland's own prodigal son, the wayward Jabulani Sibanda who is currently out of employment after he was expelled from the ruling Zanu-PF recently.Sibanda is also the leader of the country's liberation war veterans.
The decision to expel Sibanda, a former Zipra cadre, was taken by Zanu-PF's supreme decision making body, the political bureau sitting in Harare. According to the charge sheet produced by the political bureau,Sibanda disrespected his boss, president Robert Mugabe and his wife, the First Lady, Grace Mugabe.
Sibanda allegedly made statements that left party heavyweights reeling with anger.He was quoted by the local media as saying he would continue boycotting political rallies addressed by the First Lady until she and other senior party leaders stopped attacking vice-president Joice Mujuru-liberation war code name, Teurai Ropa Nhongo.
The war veterans leader also accused the First Lady of engineering a "bedroom coup" against Mujuru. Sibanda was quoted by Newsday as saying he would not attend the First Lady's rallies until she changed her language.
Grace is under fire from some political leaders in the country because of her divisive utterances at her rallies where she has been on the warpath, attacking those suspected of causing divisions in the party most of the times without backing up her statements with facts.
Jabu as he is affectionately known has been a loyal servant of Zanu-PFfor a long time even when he knew his involvement with that party did not go down well with many people in his district of Tsholotsho. Zanu-PF was in power when President Mugabe sanctioned the massacres of Zapu supporters in Matabeleland and the Midlands.
Sibanda's father, Samson, a prominent sangoma in ward five of Tsholotsho district council, was shot in the head by soldiers of Gukurahundi. They left him for dead but his ancestors revived him and he managed to regain consciousness. He was then taken to Mpilo Hospital where doctors worked tirelessly to save his life.
Growing up in the village of Mqolweni in ward five, nobody ever thought Jabulani would one day become a powerful man in Zimbabwean politics let alone a Ndebele and former Zipra. But Sibanda worked his way up to earn the trust of the King of political manipulations himself.
Jabu was just four grades ahead of me at Mpindo Primary School where we called him "big brother" (ubhudomdala) and indeed he played that role to most of us who were still very young.
I was at school when Jabu was taken away by Zipra guerrillas at his brother in law's store at Mpindo in 1976.Jabu is a survivor. While on their way to Zambia, the guerrillas came into contact with some Rhodesian soldiers and some of the children in the company of the guerrillas were killed but Sibanda survived and managed to cross into Botswana with the remaining Zipra unit.
I was angry when a Harare Journalist Munyaradzi Huni grilled Sibanda about his involvement in the liberation war and accused him of being too young to lead the war veterans. Huni in the 2012 interview with Sibanda,alleged that the former Zipra cadre was born in the 70s and that he was too young to have taken part in the war.
I wondered where Huni got his information from because it was clear he had no information about Sibanda's liberation war credentials.
No one can dispute his contribution to the struggle to liberate Zimbabwe. But its his involvement with Zanu-PF that has tainted his political career. While working for Zanu-PF Jabu made a lot of bad decisions in his life especially leading war veterans to invade commercial farms and waging a campaign of terror in the rural areas where he targeted opposition supporters.
My million dollar question to the million man march organiser is-why sacrifice your political career for Mujuru, the self-proclaimed Mugabe runner.What has Mujuru done for the people of Matabeleland to deserve the support of Sibanda and other Zipra veterans.
The people of Matabeleland only remember Mujuru as the woman who insulted their beloved dear leader,Joshua Nkomo when she described him as a "senile old man." The old man's only sin was defending businessman Strive Masiyiwa who was being blocked by Zanu-PF leaders from getting a licence for his mobile phone company, Econet in the late 90s.
Trully speaking, Mujuru does not deserve the support of Matabeleland. She is getting what she deserves.She knows how Zanu-PF operates as a political party and has been part of the same institution since her teenage days in Zanla camps in Mozambique.
Whether the allegations that she plotted to kill Mugabe are true or not-it should not concern the people of Matabeleland who have been Zanu-PF slaves for 34 years.
Mujuru's husband of course can be credited with saving the lives of scores of Zipra cadres in the early 80s after they had been rounded up by state security agents and the police in Harare. Yes this is true. Mujuru did save the lives of Zipra cadres. There are many things that happened in Zimbabwe after independence of which many Zimbabweans including Zanu-PF supporters did not know.
I have met and spoken to former Zipra cadres who owe their lives today to Mujuru.At one stage Mujuru allegedly stormed a police camp outside Harare where Zipra cadres were being detained and ordered their release.
The police during those days feared Mujuru because of his power in the military. Solomon Mujuru was himself trained by Zapu together with people like Robson Manyika before he defected to Zanu in the 70s where he was appointed head of its military wing, Zanla.
The people of Matabeleland must not abandon their own wayward leaders like Sibanda.Welcome him back as your prodigal son who has seen the light.Such people can be useful in different ways. In politics, the enemy of your enemy is your friend. Thats the way it is.There are no permanent friends or enemies in the world of politics.The hyenas are out and hungry and the weak will be devoured. This is the second time Jabulani has been expelled from Zanu-PF.
In 2004 he and other provincial party leaders were expelled for taking part in a clandestine meeting Tsholotsho organised by Jonathan Moyo. The meeting had been organised to block Mujuru from becoming vice-president.
Moyo and Sibanda were rumoured to have been working for Mnangagwa faction of the party. Now Sibanda is in trouble for defending the same woman he tried to block her appointment as vice-president in 2004.
If the Shona can embrace and shield genocidares like Perrence Shiri aka Black Jesus or the butcher of the Matabeles why cant we welcome our own even though they caused us pain by aligning themselves with Zanu-PF. Do not crucify your own but show them love and welcome them back when they return home.
---------------
Kunene Thabo can be contacted at kunene2002@yahoo.co.uk
Source - Thabo Kunene
All articles and letters published on Bulawayo24 have been independently written by members of Bulawayo24's community. The views of users published on Bulawayo24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Bulawayo24. Bulawayo24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.
