When masters of tribalism taste their own medicine

Zimbabweans from Matabeleland region have been working and living in South Africa for many decades dating back to the colonial era. But we never heard of any immigrants who were attacked or killed by the locals because they were foreigners or Rhodesians.

In those days our people left their homes to work in South Africa not because there were no jobs in Matabeleland but for pride and status. After independence the people of the region left for South Africa in large numbers because of widespread discrimination against ethnic minorities.

After independence white Rhodesians, who had lost power in 1980 after Zanu-PF's victory in the elections could not stand being ruled by their former servants. They too joined the great treck to South Africa in what became known  as "Operation Winter."

In the 60s and 70s,South African government allowed gold mines to recruit immigrants from the Southern Africa region under the Witswatersrand Native Labour Association, known by the Afrikaans acronym, WENELA.
The foreigners recruited under the WENELA programme included Rhodesians, Batswana, Namibians, Swaziland nationals, Mozambicans, Basotho and Malawians.

Throughout the WENELA years there was no xenophobia because the foreigners did not see themselves as better, superior or more educated than their hosts which is the attitude we see these days from immigrants from poor African countries.

The foreigners in those years were quick to integrate themselves in the communities they lived in by learning languages of their hosts. Even today Malawians who live in South Africa are able to communicate in local languages especially Zulu which is spoken by the majority of South Africans.

Enter the new breed of Shona speaking Injiva everything changes in South Africa. When they left their homes for South Africa someone forgot to tell them that Shona was not among the 11 official languages spoken in the Rainbow nation.

But because of their arrogance, they decided to export their now famous so called 'andindzwi' or (I don't understand your language) attitude to South Africa with grave consequences.They have become easy targets of xenophobia because of their arrogance and tribalism which runs in the blood veins of some of them.

During the recent xenophobic attacks in Durban and Johannesburg, the Shona speaking immigrants were among thousands forced to take refuge at police stations after they were chased out of their homes by local mobs.
However not all Shona speaking brothers and sisters have the same mindset. I know some especially those who were born and bred in Bulawayo who have adapted well in South Africa and enjoy the comfort of being able to communicate with villagers in the rural areas.

They are different from our brothers and sisters from outside Matabeleland who are so used to dominance at home so much that they expect South Africans to tolerate their attitude.

In Cape Town you sometimes hear our Shona speaking brothers saying they would rather learn Xhosa than Ndebele. Ignorance really has no defence as they say. Its like a Ndebele saying he does not want to speak Zezuru but has no problem speaking the other Shona dialect, Karanga.

I wonder whether they are aware that Xhosa and Ndebele belong to one language and we share vocabulary as Nguni language speakers.

In Matabeleland, where they now dominate everywhere, they always get away with the 'andindzwi' arrogance because, after all, they are in power. In the mindset of the tribal bullies why should a master learn the language of his servant. In Zimbabwe they take pride in bullying minority groups and enjoy all the privileges that come with the ruling class status.

It would be an insult for the people of Buhera, Bindura, Masvingo or anywhere in Shona speaking regions of Zimbabwe if I stay with them for five years and tell them I don't understand their language. Surely if an immigrant from Somalia, Ethiopia, Pakistan and China can speak some Zulu even if they are not perfect, why would someone from Zimbabwe fail.

When you visit townships anywhere in South Africa, you find Somali spaza and shop owners communicating with their customers in Zulu, Xhosa or Sotho. They live with the locals and have businesses there that are sustained by the locals. They see themselves as part of the local communities.

Our fallen heroes, true nationalists like Joshua Nkomo, Josiah Chinamano, Ariston Chambati, Jason Moyo, Josiah Tongogara, Alfred Mangena must be turning in their graves as Zimbabweans become more and more divided along ethnic lines.

They had all worked hard to unite our people. Elders used to tell me how Nkomo brought Shonas and Ndebeles together in the 50s during the early years of the struggle for independence. Nkomo took Benjamin Burombo, a Shona from Harare and deployed him to work among the Ndebele in Matabeleland.

Trade Unionist and struggle activist Masotsha Ndlovu, a Ndebele from Bulawayo was deployed in Harare to work among the Shona during the struggle. Nkomo died a broken man in 1999 leaving Zimbabweans more divided than ever before.