Ngenhlonipho enkule langokuzehlisa okukhulu phambi kukaMahlabezulu

I greet all who have suffered from the hatred from Zanu PF since day 1. Peace to you all. With reverence to the departed Lookout Masuku, and family. To all who have left us by the doing of the Zanu PF project peace to you as you rest in not-so-accepatable places and to your families. Peace to all whose bones lie without burial and continue to sleep outside and within Mthwakazi borders. Very quickly I would like to remind Mthwakazi to reconsider the statement, "Lizabuswa zinyoni"

I humbly request the elders of our beloved Motherland Mthwakazi, the council of elders, people who have not bowed their knees to Zanu PF. Isicelo sami yikuthi likhuze UDumiso Dabengwa (DD). Please all chiefs, elders and the like, that have strings attached to Zanu PF, this is not your space. You are not welcome as far as I am concerned.

First and foremost, I would like to know whether (DD) and Zapu are a project of Zanu as was once believed by others some circles. When last we heard from Joshua Nkomo,  Zapu joined Zanu and as such disbanded, I believe. In recent times we heard that Zapu was breaking away from Zanu PF. Now I am not clear whether starting afresh Zapu is doing so on a fresh page with a new constitution, policies and procedures. I also would like to believe that for the supporters you had to mobilise afresh. If not, then is this Zapu still the same as that old one we know which was led by Mafukufuku, together with its supporters?

Now we all know how Mqabuko and that old Zapu had desired to be Father Zimbabwe only to find ourselves where we are today, minus the brothers and sisters we lost after independence at the hands of the people that Mqabuko had desired to be father to. Men of callous minds, shrewd mentalities and weird attitudes, men who would shoot you down with the left hand while the right is holding a bible going to preaching in church. One of their prophets in some church told the congregation recently to vote for Zanu PF as their leader was a political prophet from God.

I am getting increasingly agitated to see a man like DD seeming to be reliving Mqabuko's journey. Had not Chief Khayisa Ndiweni hinted what route we ought to have taken at Lancaster in 1979 to 1980? The suggestion which Ndiweni was castigated for. Shortly after that DD himself was detained in Chikurubi and other prisons with some of his comrades. What happened in there we don't know but at the very least DD knows. Sad thing is that we lost fine and gallant sons of Mthwakazi that moment in Chikurubi. Some were tortured and broken bones and spirit. While our soldiers were being slaughtered in these prisons, the masses were also being slaughtered on the outside. People not being killed by an enemy but by their own parliament, "shrewd men!"    

As time went by, I remember hearing about the impending release of DD from Chikurubi. I said to myself God has had our cry. I thought DD was coming out guns blazing, with the vernom that I had known Zipra for. But Zipra had been disarmed and integrated with …. (such a dirty name, cant write it if I can help it). And how one gets such a big army disarmed so recklessly knowing fully well of the age-old tensions between the two armies and the two political outfits beggars belief.

Surprisingly, I saw DD coming out of Chikurubi flying high with Zanu PF colours. Looking back I wonder whether that was a deal of some sort or a reward, but for what? How how how did Mafela not make it the same way??? I also know of a certain other who came out bruised and broken and did not get placement even as a private in the army and not even in a civil office. DD became Minister of Home Affairs and his achievements and utterances during that period are part of his character and a matter of history.

I personally think the Zipra disarmament was done carelessly, recklessly and irresponsibly by the leaders of Zapu and Zipra. It was immediately followed by harassment, abuse, torture of Zipra members, Zapu members and supporters, which all culminated to an attempted genocide on our people. If it was me, I would sue Zapu and Zipra leaders for putting the entire Zipra Army and the entire Mathebeleland and Midlands populace at imminent risk and danger of being eradicated from the earth. Of course Zanu PF is the main culprit. Given enough time, Zanu PF showed capability and a nerve to be able carry out the threat.

Now my humble request to the Mathebeleland Council Of Elders and Community Leaders is that DD be restrained from putting the lives of people of Mathebeleland and Midlands at risk again, now or in the future. It is very irresponsible for him to aspire to lead people back to Zimbabwe and delude himself that he can rule in Zimbabwe. It is careless assumption that he is with people s wishes. I believe he reaped where he did not sow. He found a group that were already gathered together by Mafukufuku and just used the process to get himself to the position where he is now. I advise he starts afresh with his own party with a different name to prove that people are with him. I think he is riding on the goodwill of the name Zapu, the image which was built over many years of hard work by serious men and women who had Mthwakazi s welfare at heart, an anointing which he has so far not shown since independence some 36 years ago. I don't see the green bombers voting for DD. I don't see the Zanu Womens leaugue voting for DD. I don't see the Zanu War Veterans vote for DD. I don't see Mavambo voting for DD, the police , the CIO the list is endless.

Please may the elders sit this man down. Please tell him that our future lies in our hands and not in Mashonaland. Please tell him that Mthwakazi is a country own its own. Please tell him the same he warned Mgabe "not to die with the country" he must also not die with our vision. He is tired, he must be rest now. He is becoming like Zanu PF himself. The battle needs fresh brains. There are many more "Black Russian" born after him. If he does not make way for them we may never discover them.

We cannot walk that Mafukufuku journey again, aspiring to lead people who on the inside of them think you are a snake. How long ago did Mgabe mention "that Nkomo country" and still there is DD taking the people to Mashonaland? We still have not buried our people and victims of Gukurahundi. Has this man not got a conscience? He was in government and advocated for all sorts of lewd laws against the people. I don't remember him once mentioning to parliament about the reburial of all these bones scattered all over the country.

My understanding and sincere belief is that we must part ways with Zanu PF, part ways with Shona people and part ways with Zimbabwe. It is a complete lie to tell ourselves that we are one people with Shona people because we are not. A lie will only last so long. Nothing can be built on lies. We have a very good example in Zanu, Shona, and Zimbabwe. It's all disentangling on its own.

And a piece of advice to all the pro-Mthwakazi political outfits, you are doing well but you too need to sit down and consult the elders and the masses. For, the people are not for your political parties but your political parties are for the people. Before you do the party you deal with the people. Place yourselves servants to the people, they themselves will lift you up because of the good works you do for them and just way you rule them. Do not demand this lifting up from the people, do not force the people to lift you up. The ruler-ship or positions in your parties do not come tied with privileges, benefits and honour but all these come from the people who are under good and just ruler-ship.

If Mthwakazi does not learn very quickly there is no future for us. Until Mthwakazi learns to do right and well  "Lizabuswa zinyoni" We have our own country, let's leave this Zimbanje alone.

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Mthwentwe Hlaba1 <mthwentwe@gmail.com