Opinion / Letters
Open Letter to Chamisa - UZ MDC-T
01 May 2018 at 07:01hrs | Views
Dear President Adv N Chamisa
Last week to be precise on Friday 27 April at 0933 hours Central African time we submitted a petition signed by 7800 youths and students from the UZ, NUST, MSU, Madziwa Teachers College and Chinhoyi University of Technology. The petition is our desire as students for you our president to appoint Felix Magagela Mafa Sibanda the people's choice as the party's vice president of the people's movement. We say people's movement, because MDC was founded by all people. Of the names you are considering, Felix Magalela Mafa Sibanda's name stands out tall because he has done more for the people of Zimbabwe. He pioneered the struggle for the people of Zimbabwe as early as 1981 by being the first man to lead Zimbabwean Workers against Mugabe when things were much more tense. He has worked for the party from its inception with the likes of our late leaders Richard Morgan Tsvangirai, Fletcher Dulini and Gibson Sibanda, may their souls rest in eternal peace. President Morgan Tsvangirai left the chairmanship of the NCA to lead the MDC. Strategically he left Felix Sibanda as the vice chairman of NCA. Felix went on to become an MP for Magwegwe and a provincial spokesperson for Bulawayo. Felix Magagela Mafa Sibanda became an MP for Magwegwe constituency but was only rigged by the Khuphe cabal in 2013.
While we are a movement, we also must guard against favouring our friends by elevating then to senior positions because it becomes the same ZANU-PF nepotism leading to maladministration and corruption. Your friend Bhekithemba Mpofu has been gone for 15 years whilst Mafa has been withstanding the worst of the party. It would be a major error to appoint him over Felix Mafa Sibanda and that will split the party.
Thabitha Khumalo is a fine woman but she has advocated legalization of prostitution, which is considered a sexual assault and a human rights violation the world over. No woman would chose to be a prostitute over being a doctor or a teacher or nurse. Most prostitutes have pimps who beat them and take their money and many children kidnapped and forced into prostitution. She has even walked the streets half-naked wearing only a braa demonstrating her activism in favour of prostitution. Prostitution is not a choice for many women and it is not encouraged by our culture as Zimbabweans but it is a result of pathetic imperialist ZANU-PF policies. A decade ago, Sweden classified prostitution as a violent crime against women that fosters inequality. Thabitha Khumalo seeks equality but lacks understanding on how to achieve that. While she lobbies for a female in the presedium take note that Matebeleland has been with Khupe for 15 years and if that is a measure, she uses, then her argument loses influence. Besides, she lacks the right temperament to hold this job and will likely cause major fissures in the party due to her character like what Grace Mugabe did to ZANU-PF.
Cde Mafa Sibanda is known for loyalty and hardworking, and relegating him to the province because he is not in the standing committee means that he could have rebelled against Tsvangira's directive to stay in the NCA. Who knows what we could have failed to achieve had all members left NCA?
We the students also want Felix Mafa Sibanda to demonstrate that you and we students are not against our senior party members. We are not ageist President. We are a movement made up of all ages and workers. The generational consensus must not be misunderstood as many young people are doing. Yes, the youth have to be involved but they need guidance because one day you might find Zimbabwe sold. We need a process of assimilating ourselves to the democratic system not radical youthism.
The longer you delay making this nomination of Cde Mafa Sibanda, the more we continue alienating Bulawayo and that is a risk. Remember that the Khupe cabal plagues Bulawayo at the present moment and she is using a tribal trump card, without a lot realising her 10 year agenda of creating her own MDC-T mafia grouping.
Without the bold announcement made by Felix on February 11 2018, that gave you Bulawayo, Khuphe's hometown, you could not be president today, because others were silent in Bulawayo. This clearly shows loyalty on the part of Felix. Loyalty to you Mr President and the party at large.
We are not imposing this on you because we empowered you to make the right decisions. But all your decisions are based on the people's needs not the competitive needs of the people around you. We the people have empowered you against all your adversaries. We hope to empower you for two more terms after this guaranteed win we are working towards. We hope you motivate us by this very reasonable nomination immediately so we can go out there and work hard for you.
People are calling for Felix Mafa Sibanda nation-wide. Demonstration of potential political capital that will benefit you and the movement.
Thank you.
UZ ZINASU Chair T Bhasppo and 7800 Student petitioners from around the country
MDCT - General Consensus
Last week to be precise on Friday 27 April at 0933 hours Central African time we submitted a petition signed by 7800 youths and students from the UZ, NUST, MSU, Madziwa Teachers College and Chinhoyi University of Technology. The petition is our desire as students for you our president to appoint Felix Magagela Mafa Sibanda the people's choice as the party's vice president of the people's movement. We say people's movement, because MDC was founded by all people. Of the names you are considering, Felix Magalela Mafa Sibanda's name stands out tall because he has done more for the people of Zimbabwe. He pioneered the struggle for the people of Zimbabwe as early as 1981 by being the first man to lead Zimbabwean Workers against Mugabe when things were much more tense. He has worked for the party from its inception with the likes of our late leaders Richard Morgan Tsvangirai, Fletcher Dulini and Gibson Sibanda, may their souls rest in eternal peace. President Morgan Tsvangirai left the chairmanship of the NCA to lead the MDC. Strategically he left Felix Sibanda as the vice chairman of NCA. Felix went on to become an MP for Magwegwe and a provincial spokesperson for Bulawayo. Felix Magagela Mafa Sibanda became an MP for Magwegwe constituency but was only rigged by the Khuphe cabal in 2013.
While we are a movement, we also must guard against favouring our friends by elevating then to senior positions because it becomes the same ZANU-PF nepotism leading to maladministration and corruption. Your friend Bhekithemba Mpofu has been gone for 15 years whilst Mafa has been withstanding the worst of the party. It would be a major error to appoint him over Felix Mafa Sibanda and that will split the party.
Thabitha Khumalo is a fine woman but she has advocated legalization of prostitution, which is considered a sexual assault and a human rights violation the world over. No woman would chose to be a prostitute over being a doctor or a teacher or nurse. Most prostitutes have pimps who beat them and take their money and many children kidnapped and forced into prostitution. She has even walked the streets half-naked wearing only a braa demonstrating her activism in favour of prostitution. Prostitution is not a choice for many women and it is not encouraged by our culture as Zimbabweans but it is a result of pathetic imperialist ZANU-PF policies. A decade ago, Sweden classified prostitution as a violent crime against women that fosters inequality. Thabitha Khumalo seeks equality but lacks understanding on how to achieve that. While she lobbies for a female in the presedium take note that Matebeleland has been with Khupe for 15 years and if that is a measure, she uses, then her argument loses influence. Besides, she lacks the right temperament to hold this job and will likely cause major fissures in the party due to her character like what Grace Mugabe did to ZANU-PF.
Cde Mafa Sibanda is known for loyalty and hardworking, and relegating him to the province because he is not in the standing committee means that he could have rebelled against Tsvangira's directive to stay in the NCA. Who knows what we could have failed to achieve had all members left NCA?
We the students also want Felix Mafa Sibanda to demonstrate that you and we students are not against our senior party members. We are not ageist President. We are a movement made up of all ages and workers. The generational consensus must not be misunderstood as many young people are doing. Yes, the youth have to be involved but they need guidance because one day you might find Zimbabwe sold. We need a process of assimilating ourselves to the democratic system not radical youthism.
The longer you delay making this nomination of Cde Mafa Sibanda, the more we continue alienating Bulawayo and that is a risk. Remember that the Khupe cabal plagues Bulawayo at the present moment and she is using a tribal trump card, without a lot realising her 10 year agenda of creating her own MDC-T mafia grouping.
Without the bold announcement made by Felix on February 11 2018, that gave you Bulawayo, Khuphe's hometown, you could not be president today, because others were silent in Bulawayo. This clearly shows loyalty on the part of Felix. Loyalty to you Mr President and the party at large.
We are not imposing this on you because we empowered you to make the right decisions. But all your decisions are based on the people's needs not the competitive needs of the people around you. We the people have empowered you against all your adversaries. We hope to empower you for two more terms after this guaranteed win we are working towards. We hope you motivate us by this very reasonable nomination immediately so we can go out there and work hard for you.
People are calling for Felix Mafa Sibanda nation-wide. Demonstration of potential political capital that will benefit you and the movement.
Thank you.
UZ ZINASU Chair T Bhasppo and 7800 Student petitioners from around the country
MDCT - General Consensus
Source - UZ MDC-T
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