The Birth of the Federal Republic of Mthwakazi Establishment of the Department of National Statistics

MLF President,

The birth of Mthwakazi as a sovereign state is informed by the lens of history. As Mthwakazi Liberation Front (MLF), we have learnt from the grave errors of our history. As we chart the path to the establishment of the Federal Republic of Mthwakazi (which we hope to achieve through all peaceful and legal means) we are already developing mechanisms for the end game, as we would want to hit the ground running. The most important of these is the development of the Constitution which states that the Federal Republic of Mthwakazi "is built on solid values of liberty, democracy, independence and peace in solidarity and openness towards the world. The people of Mthwakazi united in their diversity are determined to live together in equality, independence, mutual respect and recognition".

The constitution of the Federal Republic of Mthwakazi is therefore not only grounded in the rule of law, but also recognizes the diverse linguistic communities of Mthwakazi and guarantees their equal protection. In terms of this constitution, therefore, no person (man or woman) is above the law. This is the fundamental difference between this vision and that of ZAPU which could not even draw a post-colonial vision, but instead had to be provided one by the very colonial forces at Lancaster House, that they sought to defeat during the war of independence. Similarly, all those who have opposed the ZANU-PF regime during the past 41 years, including some formations with the Mthwakazi name, have not developed a vision of protecting and guaranteeing the fundamental human rights of the people of Mthwakazi.

As part of our preparations, we have decided to establish the Department of National Statistics as the first step towards EXITING Zimbabwe and founding a new sovereign state, the Federal Republic of Mthwakazi (FREM). This is an important undertaking as it will provide a whole picture of the current overall socio-economic, political, cultural and wellbeing of our people in the fourteen (14) districts of Beitbridge, Binga,  Bubi-Umguza, Bulilima-Mangwe, Gwanda, Gwelo, Hwange, Insiza (incorporating the areas of Bhelingwe), Kezi, Kwekwe, Lupane (incorporating the areas of Gokwe), Nkayi (incorporating the areas of Gokwe) Tsholotsho and Umzingwane, that make up the federation in terms of the Draft Constitution of the Federal Republic of Mthwakazi.

It is important to recognize that the birth of the Federal Republic of Mthwakazi (FREM) is taking place from a distorted information base provided by those who have ruled Mthwakazi by conquest for a whopping 128 years (comprising of 87 years of European colonial rule and 41 years of Shona hegemony and colonialism). Under these conditions it is only appropriate that we mark the birth of a Mthwakazi sovereign state with the establishment of the Department of National Statistics which will provide all the information in terms of land geographical size, population, the shared historical and internationally recognised boundaries with its immediate neighbours of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa, as well as other critical variables.

Statistics has been defined as the "practice or science of collecting and analysing numerical data in large quantities" from a range of issues for the purposes of making better-informed decisions. It is therefore by way of collecting and analysing these large quantities of data or information regarding their social, economic, political, and cultural conditions that the people of Mthwakazi can understand their history and change their current situation decisively for the better. It is by understanding their conditions through the provision of accurate and not distorted data that the people of Mthwakazi can shape a better-informed decision-making process for themselves and generations to come.

In this day and age in which information has become the major driver of change, it is critical that Mthwakazi is not left behind. Throughout history our rulers in Mthwakazi have not only fed us with distorted information but perfected it such that they were able to dominate, subjugate and humiliate us. This distortion was applied in all the socio-economic, political, and cultural spheres of our lives. Today with the birth of FREM we can begin to develop statistical concepts, gather, review, analyse and draw conclusions from the data by ourselves. From these conclusions we can reject the historical narrative that has been fed to us for generations by our rulers.
The establishment of the Department of National Statistics is therefore critical not only for the birth of FREM but also for shaping its destiny. This means that in this information world, the people of Mthwakazi in the fourteen (14) districts that constitute the federation, can begin to find the real meaning in their lives by collecting and analysing information for themselves. Through the Department of Statistics, the people of Mthwakazi in all the districts should be able to document their tortured and painful history of subjugation, domination, and humiliation. They should, for example, determine without any shadow of ambiguity the names and number of people from their districts that were lost to the liberation war that resulted in the independence of Zimbabwe. We know for a fact that no record of their loved ones was ever provided by ZAPU after the war.

Similarly, the people of Mthwakazi using their own statistical tools through the Department of Statistics of FREM, should be able to establish the actual and correct numbers of their loved ones who were massacred by the Gukurahundi vampires of the ZANU-PF regime. These numbers should undoubtedly include those who were killed by being buried alive, thrown alive in disused mine shafts, burnt alive in huts, bayonetted to kill both mother and unborn child in her womb, disappeared, tortured, disabled, imprisoned, and all the brutal methods that were used in exterminating the people of Mthwakazi. The collection and analysis of this data will undoubtedly support everything that the people of Mthwakazi have always known which is contrary to those figures that have become a proverbial song that ONLY 20,000 people were killed by the Gukurahundi vampires.

As victims of the Gukurahundi vampires, we as the people of Mthwakazi have largely accepted this false narrative from our masters, the ZANU-PF regime that they only killed 20,000 of our loved ones as if the loss of one life does not matter. It is common everywhere that the vanquished always believe what their rulers want them to believe. However, in our case, with the birth of FREM, we can provide not only our people but the whole world with the actual figures of the victims who were obliterated by Gukurahundi vampires. This should enable the people of Mthwakazi not only to vigorously campaign for bringing all the perpetrators of this genocide to justice, but also afford them the opportunity to honour their dead in their respective districts. Thus, memorial stones in honour of the victims of the Gukurahundi vampires and those who fell during the struggle against European settler colonialism could then be erected side by side in all the districts.

Alongside collecting data about this painful history, the Department of Statistics should enable the people of Mthwakazi to collect data with respect to a range of other critical issues.

The Departments of the Government of the Federal Republic of Mthwakazi (FREM) shall be as follows:
 - Department of National Statistics,
 - Department of Home Affairs,
 - Department of Land and Mineral Resources,
 - Department of Water Affairs and Fisheries,
 - Department of Energy and Environment,
 - Department of Agriculture and Food Security,
 - Department of Communication and Information Technology,
 - Department of Finance and Economic Development,
 - Department of Health and Sanitation,
 - Department of Local Government, Housing and Transport,
 - Department of Culture, Arts and Tourism,
 - Department of Social Services and People with Disabilities,
 - Department of Women and Youth Affairs,
 - Department of Sports Development and Recreation,
 - Department of Infrastructure Investment and Development,
 - Department of International Relations and Trade,
 - Department of Defense and Security.

The well-being of our people will be measured using statistical tools throughout the districts that constitute FREM. This project will therefore require many people who will have to work around the clock to achieve the actual results. Among these, we will require the expertise of demographers, ethnographers, anthropologists, sociologists, economists, mathematicians or statisticians, health workers, educationists, and a range of various other expertise.

Please note that we also call on Mthwakazi youths to assist in this endeavor through the development of multiple websites to hold this information or data as we collect it to prevent any theft by hacking or other means as it becomes the human memory of the people of Mthwakazi. Equally, we are calling for immediate and urgent assistance from Mthwakazi businessmen, businesswomen and compatriots to get this challenge off the ground. This funding may be in kind or cash. In kind with computers, printers, paper (loads of it), cellphones, Wi-Fi gadgets and associated data, and cash for purchasing same together with associated operational ingredients, including for travelling and coordinating this mammoth task.

Although we stand ready to welcome donations from any other quarter, this project is more primarily consistent with the Vukuzenzele (Self-Help) doctrine, such that it can only succeed, if every Mthwakazi adult citizen donated an equivalent of one United States dollar (US$1) or more as per the Mthwakazi Sovereign Fund (MSF). Only the people of Mthwakazi can drive this project to successful completion. There is so much work to be done and therefore we need assistance from everyone to implement this project as we move forward with the Establishment of the Federal Republic of Mthwakazi (FREM).

It is our hope that with the funds received, we should move quickly to establish the provisional Department of Statistics that can drive this process to successful fruition. In the meantime, we shall be developing a simple tool for collecting data in the form of a questionnaire and call upon all adult citizens of Mthwakazi to volunteer their services to make this project a tremendous success.

As I sign off, I would like to invite all Mthwakazians to visit the FREM website at http://www.federalrepublicofmthwakazi.org. There you will find a lot of information, including the whole Draft Constitution, the National Anthem in words and audio and the Mthwakazi Sovereign Fund (MSF) framework. You will also find our three-stripe flag with the gold at the top representing our wealth, the green at the bottom representing our environment (its conservation and sustainable development) and with these two held together by red representing the blood of our forbearers. Please also have a look at and enjoy our national symbol, the Flame Lilly which we are reclaiming from both the European colonialists and the Zimbabwean regime.
   
I thank you

Dr Churchill Mpiyesizwe Guduza
Email: info@federalrepublicofmthwakazi.org