Mthwakazi launches fresh bid for secession

The Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) has reignited its push for secession from Zimbabwe by formally petitioning the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to mediate negotiations with the Harare government.

In a letter dated May 20 and addressed to SADC executive secretary Elias Magosi in Gaborone, Botswana, MRP leader Mqondisi Moyo appealed to the regional bloc to intervene, claiming the people of Mthwakazi were being subjected to "dehumanisation and elimination."

"Mthwakazi people are counting on their extended family, the SADC, to rescue them," Moyo stated in the petition. "I therefore request that SADC invites representatives of the Zimbabwe government and people of Mthwakazi, including MRP and any other relevant organisation or individual, to the negotiating table."

Moyo also called on SADC to involve the United Kingdom and the British Royal Family in the proposed discussions, arguing that Britain played a central role in the colonial dismantling of the Mthwakazi territory. He cited the 1923 dissolution of the Jameson Line, which had demarcated boundaries between Matebeleland and Mashonaland during the colonial period, as a historical grievance that needed to be addressed.

The SADC secretariat acknowledged receipt of the petition on May 20, but had not publicly responded as of the time of publication. This is not the first time MRP has approached the regional body - a similar petition was submitted in September 2023.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has consistently dismissed MRP's secessionist calls, maintaining that Zimbabwe remains a unitary state as recognised by the United Nations. He has previously warned activists, particularly those affiliated with MRP, that pushing for a breakaway republic is a dangerous path.

Despite this, the MRP remains undeterred. The party is campaigning for the establishment of an independent Mthwakazi Republic, which would encompass all three Matebeleland provinces and parts of the Midlands.

Moyo said the party's latest petition was inspired by a recent memorandum of understanding signed between SADC and the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) - also known as Western Sahara - in April. That agreement signaled the bloc's support for SADR's quest for self-determination and independence from Moroccan control.

"For both historical and contemporary reasons stated in the accompanying letter, the people of Mthwakazi seek to secede from Zimbabwe," Moyo submitted. "Seceding from Zimbabwe is the only avenue for our people to regain full human status; otherwise, under Zimbabwe we continue as second-class citizens."

The MRP continues to advocate for what it calls historical justice and restoration of autonomy, despite growing opposition from central government and limited traction within regional and international diplomatic circles.