News / National
MRP defends calls for Mthwakazi restoration
8 hrs ago | Views
The Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) has defended its calls for the restoration of Mthwakazi, insisting that the movement should not be mischaracterised as reckless secessionism but as a legitimate pursuit of justice, accountability, and the right to self-determination.
MRP leader Mqondisi Moyo said the call arose from decades of systemic marginalisation, socio-economic exclusion, and the 1980s mass killings in Matabeleland and Midlands, commonly referred to as the Gukurahundi massacres. According to the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe, at least 20 000 people were killed during this period.
"The MRP call is a response to deep historical wounds from the atrocities of Gukurahundi, to the continued dispossession of land and opportunities, and the systematic erasure of Mthwakazi's identity and voice within the national narrative," Moyo said.
He emphasised that the party's movement is rooted in peaceful, principled advocacy rather than violence or revenge.
"It calls for recognition, restitution and reparation, a peaceful and principled movement grounded in the ideals of restorative justice, truth and dialogue. It seeks to break the silence, expose complicity, and challenge the comfortable myths long used to justify and protect oppressive regimes disguised as liberators," Moyo said.
The government has repeatedly maintained that Zimbabwe will remain a unitary state and has warned activists against secessionist calls. However, Moyo insisted the MRP would continue its push for self-determination.
"This vision calls for the creation of a sovereign Mthwakazi State, governed by its own democratic institutions, accountable leadership, and a system free from the centralised authoritarianism of Zanu-PF," he said.
"Far from being a retreat into isolation, this is a progressive and forward-looking pursuit — one that champions self-governance, economic emancipation, and the cultural revival of a long-silenced nation."
The statement comes as Zimbabwe continues to grapple with the legacy of Gukurahundi, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa recently tasking chiefs to conduct public hearings aimed at achieving closure for affected communities.
MRP leader Mqondisi Moyo said the call arose from decades of systemic marginalisation, socio-economic exclusion, and the 1980s mass killings in Matabeleland and Midlands, commonly referred to as the Gukurahundi massacres. According to the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe, at least 20 000 people were killed during this period.
"The MRP call is a response to deep historical wounds from the atrocities of Gukurahundi, to the continued dispossession of land and opportunities, and the systematic erasure of Mthwakazi's identity and voice within the national narrative," Moyo said.
He emphasised that the party's movement is rooted in peaceful, principled advocacy rather than violence or revenge.
"It calls for recognition, restitution and reparation, a peaceful and principled movement grounded in the ideals of restorative justice, truth and dialogue. It seeks to break the silence, expose complicity, and challenge the comfortable myths long used to justify and protect oppressive regimes disguised as liberators," Moyo said.
The government has repeatedly maintained that Zimbabwe will remain a unitary state and has warned activists against secessionist calls. However, Moyo insisted the MRP would continue its push for self-determination.
"This vision calls for the creation of a sovereign Mthwakazi State, governed by its own democratic institutions, accountable leadership, and a system free from the centralised authoritarianism of Zanu-PF," he said.
"Far from being a retreat into isolation, this is a progressive and forward-looking pursuit — one that champions self-governance, economic emancipation, and the cultural revival of a long-silenced nation."
The statement comes as Zimbabwe continues to grapple with the legacy of Gukurahundi, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa recently tasking chiefs to conduct public hearings aimed at achieving closure for affected communities.
Source - Southern Eye
