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Tribal card will not work

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THE political disturbances that rocked Matabeleland, Midlands, stretching as far as Zvimba in the early 1980s and known as Gukurahundi, are not a secret.
Casualties were there as some civilians were affected when the Government of the day was eliminating dissidents who were wreaking havoc. However, as we move forward, no doubt there is need for closure pertaining Gukurahundi.
It is therefore unfortunate that some politicians, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and many so-called activists-cum-regime change agents are using Gukurahundi to further the interests of their sponsors. The sponsors are from the West, while some are just next door in South Africa.
The likes of Zenzele Ndebele, Ibbo Mandaza and Mqondisi Moyo, among others, have literally hijacked the Gukurahundi discourse.
It’s unfortunate that such people, educated as they are, cannot realise that Matabeleland North and South or Bulawayo are not different from any other province in Zimbabwe.
Whipping up emotions through the Gukurahundi narrative will not work.
Quislings like MDC-T president Nelson Chamisa leave a lot to be desired.
How does he come to the conclusion that Matabeleland people are a ‘forgotten people’ when numerous developmental programmes are actually lined up by Government?
In fact, President Emmerson Mnagagwa was recently in Matabeleland to assess the situation on the ground and Chamisa must watch this space. Chamisa says if elected, he would stop the ‘Shonalisation’ of Zimbabwe and that he would ensure that after him, the nation would have a Ndebele president.
It is still uncertain how Chamisa intends to keep this political promise, particularly when democracy comes into play.
And then we have the misfit called Mthwakazi, founded in September 2013. People from this Mthwakazi grouping went around disturbing consultative meetings by the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) in Matabeleland.
It’s said Mthwakazi had a problem with the ‘tribal composition’ of the commissioners which they said was not in the interest of the region.
Isn’t that absurd!
Misfits from Mthwakazi and other agents of regime change are the ones who advocate the allocation of Ndebele teachers only in Ndebele schools. They are the ones who preach heresy that ‘Shonas must not have roles to play in Matabeleland because they don’t belong there’.
They are so wrong.
That is why in this issue we carry another story highlighting that indeed the majority of the people in Matabeleland are Shona.
It is indisputable and our so-called academics and the sell-outs in our midst know that, but choose to be conviniently ignorant about it.
We at The Patriot say Matabeleland must not be abused by people seeking cheap political relevance.
We have said Cecil John Rhodes and his crew invaded Matabeleland on the pretext of protecting the Shona from the Ndebele.
And today, NGOs flood Matabeleland on the pretext of safeguarding Ndebeles from the Shonas, while politicians like Chamisa abuse Matabeleland through cheap politicking.
However, away from Zimbabwe, it’s actually a pity the tribal card remains the most (ab)used tool in African politics.
In Kenya, there are often violent clashes between the Kikuyu and the Luo. This is despite the fact there are at least 42 tribes in that country.Tribalism in Kenya dates back to the colonial era.
From 1920 to 1963, Kenya was under the rule of the British who used the divide and rule method of governing.
For years, they played one community against another, in particular the Kikuyus and Luos whom they considered a threat owing to their big numbers.
The case of Rwanda is an example of how far people can go in black-on-black violence, cheered on and abetted by outside forces.
We, as Zimbabweans, must guard against outside forces who are working tirelessly to divide us in order to effect regime change.
There must be no problem about Shona-speaking people in Matabeleland and there must be no issues about Ndebele-speaking people in Mashonaland.
We must, as Zimbabweans, openly discuss the Gukurahundi disturbances because it happened and we must also appreciate that as much as we have a shared past, we have a shared future as one people.
The ‘tribal card’ will never work — indeed, it must not be allowed to work.

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