Zimbabwean politics is set out to disable Matabeleland; it compromises every socioeconomic and political indicator in the region. However, disabling as the Zimbabwean politics maybe, the way Matabeleland is dealing with it is even more damaging. Matabeleland needs to act!
The universe will not hand Matabeleland what she asks for with her imaginations but it will give her what she demands with her actions. Arguably, the making of Matabeleland is our actions and our omissions. We have by now learned that even the deepest political comprehension is useless if it cannot translate into a transformation of the lives of ordinary people.
If Matabeleland is to transform herself completely, the politics needs to abandon all the grand theories and start doing what will truly change the region’s circumstances. That calls for objective, practical and effective modes of operation within the region.
Let us put to bed the hope that Harare will ever rest and allow Matabeleland control of anything. Instead, we must learn to navigate the politics that Harare presides over. Although local socio-political organisations may need to recreate themselves in the process, the role of the various local socio-political organisations should not be to complicate the socio-political environment, but simplify it; our politics needs to be proactive and be profoundly led by our needs.
We have a proud history and a rich culture on which we must be building our politics, and that will be good enough to degrade and destroy the rapidly expanding Harare influence in Matabeleland.
It is admirable to be ambitious and courageous for without courage everything else is threatened. The challenge for Matabeleland remains proving to itself that it can survive without input from Harare but we need to keep our feet on the ground and always be reasonable with the goals and timescales we set ourselves. The idea is to proactively identify practical actions that will help empower Matabeleland.
Independence is about liberating people not just geographical territories. Matabeleland appears to have temporarily given herself up, we are now at a point where many are no longer feeling the need to stop and evaluate whether or not they are satisfied. We need to act: pain is temporary yet quitting lasts a lifetime. We have learned that Harare is non-responsive to anything Mthwakazian, localising our politics thus remains the best, if not the only way forward.
Zimbabwean independence cannot be expected to solve the crisis it has created in Matabeleland. There is objectively no convergence between Zimbabwean systems and Matabeleland traditions, desires and aspirations. Matabeleland needs to be proactive to tackle the imbalances in the internal socioeconomic and political fundamentals.
MTHWAKAZI INDEPENDENT 