Mthwakazi needs no reminding that, apart from sibling rivalry and associated jealousy, there are no major identity problems between MDC formations and ZANU PF. These are siblings vying for attention from the public and have shown that their ambition for power knows no bounds.
Set politics aside for a moment, what we are witnesses to in Zimbabwe is sibling rivalry between and within the MDC formations and ZANU PF, all squabbling over the public attention; the rampant rivalry within this household has ramped up political impropriety to astronomic levels that Mthwakazi’s mediation skills, socio-political morality and motivation will never match.
It is not an anomaly for families to fight, let us not get carried away and start interfering in MDC formations and/ or ZANU PF internal affairs; all families fall out at one point or the other, but we must appreciate that all families have a very strong aversion to interference in their internal affairs. Mthwakazi must accept that the MDC formations and/ or ZANU PF feuds are family matters in which we play no role and we must be disciplined enough not to allow ourselves undue privilege to interfere.
A departure from mainstream politics that has vastly lost its constituency and credibility on the ground is in order. We will need to accept that we will never resolve the infighting and fighting between the mainstream siblings and we must learn to keep our noses out of the feuds.
What we have learned over the years is that the MDC formations and/ or ZANU PF interests are separate from Mthwakazi’s, their feuds are never about changing the political essentials to ensure a just society in which Zimbabwean political systems and the supporting institutions are fully inclusive. Both parties take a casual disregard for our needs.
We cannot calm down a storm; we will do well to recognise that we will never safeguard our liberties by interfering with MDC formations and/ or ZANU PF issues. These siblings draw and share from common moral norms and values; they have an unbreakable bond and share an open mandate to protect ethnic Shona privilege.
History teaches us that whenever some Matabeleland individuals have let their guard down and accepted the invitation to play the role of referees in the disputes within the political sphere of these siblings (MDC formations and ZANU PF) it’s the Mthwakazi citizens who have come out worse off from the process while the siblings settled their differences and converged to exclude everybody else.
I repeat, our best and only option to progressive politics lies in the retention of our manners and keeping out of the MDC formations and/ or ZANU PF shenanigans while putting more effort on empowering our region and by extension ourselves. When we change the way we do politics, politics will change the outcomes of our lived experiences; we must depart from the consensus that tells us the removal of ZANU PF from power is our solution and only the MDC Alliance will do that; thus, all must blindly rally behind the Alliance regardless of the evident philosophical deficiencies and democratic breaches.
We need to take our politics off the out of touch mainstream parties to the grassroots level and work closely with our communities to unite, remove fear and stigma among people. There is circulating misinformation and disinformation aimed at tarnishing the image of the pro-Mthwakazi agenda. It is not one of pro-Mthwakazi agenda’s aim to expel citizens from certain ethnic groups. People need to understand the fight is against the systems and the facets that protect it, and not to create – in Mthwakazi – an exclusive society.
We will never enhance discriminatory policies but will advance toward an all-inclusive dynamic Mthwakazi society. We are under no illusion that Mthwakazi is a diverse and a multi-ethnic nation, and we will fight for the protection of the rights of all who call Mthwakazi home irrespective of their views, racial and ethnic background.
As evidence from the poor public service performances of MDC formations and ZANU PF legislators illustrates, poor socioeconomic and political service delivery interrupts activity outcomes for all, not only certain ethnic groups and races. Courageously working as one for one Mthwakazi is the only way to effectively constrict the influence of the MDC Alliance and ZANU PF and develop our region.
We know our needs and wants, now we need to identify and vote for our best people whom we will confidently delegate authority and leave to do the work of strengthening the region without interference, so long as they carry out the public mandate. We are clear the right candidates will be pro-Mthwakazi individuals and organisations.
Before we seek to feed the world, let us feed our families; before we seek to protect the world, let us protect our villages; before we accept mediation roles in MDC/ ZANU PF feuds, let us find peace in our communities. Mthwakazi’s hope for political progress lies outside of the mainstream politics dominated by MDC formations and ZANU PF. Ethnicity and tribe must not be a factor when it comes to protecting human rights. We will defiantly fight for the rights of all individuals and groups who call Mthwakazi home.
MTHWAKAZI INDEPENDENT 