MTHWAKAZI INDEPENDENT

In colonial Rhodesia people’s value became their skin colour, as in independent Zimbabwe people have become their tribe. Success and failure are subjectively defined; how good or bad an act is, is tied with the tribe that has committed it; for one tribe, crimes are those committed by the other tribe.

Our lived reality in Mthwakazi is that when we speak of Zimbabwean independence, we do not speak as an independent demographic group but as victims of what has turned out to be an independence delusion. We have never seen independence – all we have seen is hypocrisy; we have not experienced any freedom but only a Zimbabwean nightmare.

The only thing worse than a corrupt ideology is an incompetent one, for having the second characteristic does not exclude the first one. We need to stop the act elevating incompetent individuals and/ or organisations to positions of authority within our space and knowledge will be vital in making objective decisions. Experience has taught us that superficial knowledge bears greater risk than ignorance. It gives a false sense of security encouraging an ignorant man to persevere in his efforts that can result in irreparable damage.

What we have come to appreciate is that the only way of predicting our future is creating it. Put least trust on politicians who are foremost to warn you against other tribes while presenting their tribal link with you as a solution. These are people who cannot see or judge themselves the way they see and judge others. Let us look beneath the surface and close the door to bad politics that gives ammunition to unscrupulous political merchants willing to sink to whatever depths for power.

Placing trust on mortal beings is futile; politicians are hypocrites who cannot see or judge themselves the way they see and judge others. Most, if not all, politicians are cunning and hypocritical beings who will say and do whatever it takes for them to grab influence and power from the people.

We have a responsibility as the public to be vigilant whenever politicians open their mouths to offer advice; read their minds not lips. Is the advice proffered in our best interest or cementing their authority? Given a chance, politicians will skip the option to control politics with us and instead control both us and politics.

When in an attempt to fight immorality, you ‘temporarily’ suspend your morals the outcome is never better morality but extreme immorality and carnage. One develops a sense of security and comfort in that state of immorality and fears any possible vulnerability that may emanate from reverting to what they always knew to be the right principles.

It does not even start to make sense that we talk of Mthwakazi restoration and Mthwakazi being safe for diversity yet want to be equally comfortable with the notion that all men are created equal, except ethnic Shonas! Whether we want to categorise ethnic Shona citizens of Matabeleland as foreigners, they are still people and equal to all. Imprisoning the whole tribe for crimes of a few is not justice; those guilty of Gukurahundi crimes must face the wrath of the law.

Revolutionaries create, it is time to apply a truly Mthwakazi political ideology – time to highlight Mthwakazi moral principles and stop counterfeiting ZANU PF and the MDC ideals as a base for setting ourselves free. We can only free ourselves by responding to our needs not fighting ZANU PF and the MDC. It is time to separate State morals from public morality and stop counter tribalism.

The quality of a leader must not be measured against their tribal background but against the quality of life they lead. Tribe, race, sex, etc. should not be a factor when choosing our leaders, insight must be. We want leaders who identify with our struggle; if there is any person or group who proves a high degree of understanding of our concerns and has proposals that we identify with; let them be given the chance to lead; simple as that.

Our freedom must be defined by us placing it against our norms and values and not in response to foreign values.  I repeat, we need to understand that we cannot address tribal politics applied by the MDC and ZANU PF by implementing tribal systems and institutions of our own. The only way of breaking MDC and ZANU PF tribalism will be through making their ideological posturing obsolete in our socio-political space. That means genuinely believing that all humans are created equal and treating them as such.

We will not effectively address the problem of political injustice in Mthwakazi and Zimbabwe when crimes continue to be subjectively defined without consideration of justifiable objective factors, when crimes are tolerated or punishable dependent on the tribe of the perpetrator. If tribalism is evil, it should be universally evil; I will hate for our youth to grow up believing that tribalism is forbidden therefore, all tribalists must be punished unless they were Ndebele who were abusive to ethnic Shona people. Last but not least, we have to realise freeing Mthwakazi is going to be a long process; we will need patient leaders prepared to plan and work on things one at a time.