Generations before us fought not against the white leaders but the oppressive laws and their systems brought in by white leaders of the time. In equal measure, we in Mthwakazi will not focus on tribe but the system and its laws and fight them. Our biggest let down has been those individuals, groups, movements and organisations who in this time of political decadence and great moral crisis opt to maintain their neutrality.
What our neutral brothers and sisters need to understand is that in a politics that strips people of their rights, dignity and freedoms, the public will not appreciate your neutrality; to them your neutrality is anything but neutral; it is nothing but an act of covertly siding with the oppressor.
We are free to break off the ZANU PF and MDC Alliance dominance but we have allowed perceived and real insecurities to hold us prisoner to the ideals of these two major parties in Zimbabwe. Our focus now must be the bringing out in the open what Mthwakazi really is.
Discipline is essential, while breaking free from rotten systems is our right, fear and anxiety must not be a catalyst in our decision-making process. Let us appreciate that fear and anxiety affect decision-making in the direction of more caution and risk aversion.
Naturally, a traumatised society will tend to have a bias towards cues of threat than other experiences, hence is bound to interpret ambiguous stimuli and situations as threatening, leading to more fear-driven decisions. We do not want to be that kind of society, we want reason to front our decisions.
No sane person is ever proud to participate in violence, and violence is not our primary call yet we remind every citizen to care enough for their freedom, dignity and peace that they remain ready and able to come to the rescue of our nation when and wherever needed.
To those rightfully unhappy with the politics playing out in Mthwakazi, you must understand that it (politics) is a process of our thinking, it can only change when how we think changes. We cannot be neutral because that is simply supporting the status quo, a state that has been damaging to Mthwakazi.
Holding onto the ZANU PF and the MDC Alliance faulty political manuscripts simply because we are failing to comprehend or we mistrust the future without these organisations is more damaging than saving the Mthwakazi people.
For us to gain respect from our Mashonaland cousins, we need to show them that our survival is not dependent on them. Mthwakazi is no longer going to present as a fragile flower, incapable of taking care of itself. We will use our gifts and talent to be self-sufficient. We want to re-establish our strong nation.
Out of an abundance of self-respect and a great desire to improve local lives, Mthwakazi must move on to change its thinking and with that its politics, and the pro-Mthwakazi agenda is our only banner – nothing in between.
This is the time to make it clear to those Mthwakazi communities and political groups or movements or organisations who refuse to judge, who neither agree nor disagree, who in an attempt to escape responsibility try and sell the MDC Alliance as Mthwakazi’s saviour that they are the people and organisations responsible for all the social, political and economic decay in our land. Mthwakazi must accept that reality is an absolute and we must start to challenge bad behaviour whenever and wherever it is taking place.
How politics is done in Mthwakazi will only change when how people are viewed changes. In this regard it would be necessary to stop acquainting ourselves with our weakness and start fighting for what is right by our nation.
Our people’s interests are at the heart of all we do. We believe that politics at its best is neither about having a leader from a tribe exclusively identified as a Mthwakazi tribe nor the mere acquisition of power nor accruing wealth for the elite nor giving out laws, regulations and commands but transforming people’s lives; it is about giving communities the best possible opportunities to better take control of their livelihoods.
To empower people, we need to actively invite them to participate in all processes of development features in their respective regions, after all they are the ones who can define what counts for development in their communities. People must feel ownership of projects being initiated and built in their regions.
Truth be told, Mthwakazi is poorer today because of the political stance taken by locals. We chose fear and neutrality over credibility; instead of fighting for the truth we ignored lies being delivered by the ZANU PF Mashonaland dominated government. As we face the reality that it is not in Mashonaland’s interest for Mthwakazi to be great again, we must accept too that to regain our greatness, taking a neutral position is siding with the oppressor. If we genuinely want political change in Mthwakazi we need to move away from neutrality, an apolitical stance is the worst position to adopt when dealing with a domineering predator in Mashonaland that has nothing to lose but all to benefit from our failure to choose a firm side.
MTHWAKAZI INDEPENDENT 