Protecting citizens from government abuse of power, poverty and its impact is not a partisan issue but a basic human right. When people of Matabeleland demand changes to the current governance structures, it is because of poor, real and perceived, safety and security in the region. Matabeleland citizens are disconnected from national policy because of their protected characteristics. Government structures and institutions are not a reflection of the diverse communities of the region; elected officials serve government interests in the region instead of serving the region’s interest in government.

When Zimbabwe gained its independence, allegiance immediately replaced rationality with ZANU PF’s unmistakeable demand for loyalty openly clashing with fundamental, inalienable human rights.  For their different social identity and worldview, people of Matabeleland have been on the receiving end of the ruling ZANU PF’s bigotry; they have seen their rights restricted or even withdrawn as the government tainted them with the same brush as Joshua Nkomo (leader of the opposition, PF ZAPU) and PF ZAPU who the pre-dominantly Shona government labelled dissident.

Over time, the abuses which were primarily targeted at Matabeleland in the early 1980s have been extended to every citizen who does not pay allegiance to ZANU PF. The average citizen is more vulnerable with ever declining living standards; the protections of the average person from abuse of power by government remain an illusion; power remains firmly in the hands of the absolutist elite few and the average citizen’s access to resources and opportunities is significantly restricted. Partisanship continues to cause damage in communities where decisions are based on political ideology, not public interest.

It would be naive to expect ZANU PF to change a political regime that serves its interests well. Since independence in 1980, ZANU PF has run a cult-like ideological allegiance where the country is intentionally divided along tribal lines and/ or political ideology. With blind allegiance comes irrationality; ZANU PF has made a point that difference leads to hostility not opportunities for negotiated compromise and growth. Keeping the majority Shona people united behind the party, systemic tribalism, and retaining control of information and political narrative have been essential to the party’s ability to maintain influence and control.

A transformation of the politics currently at play in the country is of immediate interest, so progress and results, and not partisanship, are core to decision-making and policy design. In the politics of postcolonial Zimbabwe where elite greed and bigotry have been turned into policy, obligation to the people has seemed to matter a great deal less than partisanship.

When people within the multiethnic Mthwakazi region call for structural and institutional reforms to governance in Zimbabwe, it is not a tribal issue but a pursuit of responsive governance systems and increasing local participation in decisions that matter; it is about trying realign national goals with provincial goals; it is about bringing national government down to the provinces and raising the provinces to national government.

Therefore, the question of dismantling and changing the Zimbabwean political regime, described above, is NOT about tribal rivalry but about replacing the toxic partisanship of today’s ZANU PF party with institutions that respect the core principles of Ubuntu and local traditions. It has become a constitutional imperative.

Access to opportunities, good healthcare and education are non-partisan issues, they are non-negotiable human rights issues. The right to progress is a human right not an ideological one. Far from tribalism, localism is not a tribal or partisan agenda but about ensuring those who are affected by decisions get to have a say in how the decisions are made; it is about accountability and allowing locals the opportunity and responsibility to lead their cause. It is about checks and balances at both the local and national government. What we witness on every day of Zimbabwe’s existence is the negative effect of partisanship; the frank disconnection between the elite and the average person’s interests; the impact of partisanship where selective accountability is resulting in inaction and excuses which have paralysed decision-making, primarily at the provincial level, and the significant issues of the day not being addressed, leaving the country’s future in jeopardy.

Clearly, partisanship has become Zimbabwe’s curse and a deep betrayal of Mthwakazi people and their interests. Under the current political regime, we have been conditioned to view choice as black and white; we too readily assume that everything has two sides and that we have the duty to belong to one or the other. Reality is completely different, such categorisation is not only unsafe, but also dangerously restrictive; we have many cases where there is one choice or a combination of options, all relevant to progress. People of Mthwakazi and the rest of Zimbabwe have a duty to be vigilant, to protect liberty, to speak out and disagree lest be trampled underfoot by misguided tribalism and extreme partisanship.