Category: Nonviolent resistance
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The error of surrendering your power because you do not know you have it
If we are to predict the future, we must be prepared to have the power to shape the future. The good thing is that we all have power to transform the political landscape of Matabeleland, the bad thing is not everyone knows they have got it. To use power effectively we first have to know […]
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Is violent resistance by the Matabeleland movement justifiable?
Jostling for basics in life typifies civil society struggles under a ZANU PF government in an independent Zimbabwe. The Independence has been nothing short of a disaster for civil society; it has upended the lives of people of all generations, races, tribes and all regions, but its effects have been especially devastating for Matabeleland and […]
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Matabeleland movement programmes need to protect society from elite capture
Divide and conquer tactics and the deception of independence is not going unnoticed in Matabeleland; we did not fight colonial rule so we could be open to oppression by a black government. The Matabele bourgeoisie promoted by Harare will neither heal nor silence the brutalised majority. Decades of damaging mental prison has left the region […]
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Why Gukurahundi atrocities must be remembered
Great Britain was not responsible for the Gukurahundi genocide, but it did not use its obvious influence in Zimbabwe to stop the brutality. To Matabeleland, memories of the time are essential because that is the best way of keeping the atrocities real in our minds. When the Mugabe regime authorised the use of a specially […]
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Why election boycott is a weak tool
Raising questions of the credibility of the election institutions in Zimbabwe has become part and parcel of the election process. The electoral process is seriously flawed and no one has shown serious intention to fix the situation which is no wonder some Matabeleland movements are now convinced boycotting elections is our strongest tool.
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Counter injustice is no form of justice
Voicing our concerns about a vengeance based political doctrine and advocating against retaliatory strategies should not be misconstrued for cowardice; we are not cowards for not having faith in emotionally charged strategies that target specific population groups for abuse, and attempt to create a moral code that celebrates hatred against other humans. An ethnic Shona […]
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Pro-Mthwakazi and protest politics
Kicking up defenceless folk, gratuitous provocation of specific communities and ignoring the devastating impact of tribalism has been the signature model of a calamitous ZANU PF government. Matabeleland’s experience is that ZANU PF’s Zimbabwe is brutal, perverse, regressive, insular and fearful of difference. In it lies no hope for peaceful coexistence of different races and […]
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Learn how Zimbabwean politics and institutions shape poverty in Mthwakazi
Until you have insight of features of slavery, you cannot fight it; until you are able to define your freedom in your own words and freely live your life within that definition, you are not free. For Mthwakazi people to set themselves free, they need to have an understanding that within the borders of Zimbabwe […]
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Strengthen local politics to rebuild a nation
Do not believe the oppressor’s interpretation of the victim’s behaviour, listen to the oppressed. Becoming conscious of tribalism and confronting it wherever it raises its ugly head does not make one a tribalist. Pro-Mthwakazi groups and individuals who highlight and challenge tribalism in Zimbabwe must not be confused with the real tribalists in government.
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We can’t afford neutrality
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 […]
MTHWAKAZI INDEPENDENT 