via ZAPU blames ZNA for discrimination | The Zimbabwean 22 July 2014 by Nelson Sibanda
The Zimbabwe African People’s Union has accused the army of discriminating against youths from Matabeleland and other ‘side-lined’ provinces and preventing them from joining the force.
Party spokesperson Mjobise Noko said there was a deliberate marginalisation of some regions, especially Matabeleland, by government, regarding the defence forces and civil service recruitment.
He dismissed the statement last week by a senior army officer that “We tend to get overwhelming responses (to recruitment drives) from other provinces, but we always have a headache getting interested recruits from Matabeleland.”
A reader of The Zimbabwean, Mandlag Mbho, informed us that his nephew in Kezi passed the recruiter’s 21km race and had all the required qualifications of making it in the army. “He and nine others were chosen but a truck full of about 200 Zanu youths came and took their places. The 10 were told to go back home bazobafonela till today from last year khonale. What do you call that?” he said.
COMMENTS
No reason not to believe this story coz of the conflation of the national army and the ruling party.Taking into account that the ruling party doesn’t have even a snippet of trustworthy in their veins.
Brothers understand one thing: there will never be a Ndebele, Karanga, Manyika, White or Coloured person in any position of power in Zim. Only zezuru is the chosen tribe…….. even though this is 2014 and 90% of us don’t have time for all this racist/tribalism nonsense, some are still stuck in the stone age behaving no better than magudo nenzara! God help us!
It doesnt matter – discrimination or no discrimination; stop joining the gukurahundi army. Mthwakazi should only join once there is a democratic-oriented army; not this outfit of thugs. Only people without a conscience would ever join such bunch of oppressors.
The Zim army is only there to maintain gukurahundi Mugabe’s power and harassing civilians and opposition parties and supporters – is that what you people want to do? Is this what you are crying for?
Unknown to them, this is good for the youths. I’m told soldiers from Matabeleland are actually deployed in the forefront during dangerous combat like that one in the DRC.
You can say this and that but the truth after learning and working in Matebeleland I discovered that most youth from Matebeleland drop out of school around year 7 or prefer to go ‘”eGoli ” as Injiva! As such when academic qualifications are called for they are found wanting. The other issue is that most of them are preoccupied with the Gurahudi issue so much so that they are suspicious of almost, if not all government programs. Its time all Zimbabweans got on the train of development, otherwise , some will be left behind. Indigenous South Africans did not want to work in the mines and their government had no choice but to recruit manpower from outside the country(Wenela), but when that happen former cried foul.
Not true, we have heard that lie before. We have a lot of unemployed youths who hold very high qualifications but they are not considered if they apply. I have worked in some private companies which were taken over by shona speaking people and these companies prefer a mwanawekumusha recruitment policy. Shonas a vusible in every intersection in Johannesburg some vending and some begging. More shonas than Zimbabwean ndebele’s in Johannesburg if you ask me.
Shonas are more visible in Jhb because they speak, Ndebeles(people from Matebeleland) easily speak Zulu/Xhosa/Sotho so they blend in faster and better with the local population.
Shonas are more visible in Jhb because they speak Shona, Ndebeles(people from Matebeleland) easily speak Zulu/Xhosa/Sotho so they blend in faster and better with the local population.
@The future
My guess is that you were born after 1980; possibly even in the 1990s. Therefore in that respect, your tribalistic and ignorant views are understandable; though I consider them not only totally stupid, but very foolish indeed.
The views that you are expressing here are the predominantly post 1980 views that have been popularised by gukurahundi ZANU PF through their 1979 Grand Plan; whilst at the same time deploying Shonas to Matebeleland in all spheres of life to squeeze out the Mthwakazi people from all opportunities in their region, in order to justify the same views that you are expressing here; thus leaving them with no choice but to trek down to South Africa and Botswana in search of opportunities there.
What you are totally ignorant of is that; before Shonas started crowding us in Matebeleland, that is in the 1970s – all our schools were full of excelling students. There were very few places were you would find Shonas being the majority. This even includes Colleges.
Of its black employees; the Rhodesia Railways Headquarters in Bulawayo were predominantly Matebeleland people. Even Mpilo Hospital and many other such places – government offices etc.
So tell us; how come the Matebelalnd people are no longer qualifying for anything now that the government is a Shona government; whilst they could under a white government?
Explain to us why most Matebeleland people make it outside Zimbabwe than they do inside Zimbabwe; even in small businesses? This they have been doing since the 1980s when the Shonas chased them out through their gukurahundi invasion of Matebeleland.
We have people like Sifiso Dabengwa who is the Chief Executive of the biggest Mobile phone Company in Africa; is he a Shona? Did he drop out from school as you say?
What about Trevor Ncube? What about Mthuli Ncube at the African Development Bank? I can go on and on; mentioning doctors who are here in South Africa and all over the world – suffice to say, I hope you get the message notwithstanding the fact that you are a Shona gukurahundi tribalistic skunk!!
Anti-Ndebele Shona tribalism stinks to high heavens in Zimbabwe. ZANU PF made sure that it becomnes so engrained in your minds; such that it seems so normal to you people.
ZANU PF has made sure that the abnormality has become so normal that you dont even realise that your prejudices against fellow citizens are actually driven by the gukurahundi Shona environment in which you were brought up. An environment created for the simple purpose of keeping you on their side as voting fodder given your numbers.
Sometimes I pity those from Matebeleland, who are fighting hard in the corner of Shona political leaders and Shona-led political parties.
They think a Shona will ever change; hoping one day they will also be treated equally as equal citizens. But alas; I have told most of my Mthwakazi friends that forget it – at best a Shona can just pretend in ordEr to silence you; but change – he will never.
Shona hatred of Ndebele people is engrained and pulpable it will never end. You could have thought that in gukurahundi, they revenged enough; but as you can see – the hatred remains no matter what!!
The future I beg to differ. This education thing is no longer a Ndebele thing. These boys drop out of school early and those that go to South Africa are forced to do so because their parents can not find work. If they do find work it does not pay enough. The Education system is such that I would not hire someone because of his qualifications because a lot of them are fake anyhow. Do you remember the Government official who got his relative the test paper before his exam? Do you remember how many times test papers have been discover wrapping ground nuts for sale before an exam? Why do you thing there are so many Educated imbeciles in Zanu that believe that you can get diesel out of a rock? What Government programs are you talking about? They have all been a failure. A few years ago we had some Engineers trying to start a motor they had just overhauled. They failed so they stripped it and fail again. One of the workers who we knew to be a man that fixed cars as a hobby offered some advice and was told he knew nothing and he must just keep to his job. After a third attempt one of the Engineers suggested the try the man’s solution out. They called him and with in a hour that engine was purring like a cat. They took all the credit and the man continued with his cleaning job. Sound familiar? So much with Zimbabwean academic qualifications. Of course some are genuine but in Bambazonke a lot are fake.
Doctor do little
You are trying very hard to ensure Shonas accept other people; given your stated views that you see no colour and no tribe.
Im sorry – you are now sounding desperate; as every day, more and evidence of Shona tribalism against Matebeleland people keeps popping up – leaving you red faced.
Good luck mfanekhaya; if ever you succeed in showing these people what UBUNTU is all about!!
Straight Shooter all I can be is what I am. Some will respect me, some will tolerate me, some will hate me. I cannot change what I am. I do see the bad in people as much as I see the good in some people. As a Christian I have to feel if one person changes through what I say then I am sure God will bless me. I had the occasion to work for one of the biggest Law firms in London. With me was a Zimbabwean girl of Mixed race. She was into litigation. We almost attracted like a Magnet this daughter of mine and me. Just by attitude she said to me Babba I knew just when I looked at you you were from back home. I can remember laughing at a joke I made about home we laughed so hard that we did not see a client had walked up to us and was standing there. We composed ourselves ans apologized. The client looked at us and said”please continue. I have never seen such a laugh with such enjoyment” The Girl was from Harare with a Shona mother and a half shona father. My piont is Icannot hate the multitudes I don’t know. I can blame those that lead for continuing to allow us to hate.
People respond in accordance to how you relate to them. If you approach them on the basis of violence, that’s how they’ll react. But if you say, ‘We want peace, we want stability,’ we can then do a lot of things that will contribute towards the progress of our society.
Nelson Mandela
Doctor do little
Do you know that Mthwakazi provinces are the most peaceful provinces today in Zim?
Shonas are everywhere in these provinces because they are safe; they are not attacked; they buy properties, no one burns them down as they do in South Africa or as they the Shonas did to Ndebele properties in Harare,Gweru and Kwekwe in the 1980s.
They speak their Shona languages throughout every nook and cranny of the Mthwakazi provinces, still Mthwakazi accommodates them using their Shona languages, unlike in South Africa or Botswana, where locals insist on their languages in their regions, and if you dont understand its to hell with you.
Shona political leaders and their parties are popularly supported in these provinces even more than those led by Mthwakazi politicians.
Now, if people respond in accordance with the way you relate to them, where is the accommodative response from the Shona, given what I have just stated above?
Instead,Mthwakazi 34 years down the line after the Shona gukurahundi revenge, continue being vilified left right and centre. We are accused of tribalism for demanding our constitutional rights.
Read the article on Obert Mpofu speaking Ndebele in Parliament on NewZimbabwe.com – you will see that, you nicenesss is for sure getting you nowhere!!
About peace in Matabeleland you speak the truth. That can have nothing to do with my own convictions other than to say that I will not hate. It is a disease that kills the soul.For me it is to say it is well with my soul. The quotation as you know is from a man whom although I never met I loved and respected. I read some of his quotes occasionally and they give me a lot of comfort. I don’t want to speak about myself so I will leave you with more from the Great man(which I suspect you have read)
Our human compassion binds us the one to the other – not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.
Nelson Mandela
Doctor do little
Stating facts as they are in order to chart the way forward is not hating. No nation has ever been built on pretences; no nation has ever been built on lies. Only the truth shall set you free.
No one said you should hate. I also dont hate, but will not stop SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER, because it is only in the truth that I believe a more sustainable future for Zim can be guaranteed.
These secessionist movements that you see today sprouting up here and there in Matebeleland are a result of lies and a dishonest leadership. Where people sign up to one thing, but in practice do the complete opposite!!
Hey Straight Shooter, You and the Doc I feel are at cross purposes here and it looks like you are banging him for the wrong reasons, because he is looking at the situation from a totaly unbiased point of view.
@Future-your comment clearly shows that you are one of those who waste vital time today to discriminate the few Ndebeles who are trying to struggle for survival without clear conscience.@Doctor do little-well said,I laugh at these so-called engineers from our many universities because they cannot work on an engine or change a plug of an electric kettle without calling a siyaso guy.
My friend’s engine was so damaged that I had to intervene after three attempts with total disasters whereby a crankshaft was welded and grounded without final polishing which is madness to say the least.What kind of an engineer does that?Our education is no longer valued as it used to be in the eighties.The new graduates are just a waste of time to hire because they would damage your sophisticated equipment if you happen to have some.
It is not true to say Ndebeles are dropouts at grade 7 because Harare streets have thousands of these street kids,therefore I can only conclude that they are also dropouts of high grades according to @Future.Is that future Mr Future?Let me advise you that we in Mateleland are always one to two steps ahead of the rest of the country on issues involving our cheap politics so do not waste your time trying to down grade us without facts.
Mixed race
I thought Engineers design things/projects; they dont make things. It is my view that artisans; mechanics etc make/repair things under the supervision of the designers!!
The interesting thing is that despite “The Future”‘s tribalistic views; the majority of poor people in Zimbabwe are Shona; the majority of school drop outs within and without Zimbabwe are Shona; the majority of beggars in South African streets are Shona; the majority of illegal Zim immigrants in every South African town and region are Shona!!
Growing up under ZANU PF tribal politics is really a pain in the ass for some of these Pikininis!!
@Straight shooter-this is exactly what I mean,you need engineers who plan or design something and make a working model for the artisans to produce in masses.You go to places like Japan you will see designers in the production line with their artisans.
Mixed Race
No, but you guys are talking of Engineers as people who fix things – that is my point of departure!
Well, you said it there Straight Shooter, the majority suffering in and outside Zim are Shonas.
And that’s because ZANU doesn’t care what tribe or colour you are.
Waste of time though as you are so full of hatred for the Shona.
Ngoto Zimbwa
Well, the Shonas can suffer, it serves them right. They are responsible for the entrenched and consolidated power of Mugabe and ZANU PF today. Go back to the BBC news archives and you will see how arrogant Shona people where when things were going their way in the 1980s.
Had the 1980 and 1985 elections not beein tribal, and turned out a more balanced outcome of say 50% ZANU PF and 49% PF ZAPU representation in Parliament, ZANU PF would have never grown this powerful. It would have found it impossible to pass legislation that created a one-party dictatorship.
As for your accusation that I am full of hatred for the Shona; read the NewZimbabwe article on how the Minister of Transport Obert Mpofu was treated in Parliament by the Shona Deputy speaker, for exercising his democratic right to speak his mother tongue Ndebele – this will make you understand where I am coming from.
Zimbabwe is simply a Shona gukurahundi tribalistic state – the evidence is all there in the public domain. How on earth do you deny people their rights as stated in the constitution and you claim you are a modern, non sexist, non racist, non tribal progressive state?
I am not surprised by that treatment of Mpofu by the speaker, afterall they are both ZANU.
But one man’s behavior, shameful though it may be, does not translate or reflect a whole people’s attitude.
This deputy speaker is an idiot just like all in ZANU.
I remember being threatened with death in Botswana way back in ’75 by one or two of my fellow Ndebele refugees, all because I should have gone to Moza.
I don’t hate the Ndebeles, I in fact have many friends from Matland.
Ngoto
Well the evils of the 1970s or even before were largely a creation of the then white administration to keep blacks divided so they could not speak and fight with one voice against the common enemy. To a large extent, we were all products of this environment.
That can not be compared with 2014, when we now have an all black government; and an all black parliament that is supposed to ensure that as black people, all take pride our languages and cultures that define us as Africans, not Europeans.
Make an effort and checks most of these languages – there are similar words right across them; which means we are essentially one people. So one wonders why, a Shona would hate the Ndebele language.
Examples:
Mehlo/eyes (Ndebele/Zulu/Swati; Meso (Shona); Maitho (Swahili).
Phansi/down (Ndebele/Zulu); Phasi (Venda); Pasi (Shona); Famba/lets go/go/walk (Tsonga/Shngani); Hamba (Ndebele/Zulu); Famba (Shona))!
Ngoto Zimbwa
What are you saying about THE FUTURE’s tribalism in his contribution above? Tribalism that is largely influenced by a gukurahundi ZANU PF upbringing, if you ask me.
It seems you only see hatred and tribalism in other people other than the Shona people. You are very funny indeed!!
You follow my posts and surely you have noted my support for those who perpetrated the gukurahundi atrocities being brought to book.
Tribalism like racism, should not be tolerated at all but with people like you and that deputy speaker around, there is no chance.
Ngoto Zimbwa It is with sadness that we talk and one will not acknowledge what the other says. I believe you when you say what you say. At the end of the day we may be slammed by people because we will not hate. It means a lot to me when I see I am not alone.Yesterday it was the whites. A lot of them on this forum refuse to be distracted by the hate going around. Today it is people like us. I don’t dislike straight shooter. In fact I think he makes a lot of sense. I just don’t agree with his presentation. I think it breeds more hate. I don’t want to dwell on this subject any more or else we are taking our eye off the ball. The argument here is exactly what Zanu pf want. Just like the renewal topic.
Doctor do little.
You dont want to dwell on this subject any more because you want to wish it away and pretend everything is hunky dory when we all know its not.
That is not the way you build a united nation. You build a nation by looking each other in the eye; eye ball to eye ball and engaging like the the South Africans did, when they set up the TRC.
I have always found it very interesting that many Zimbabweans find it easy to diss whites; talk about racism but find it hard to discuss/debate tribalism, despite it now being our biggest problem today in Zim,far more than racism, mara why?
The reason I don’t want to dwell on it is because instead of debating you keep tying to force you perceived actions and ways down someone’s throat. Hunky dory???? Where have you been man.
Im not forcing any one. Its just another point of view that you may not be aware of!!
Ngoto Zimbwa
Hell no; I am just reacting to conditions prevailing on the ground in Zimbabwe. What that Deputy Speaker said to Obert Mpofu in Parliament is characteristic of the majority of the Shona people, with very few exceptions. They simply dont understand the Constitution they signed up to.
Unlike others I dont pretend nor simply look the other way. I speak my mind; that is why you say I am a tribalist. I know I’m not. It is the offender who is the problem here, not the offended; ie the one who reacts.
Even Mugabe once responded to a question, as to why as a Catholic he does not believe in turning the other cheek, by saying he does indeed believe in turning the other cheek, but the problem is that he only has two cheeks, not three.
In other words; how long can you go on turning the other cheek when you have been and are still being discriminated against on tribal grounds everyday for the past 34 years. And this, despite the gukurahundi revenge, which we thought had settled everything once and for all. I guess you get my drift!!
Don’t lie about education,i’m in the system we have many shonaz who dropped out of school but managed to be employed by army
Rukweza
I like your objectivity. With people like you, I am sure we can build a far more progressive modern day Zimbabwe, with all its people united in their diversity. We can indeed forever bury the ZANU PF tribal political culture that has messed up the impressionable minds of many Shona youngsters of today!!
The posts have generally become less strident in their nature, which can only be a good thing for fruitful debate.
Quite agree that Smith’s regime wanted to keep the blacks divided.
The same can be said about this black government we have in Zim.
It thrives on division and what better way to do it but by feeding the tribalism ghost.
The times when the gukurahundi theme is set aside, we get quite a lot of reasonable suggestions from Straight shooter, must be said.
Sadly, there are many in ZANU who use the gullible majority to do their dirty work, ensuring that the feeling of resentment in the minority will forever fester.
The current situation in Gaza is equivalent to the suffering of Ndebeles in Zimbabwe. Ndebeles are prisoners in their own land, denied of any rights.