THE Matabeleland-based Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) has launched a campaign to collect at least 20 000 signatures to petition government to bring closure to the contentious Gukurahundi issue.
Source: MRP advocates for closure of Gukurahundi issue – NewsDay Zimbabwe October 4, 2016
BY KHANYILE MLOTSHWA
MRP acting spokesperson, Ackim Gasela Mhlanga, said they would handover the petition that was being circulated on social media platforms.
“Each signature represents an individual soul lost through the genocide between 1982 and 1987,” he said.
The petition also narrates the continued marginalisation of people from Matabeleland and Midlands areas, where an estimated 20 000 civilians were killed by an army unit during the Gukurahundi massacres.
“The petition will be handed over to the government of Zimbabwe, neighbouring countries such as South Africa, Botswana and Zambia, AU, her majesty the Queen of England, Britain, Sadc, UN (United Nations), EU (European Union) and religious organisations,” he said.
The petition is posted on an online platform, ipetitions.com and to sign, one has to choose the options given on the page, and has to state the village of origin, kraal head, chief, province and where he or she is currently based.
Mhlanga said the petition was inspired by a standing United Nations resolution regarding the autonomy and self-determination of all minority groups, whose human rights were being denied and their dignity trampled on by their majority ethnic groups anywhere in the world.
By midday yesterday, 188 people had signed the petition, which outlines the history of Matabeleland from colonisation by the British South Africa Company (BSAC) to present day Zimbabwe.
“We are aware, however, that after the invasion and conquest of Mthwakazi by the BSAC, the British crown granted the Royal Charter of Incorporation to this company conferring it will all the powers of a government on all lands north of the Limpopo River,” Mhlanga said.
“The British Crown also legalised the continued occupation of our kingdom state illegally by proclaiming the Matabeleland Order-in-Council on July 19, 1894, where it was claimed that our kingdom has been broken down and replaced by a better system.
“Such a declaration was racist and false. Through the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council of 1918, this illegal decision was further reinforced.”
COMMENTS
I know all Shona people will say this is joke. Even the independence of Zimbabwe was considered a joke by Ian Smith who said never in a thousand years. Shona people don’t take Mthwakazians as eqauls. They scream day and night that we should go back to KZN – how absurd. This is in line paddled together with their diatribe on British people going back to Britain.
They have have failed to score from a penalty spot without a goalkeeper. The nation building project was given to them on a silver platter with all the goodies in 1980 all they could focus on was backward and barbaric tribalist tendencies and out of sorts self aggrandizement.
Even if there are five Mthwakazians left in the country they will fight for that secession and utlimate self-determination.
Reporters like Reuben Barwe would pride themselves of having fellow Tonga nationals being uneducated on national TV and radio twenty years after independence – such a shame. Most Shonas think that Mgabe and company strayed around the Murambamaswina period – shameful.
A whole cabinet full of educated fools.
Mr /Mrs Mthwakazi.
having devolution is not a bad idea ,Matebeleland , as te rest of te Zimbabwean provinces Must ave devolution of power.
As for the shonas please leave them out of this , pick your fight with Mugabe and his government , 99,98% of all shonas never either participated or were never invoilded in the gukurahundi issues , just using your thinking cap …it means all people born from 1970 onwards never participated or even knew what was happening… a person born in 1970 was 12 years old in 1982..so unless you are saying the govertment of Mugabe sent 12 year old kids to N.Korea for military training you must retract your arguments about shonas as a blanket. Because you are picking a war with the wrong people.
You said , even 5 people from Mthwakazi will fight on , let us tell you what the shona majority also think…most of the people born after 1970 were told of the ills your fathers put our forefathers through when they came to this Zimbabwean plateau…and believe me when I say it doesn’t take much to convinhce these shonas that war with you is the best thing….all the shonas are told of horrific abuses and exceses of your forebears,think twice before you declare a war you cant possibly hope to win..most shonas will tell you to go to KZN ..because you guys are always negative …..and because of your boasts that you are going to create a separate state within Zimbabwe …you will never live see that day…stop being used by the devil to shed blood in unnecessary wars that will do you more harm than us the shonas…..
About Gukurahundi….the Evil Zanu govt went overboard in there massacres…but lets see the facts as they stand…the Zapu commarands so of them refused to accept defeat of Zanu and didn’t want to let go of guns and other weapons they had in there possession…and openly went to Matebeleland to try and recruit militant groups in a bid to either overthrow the Zanu govt , this is not heresay read the Catholic report , well over 400 men went in the bush of Matebeland and some even joined up with SA apartheid govt to try and destabalise Zimbabwe…this is not heresay….just read the report.
the only way forward is together…because as far as a war is concerned you might win one battle but you will definitely lose the war….most Zimbabweans (shonas) are stubborn there…..let go of your hatred and malice …life is too short for bloodletting
Mr /Mrs Mthwakazi.
having devolution is not a bad idea ,Matebeleland , as te rest of te Zimbabwean provinces Must ave devolution of power.
As for the shonas please leave them out of this , pick your fight with Mugabe and his government , 99,98% of all shonas never either participated or were never invoilded in the gukurahundi issues , just using your thinking cap …it means all people born from 1970 onwards never participated or even knew what was happening… a person born in 1970 was 12 years old in 1982..so unless you are saying the govertment of Mugabe sent 12 year old kids to N.Korea for military training you must retract your arguments about shonas as a blanket. Because you are picking a war with the wrong people.
You said , even 5 people from Mthwakazi will fight on , let us tell you what the shona majority also think…most of the people born after 1970 were told of the ills your fathers put our forefathers through when they came to this Zimbabwean plateau…and believe me when I say it doesn’t take much to convince these shonas that war with you is the best thing….all the shonas are told of horrific abuses and exceses of your forebears,think twice before you declare a war you cant possibly hope to win..most shonas will tell you to go to KZN ..because you guys are always negative …..and because of your boasts that you are going to create a separate state within Zimbabwe …you will never live see that day…stop being used by the devil to shed blood in unnecessary wars that will do you more harm than us the shonas…..
About Gukurahundi….the Evil Zanu govt went overboard in there massacres…but lets see the facts as they stand…the Zapu commarands so of them refused to accept defeat of Zanu and didn’t want to let go of guns and other weapons they had in there possession…and openly went to Matebeleland to try and recruit militant groups in a bid to either overthrow the Zanu govt , this is not heresay read the Catholic report , well over 400 men went in the bush of Matebeland and some even joined up with SA apartheid govt to try and destabalise Zimbabwe…this is not heresay….just read the report.
the only way forward is together…because as far as a war is concerned you might win one battle but you will definitely lose the war….most Zimbabweans (shonas) are stubborn there…..let go of your hatred and malice …life is too short for bloodletting
Ian Smith did not say that there never be a black government in a thousand years. It was one of his cabinet ministers Mark Partridge who made the a statement in the British House of Lords saying that the Rhodesian Front Government would last a thousand years. The stupid man could understand why those old codgers in the House of Lords nearly fell off their chairs laughing. Had he even read any history he would have remembered that Adolph Hitler had made the same statement about the Third Reich, and that lasted a thousand years. The Rhodesian Front Government actually did better it lasted 18 years but then again they did not attack anyone capable of destroying them. For your information, Mthwakazi shorn of the land of the Karanga and Batonka would be nothing it would not be a viable country much as Wales or Northern Island are viable countries. Even with those lands it would not be a viable country much like Swaziland.