via Unity Accord faces collapse -Ndlovu – NewsDay Zimbabwe 4 August 2014
Sikhanyiso Ndlovu has warned that the 1987 Unity Accord signed between PF-Zapu and Zanu PF was facing imminent collapse as senior officials’ fight for top posts escalates ahead of the party’s elective December congress.
Ndlovu penned a hard hitting response in the State media to claims by Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo and secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa that the post of Zanu PF chairman was not reserved for former PF Zapu members.
He said there were attempts to turn the 1987 Unity Accord into a nightmare, in apparent reference to Mutasa’s campaign to be the next Zanu PF chairperson.
“Of late it is most unfortunate that some people want to turn that great national vision of unity into a nightmare,” Ndlovu wrote.
“Is it because Dr Joshua Nkomo, Cde Joseph Msika and Cde John Nkomo passed on?”
Ndlovu, who is secretary for education in the Zanu PF politburo said it was not the first time some party officials tried to discard the Unity Accord.
“Efforts to torpedo the Unity Accord were tried by the same people when Cde (Joseph) Msika took over Dr (Joshua) Nkomo’s position as Vice-President and when Cde (John) Nkomo came on board as well as when we nominated Cde Simon Khaya Moyo as national chairman,” Ndlovu said.
“We corrected that with the support of the majority progressive revolutionary provincial co-ordination committees (PCC) of all the provinces and all the people of Zimbabwe.”
Mutasa tried to challenge Moyo for the post of Zanu PF chairman but did not get any support from the party structures.
He has again expressed interest in the post which is likely to fall vacant with Moyo’s imminentelevation to the party’s second vice-presidency.
However, former PF-Zapu members believe the post was reserved for them, setting the stage for a bruising battle that could put the Unity Accord that ended the Gukurahundi atrocities on the line.
Mutasa and Gumbo have stated that there was nothing in the Unity Accord indicating that the post was a preserve for former PF-Zapu members.
But Ndlovu has blasted the assertion saying: “Unity meant mutual respect and availing national resources, government agencies, parastatals boards equitably between former PF-Zapu and former Zanu-PF.
“The Unity Accord document is like a marriage certificate. Does a marriage certificate put in writing everything that should be done by those married to make the marriage work?”
He also attacked Mutasa and Gumbo for discussing the matter in the private media. Ndlovu revealed that there were some senior leaders who had coined a slogan “Pamberi ne Zanu PF chaiyo chaiyo (original).”
“This is dangerous and cannot be tolerated,” he said.
In 2008, Dumiso Dabengwa quit Zanu PFto re-ignite Zapu citing the same grievances.
COMMENTS
Let members choose any one who is capable even for Vice president’s post. Forget Unity Accord with its lack of details.
We want the real true devolution, the South African version with our own provincial legislature. Scotland has a similar version in the UK. To hell with the Vice Presidency of no consequence.
The Vice President position, whether first vice president or second vice president is useless in Zim. Ever heard of any vice President stand in for the President at international fora, in the way Cyril Ramaphosa stands in for President Zuma?? Buthelezi stood in for Mandela when he sent in the army to Lesotho – that can never happen in Zim!!
I don’t think Zimbabweans care Sikhanyiso,especially those from where you come from.They have nothing to show for it and more over they were cowed into the mirage union or so called unity of yours.
Let’s not forget the 2 vicounts that where shot down by the ZAPU lead by josh Nkomo !!!!!
Sikhanyiso Ndlovu doesn’t seem to realise that the so called Unity Accord is such a non-event and the majority of people wouldn’t even realise it existed before. What benefit is the Unity Accord to the generality of Zimbabweans? What tangible benefits has it brought and how many people have benefitted from its existince?
At the moment I guess its less than a 100 people who would be affected by such a ‘collapse’ and so it won’t register in anyone’s mind apart from those people getting nice perks from it like Ndlovu.
He says there are “attempts to turn the unity agreement into a nightmare”. Ndlovu, you are a fool. The unity agreement was the result of a nightmare. It came about after the Gukurahundist party’s genocidal activities. Nkomo went into so-called unity to stop the killings.
When Dr Nkomo entered the unity accord his intention was to stop the people of the unarmed region being systematically annihilated by the pretext that the region was full of dissidents. It was also thought that it would improve the way the Government would see the development in the region. Robert Mugabe’s intentions was to form a one Party state.
The Unity Accord signed at that meeting stated:
That ZANU PF and PF ZAPU have irrevocably committed themselves to unite under one political party.
That the unity of the two political parties; shall be achieved under the name Zimbabwe African National Union (Patriotic Front) in short ZANU PF.
That Comrade Robert Gabriel Mugabe shall be the First Secretary and President of ZANU PF.
That ZANU PF shall have two Second Secretaries and Vice-Presidents who shall be appointed by the First Secretary and President of the Party.
That ZANU PF shall seek to establish a socialist society in Zimbabwe on the guidance of Marxist-Leninist principles.
That ZANU PF shall seek to establish a One Party State in Zimbabwe.
That the leadership of ZANU PF shall abide by the Leadership Code.
That the existing structures of ZANU PF and PF ZAPU shall be merged in accordance with the letter and spirit of this Agreement.
That both parties shall, in the interim, take immediate vigorous steps to eliminate and end the insecurity and violence prevalent in Matabeleland.
That ZANU PF and PF ZAPU shall convene their respective Congress to give effect to this Agreement within the shortest possible time.
That, in the interim, Robert Mugabe is vested with full powers to prepare for the implementation of this Agreement and to act in the name and authority of ZANU PF.
Sikanyiso and co used this accord to their own needs and done nothing to improve the situation of Matabeleland. It is still clear that even those in position of power from the region within the Zanu structures still do nothing for a region that has been de industrialized. Does he ever ask himself why he and his colleagues have time after time lost elections? No he does not. Nkomo intended to unify people. Those that were left forgot about that and used it to position themselves. That is why Dabengwa left. The only unity we know about is the majority being united in their suffering. Who cares who is the chairman of Zanu pf. Who cares who is the second vice President of Zanu. Not the people in Matabeleland. At the moment they talk about a 2 billion project for water for Harare. Where are the voices of Sikanyiso and co on the water situation? They were put to shame by a man of mixed race who did manage to bring water to Bulawayo in a wheelbarrow. They should hang their heads in shame.
In 1992,Arnold Payne pushed a wheelbarrow carrying 210l of water from the Zambezi River to Bulawayo and then Gwanda. He emptied the drum and then continued his journey with the wheelbarrow to the House of Parliament in Harare. Payne’s plates, cups, clothing and vehicle are inscribed with the words “Zambezi Water for Matabeleland”.
“I have got more than 30 safari jackets and other Zambezi water campaign regalia. I will not rest until my vision of bringing water from Zambezi has been fulfilled. To me, age is irrelevant. I am young at heart when it comes to water issues. I will walk for water again one day,” said Payne.
Is Sikhanyiso aware that he lost Mpopoma constituency long time ago? So now he thinks he can be relevant to the electorate under the guise of unity accord which passed on with Umdala Wethu? Go into retirement old man.
Very, very soon Dumiso Dabengwa will be telling you “We told you so!!”
You thought you were clever and now the chickens are fast coming home to roost. The Gukurahundi Unity Accord has always been a farce. You united as leaders via a piece of paper and yet gukurahundism continued unabated in Mthwakazi through different forms.
Our people are gradually losing their identity, their dignity, their language, their culture, their jobs, their land all because of the 1979 Gukurahundi ZANU PF Grand Plan, whose implementation has never stopped.
Today, most of these gukurahundis proudly and falsely claim they are now the majority in Bulawayo, after uprooting Mthwakazi people to South Africa, from their beloved city. This has never happened in the close to a century when the country was under white Rhodesian rule. Mthwakazi has lost and suffered more under gukurahundi rule than under white rule – ask yourself why?
Had they all left with Ndimiso then they might have found some level of relevance. As soom as Dr Nkomo past on Mugabe started doing things that he would not have done if Nkomo was alive. The late Vice President Msika was also starting to open his eyes to Mugabe’s antics.
Was J Nkomo wrong to go into the unity thingy with Bobo?
I would say yes.
After all they had tried it in ’75 with the failed ZIPA project(Mangena/Dzino/Rex) when, instead of confronting Smith’s army, ZANU started killing off ZAPU cadres.
They say once beaten twice shy but Nkomo went into it anyway in a bid to stop the gukurahundi genocide, presumably.
Who knows what would have happened if he had refused?
Possible international intervention after more atrocities in Matland and the neutralization of ZANU.
I don’t think any international countries have ever been interested in intervening in Africa. They only send in peace keepers who they withdraw when there is a violation as happened in Rwanda. Nkomo knew that no one would intervene.The only country that could of would of been South Africa, only they were busy practising their apartheid and the world would obviously not stand for that, so everybody stood back and watched. Some Western countries did not like the Russian backed Nkomo. They preferred the Chinese backed Mugabe.
Good points there.
The money saved over this double-vice presidency nonsense can be used in empowering provincial administrations and their legislatures. National/Central government should be made up of no more than 15 ministers responsible for strategic ministries and no deputies. All social services ministry powers should be devolved to the provinces.
I CONCUR, ABSOLUTLY!
I would rather be under white rule than under a gukurahundi government!!
Same mentality displayed by G Buthelezi in his heyday.
Oppression is oppression whatever the colour of the oppressor.
To wish for white oppression belittles you and undermines the S S I thought you were.
Reminiscent of a black shopper preferring opting to do their shopping in a Pakistan shop rather than a black one cause “they ain’t gonna make that ni..er rich”
We got to work at this us Zimbos.
Hatred leads nowhere but oblivion.
Ngoto Zimbwa
You are wrong. Black oppression is not exactly the same as white oppression. White oppression, though not acceptable is expected, because whites are a different race. Humans by their very nature, prefer to associate with their own kind.
But black oppression is worse because its done by one of your kind, on a fellow black brother. This is why its more painful. As a black person, and given our past, one expects a black person to understand oppression by another is just not on.
Robert Mugabe spent 10 years in prison; he should know better. But alas this is not the case!