Harare – Tensions have escalated between the ruling Zanu PF party and the Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) after the latter claimed to have established borders within Zimbabwe, effectively seeking to separate Matabeleland from the rest of the country. Zanu PF has responded with a forceful warning, vowing to crush any attempt at secession, Newsday has reported.
Speaking at the Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology orientation workshop for local authority officials in Harare, Zanu PF national political commissar Munyaradzi Machacha declared that the MRP’s actions constituted a declaration of war against Zimbabwe.
“We cannot negotiate our defence, our security and preservation of Zimbabwean unity. Internal peace and security is not negotiable and interference in our internal affairs, these are non-negotiable,” Machacha asserted.
Machacha expressed strong disapproval of the MRP’s actions, stating, “The Mthwakazi, those young boys, setting their borders here in Zimbabwe is unacceptable, partitioning the country, splitting it into smaller States. That will be totally unacceptable. Anyone trying to do that is declaring war on the State and the State will descend on them.”
The MRP, founded in 2014 in Bulawayo, advocates for the independence of Matabeleland, a region historically known as Mthwakazi, which encompasses parts of present-day Zimbabwe and Botswana.
The party seeks to revive the Mthwakazi State, which existed before the colonisation of Rhodesia. Their Facebook page describes the MRP as a “revolutionary organisation fighting for MATABELELAND (MTHWAKAZI)’s Independence away from Zimbabwe.”
Machacha’s strong words come amidst a backdrop of growing political tensions within Zimbabwe. He acknowledged that divisions exist within both the ruling Zanu PF and the opposition parties.
“We have noticed that there are disputes in both the ruling party and opposition parties. The sons of Zimbabwe are fighting against each other and in Zanu PF, there are frictions (which is) the same with the opposition,” Machacha said.
Machacha also expressed concern about the activities of opposition activists, accusing them of attempting to sabotage the recent Sadc Heads of State and Government Summit held in Mt Hampden.
He warned that Zanu PF would not tolerate any such actions, stating, “Some of the strategies being used by the opposition leading to anarchy are not acceptable. We will see you as terrorists and we will apply muscles and we will use maximum power.”
The Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology, under Machacha’s leadership, is undergoing a transformation, moving from a Zanu PF project to a national programme. The indoctrination programme, which started with local authority officials, will soon be extended to lecturers at Zimbabwe’s institutions of higher education.
Meanwhile, Local Government and Public Works minister Daniel Garwe, addressing the gathering of local authority officials, emphasized that the workshop was not a partisan event.
“We are here as Zimbabwe and we are here to declare [our] aspirations as Zimbabweans to shape the way forward,” Garwe said.
“We are not here for partisan politics. This is not a partisan project. This is a national programme. We are not here to facilitate allowances, but we are here for a national cause. We are here so that (after) three days, we are better equipped to run our councils in a patriotic way and developmental manner,” he added.
The strong stance taken by Zanu PF against the MRP, coupled with the ongoing political tensions within the country, raises concerns about the potential for further unrest.
The MRP’s call for secession, while met with strong opposition from the ruling party, highlights the simmering discontent and regional tensions that continue to plague Zimbabwe.
