Government has castigated Ntabazinduna Chief Felix Ndiweni
for calling on Western countries to impose more sanctions against the country
claiming the existing embargoes were “tiny”. Chief Ndiweni bizarrely argued at
the Bulawayo Press Club last week that the sanctions “serve as measures to make
those in authoritative positions see sense”.
In a statement, Secretary for Information, Publicity and
Broadcasting Services Mr Nick Mangwana said Chief Ndiweni’s utterances were
inhuman and against our cultural beliefs.
‘‘Chief Ndiweni’s sentiments are deplorable, parochial and
ignorant coming from a traditional leader,’’ he said.
‘‘It is tragic that one of those constitutionally expected
to uphold our customary values and community cohesion has chosen to not only to
be a controversial political player but to repeat a shameful familial history
by calling for suffering to be visited upon the people of Zimbabwe.’’
Mr Mangwana added: ‘‘It is unfathomable that a community
leader from a deprived section of the community has chosen the path of
underdevelopment by calling for the escalation of sanctions against the country
in the misguided and futile hope that it will help collapse President’s
Mnangagwa’s Government.”
Mr Mangwana also said sanctions have so far failed to bring
down the Zimbabwean Government in the last 18 years of their existence and they
are not going to succeed now just because one of our chiefs has chosen the
quisling route and be a relentless fraterniser.
“What sanctions have succeeded in doing is to bring untold
suffering upon the poor sections of our communities and increasing the gap
between the haves and have-nots,” he said.
“Empirical evidence has shown that Zimbabwe has lost over
$50 billion worth of development, thanks to sanctions, and this reversal has
disproportionately affected the poor and rural
folk.”
Mr Mangwana urged chiefs to conduct themselves in an
exemplary manner since they are the custodians of our cultural norms and
values.
‘‘Chiefs should be spearheading development in their
communities and not embracing poverty and using it as a political tool against
the people of Zimbabwe,” he said.
“We expected Chief Ndiweni to know this. Alas, he is back
in familiar territory as it will also be recalled that his family has a history
of collaborating with the enemy and waging this anti-people war from as far
back as the liberation struggle.
“Those who know history would be awake that certain
statements are informed by the sitting configurations that obtained at the
Lancaster House Conference with some on the side of the people and others on
the side of the intrusive Western powers.”
In view of Chief Ndiweni’s remarks and others, especially
in the opposition who have invited sanctions on Zimbabwe, Mr Mangwana said it
was time Zimbabwe considered legislative
solutions to deal with such acts of treachery.
‘‘For, how different are sanctions imposed by foreign
powers and the same powers coming to invade our shores? ” he asked
“Both kill the innocent and vulnerable and both debilitate
the economy and both terrorise the innocent. Why then do we have laws against
one and not the other?
‘‘May we remind Chief Felix Ndiweni that Government and the
people of Zimbabwe are watching and watching closely as he goes on with his
politics that are clearly not guided by the national and community interest but
inspired by some dubious narrow, parochial interests.”
Chief Ndiweni, who has openly declared support for the
opposition MDC-Alliance, has on numerous occasions caught out on some mischief
since he returned home from the United Kingdom where he stayed for about 40
years.
In 2017, he allowed one political party to hold a rally in
his area against police decision barring the party to proceed with the rally in
Ntabazinduna because the police did not have enough manpower.
Chief Ndiweni also had a stand-off with the then Umguza MP
Obert Mpofu accusing him of meddling in his and other chiefs’ affairs.
Last year, he took the Chiefs Council President Chief
Fortune Charumbira and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to court seeking
nullification of provincial assembly and national chiefs’ council election
results held in 2017, arguing that the whole process was marred with
irregularities.
He was also fingered as the one behind the revival of the
Ndebele Kingdom after he presided over the secret installation of King Bulelani
Khumalo.
Government has since declared the push for the Ndebele
Kingdom illegal. Herald
0 comments:
Post a Comment