BELEAGUERED Chief Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni of Ntabazinduna
was yesterday singing another tune when he said he is not in any way associated
with MDC-Alliance leader Mr Nelson Chamisa, claiming they had been mistakenly
yoked together after a run-of-the-mill meeting between the two last year.
After making controversial statements that seemed to parrot
opposition positions like the tightening of Western-sponsored illegal sanctions
on Zimbabwe, Chief Ndiweni has been cautioned by various political actors and
analysts to stick to his core mandate and stop meddling in the country’s
politics.
Seemingly angered by the Government’s decision to settle an
indigenous farmer on land previously occupied by a white farmer, the
British-bred chief has gone full throttle calling for more sanctions despite
evidence that the country’s path to reform and recovery was being hampered by
the ruinous sanctions from Western countries.
In an interview on the sidelines of a meeting he called to
drum up support for the evicted white farmers at Ntabazinduna Mountain
yesterday, Chief Ndiweni claimed that he had no links with Chamisa despite
claims from a local independent daily that he had endorsed the embattled
opposition leader. At the time, Chief Ndiweni was quoted saying Chamisa “was a
breath of fresh air who has youthfulness behind him and can accept ideas very
quickly”.
He told Sunday News: “In my area of jurisdiction, my people
will vote differently. Some will follow this party and some will follow that
party but at the end of the day they’re still my people and so I will address
my concerns to them. So even though speaking on that particular level, I come
back to the essence of why we’re here. This is about purely the mountain, how
the mountain is in danger of being taken away. But to answer directly those
that are pushing aspersions directly towards my way, those aspersions only
emanate from one photograph which was taken after I had a meeting with Nelson
Chamisa in Harare. I went there with Godlwayo (Chief Maduna). It was a fact
finding meeting, a fact finding tour. Just like I’ve seen so many ministers in
the current administration, just because I went to their offices, would people
be saying I’m affiliated to them?”
Chief Ndiweni has in the past also set up a parallel
organisation to the Chiefs Council under the banner of College of Amakhosi,
where he is reportedly seeking to rope in some traditional leaders from
Matabeleland and Midlands provinces.
“I didn’t get a response from Chief Charumbira (president
of the Chiefs Council) but I got responses from other senior chiefs. Currently
they’re non-existent because we differ profoundly on our beliefs. We differ
profoundly on the role of a chief. I strongly believe that a chief should never
ever get involved in party politics,” he said.
Chief Ndiweni angered the Government and Zimbabweans in
general when he appealed to the international community to escalate sanctions
on the President Mnangagwa’s Government, claiming it has failed to pursue
democracy. Sunday Mail
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