This is an argument for shared ownership and the need for racial and tribal integration. The Matabele/ Ndebele people of Mzilikazi, the Shona people of Munhumutapa and the kindred of Cecil John Rhodes amongst others equally share ownership of the land of Zimbabwe. We must therefore out of necessity figure out a peaceful way of coexistence
Civilizations or human habitation in present-day Zimbabwe can be traced back to the Stoneage and Khoisan people
After about AD1000, the Mapungubwe people, a Bantu-speaking group of migrants from present-day South Africa overran the San people and inhabited the Great Zimbabwe site.
Some of the greatest civilizations in Zimbabwe as is shown by the ancient stone structure at Khami and great Zimbabwe was the Munhumutapa Empire around AD1440 which later was replaced by the Rozvi Empire after AD1500
The Matabele (Ndebele) with King Mzilikazi migrated from present-day South Africa into Zimbabwe in 1834. On arrival, they fought and conquered the predominantly Shona inhabitants of Zimbabwe.
The pioneer Column comprising Europeans and Boers, led by Cecil John Rhodes, migrated to Zimbabwe in 1890 under the British South Africa Company. Both the Ndebele and Shona were conquered and Zimbabwe became a British Colony in 1923
The ancient natives of this land, the Khoisan people have since been driven away and migrated to other parts of Africa. The rest of us are all descendants of migrants from different parts of Africa and Europe.
The descendants of Munhumutapa have been around longest, followed by descendants of Mzilikazi, and Cecil John Rhodes, however judging from the way we embraced the developed Rhodesia with its entire institutions and systems; we would argue that the best amicable way forward is racial and tribal harmony in the true spirit of brotherhood.
Both the Matabele and the Europeans arrived in Zimbabwe during the 19th century and conquered and subjugated the inhabitants of the time. What they did was not new or peculiar, but had been a recurring phenomenon throughout history. The stronger conquering and subjugating the weaker
With the benefit of hindsight, we believe that post-independence Gukurahundi and political violence are a continuation of this phenomenon of subjugation and domination of others in contradiction to the conventional wisdom and rhetoric of political independence
Whereas the armed struggle (Chimurenga) was more of a civil war by Black Zimbabweans against White Zimbabweans to make possible racial integration and justice, ‘the Independence process in 1979/80’ was monopolized and took the nation further away from these ideals into the prevailing catastrophic brokenness. Real Independence has not happened and will only become a reality when we obtain democracy, brotherhood, nationhood, and civilization.
The challenge and agenda of this national reconciliation campaign is how to end this age-old phenomenon of tyranny, subjugation, and domination of others through violent force; and to renew and transform society from the prevailing fragmentation, corruption, and self-centered cultural reality; towards democracy, brotherhood, nationhood, and civilization
Many things that happened in the past were not expected to occur in a supposed democratic society. Things such as political violence and Gukurahundi; and corruption which resulted in the decimation, displacement, traumatization, and impoverishment of the nation.
We wish to acknowledge this reality and extend our deepest and profound apologies to the nation;
1. We apologize to the Matabele and Mthwakazi people for Gukurahundi and this genocide through political violence and the resulting displacement of people that our elders unleashed on innocent and defenseless civilians. This was inhuman, barbaric, and wrong and must never happen again
2. We apologize to the entire nation, for the recurring scourge of political violence which has instilled fear and traumatization in society, and denied the nation meaningful engagement toward sustainable development.
3. We apologize to the nation for the greed, corruption, nepotism, bad stewardship, and nature of governance and administration discharged across all public institutions, and resulted in the asset stripping and plunder of public resources, the disrepair of infrastructure, poor service delivery, and the impoverishment and depravation of the people
4. We apologize to the nation that post-independent Zimbabwe, has consistently prioritized power, privilege, and the subjugation of the people ahead of public service, accountability, inclusivity, and meritocracy resulting in the prevailing national retrogression and brokenness
Against this backdrop, we meet today in this season of National Reconciliation. We take the opportunity to appeal to the children of the soil; the descendants of Mzilikazi, Munhumutapa, and Cecil John Rhodes for reconciliation, unification, and nationhood. We are one people and together we make the nation of Zimbabwe. We are all Zimbabweans as much as we are all Rhodesians. Sisonke
We are the generation that must break the cycle of savagery and the inhumanity of political violence and subjugation of others and create together a new society of brotherly love, (Ubuntu) national cohesion, and nationhood. The Land of Zimbabwe is ours together. We must now dialogue and agree on a settlement for peaceful coexistence and sustainable development.
Now is the time to acknowledge that the nation is broken and that it can no longer be business as usual. Nothing short of radical transformation will be able to renew Zimbabwe and heal the nation.
We acknowledge that moment of madness or not, political violence is wrong and the people must repent and be delivered from this curse of civil war.
We must now converge on this national reconciliation campaign, get our priorities right, do first things first; and put Zimbabwe first above our personal, tribal-ethic, racial or local issues. Zimbabwe must work as a whole for shared prosperity to become a reality for all citizens
Join the campaign and contribute the national renewal process.
Siyabonga, Ndatenda, Thank you!
Respectfully Contributed by William Chimbetete – Campaign Director