Maravi

Tsvangirai should sack Nkomo, Holland

Tsvangirai should sack Nkomo, Holland
Madluphuthu Khumalo - Opinion
Sat, 17 Oct 2009 01:41:00 +0000

I DO not know if there is anyone who was surprised to read about Minister Sipepa Nkomo of MDC-T insulting and denigrating our national hero, the late Vice-President Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo, recently.

That is MDC-T for you. The party consists of political opportunists who sing the empty “Mugabe must go” rhetoric without any tangible solution thereafter. It is well known that when MDC split in October 2005, Sipepa Nkomo remained with the party, the MDC faction led by Professor Arthur Mutambara, when

Tsvangirai took his jacket and left the party with his bootlickers and kitchen cabinet.

Sipepa Nkomo even contested for the senatorial seat in Tsholotsho on an MDC ticket only to be thrashed by a Zanu PF candidate. He then defected to MDC-T.

I must say that having many political parties in Matabeleland is not enhancing democracy in this region, because it divides our leadership on party lines. So some of our leaders such as Prof Welshman Ncube, Dumiso Dabengwa, Gibson Sibanda, Joshua Malinga, Paul Themba-Nyathi, Moses Mzila-Ndlovu, just to mention a few, would not work together for the betterment of Matabeleland.

But for Sipepa Nkomo to insult Father Zimbabwe and pretend to be representing Matabeleland is an insult and an embarrassment. Even if we admit that Matabeleland region does not need many political parties, MDC-T is not a political party with Matabeleland people at heart; therefore we do not need it.

How many politicians worth their salt are in MDC-T Matabeleland region? Truly speaking they are all turncoats who were either defeated in internal party elections in MDC or were facing disciplinary action, and later defected to MDC-T to avoid embarrassment or sanctions.

MDC-T’s agenda is to destroy Matabeleland’s culture and heritage. It all started with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai himself when people of Matabeleland were complaining that civil servants, especially teachers, deployed in primary schools should be locals to avoid language barriers.

He accused people of Matabeleland of wanting to remain being “villagers” and in “paddocks” and he said there was nothing wrong with people learning local languages and working anywhere in the country. Unfortunately he himself cannot speak isiNdebele. Matabeleland people were simply saying that their young children should be taught by people who understand their languages and culture.

Secondly when Minister Sekai Holland insulted our King Mzilikazi, Sipepa Nkomo and other MDC-T politicians from Matabeleland remained quiet, so that they do not anger their principal who appointed them into Cabinet. If they respect the people of Matabeleland who they purport to represent, they were supposed to protest there and then to PM Tsvangirai to fire Minister Holland without delay.

But unfortunately some people from this region are the ones who walk at night like witches and wizards to console Minister Holland, giving her advice that she must not apologise for her unbecoming remarks on our king but remain mum.

Some of them, together with their surrogates have, I am told, even written letters to PM Tsvangirai giving him the so-called legal advice against firing Sekai Holland. What legal advice?

A minister can be dropped and replaced any minute without any problems. There will not be any legal complications if PM Tsvangirai, as the Prime Minister, advises President Mugabe, the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, that they are withdrawing Minister Holland from the Government and replacing her with somebody else.

The President would only make an announcement as a formality. Anyway whose interest is she serving by insulting our king? What national healing is she promoting by insulting other people? She is not fit to be a minister, moreso of National Healing.

Therefore one would be forgiven for saying MDC-T is a political accident made into being by people’s anger and would not offer anything to Matabeleland. MDC-T politicians are a bunch of opportunists who accuse Zanu-PF of “wrongdoing” but at the same time are not clean themselves.

One recent event highlights that. A few of the Prime Minister’s closest aides recently amended their party constitution in luxurious offices to remove the restrictions on presidential terms, thereby giving PM Tsvangirai an effective life presidency. It is very sad especially coming from a party which says it is bringing a “new order on good governance” to the country.

In countries which practise democracy and good governance both Ministers Holland and Sipepa Nkomo would have resigned from government for vomiting their poisonous venom in public although we know that it is in fact, their way of thinking.

Some of the MDC-T ministers also tell journalists not to bother them on weekends and after working hours because they would be “off-duty”, enjoying themselves.

What an insult! A public servant who was elected by the people, now telling them not to bother him with issues affecting them, especially health matters! For sure MDC-T is a political accident not a political party.

As Matabeleland people, we demand that PM Tsvangirai remove both Ministers Holland and Sipepa Nkomo as ministers because they are a disgrace to the nation.

Also the Minister of Health and Child Welfare, Dr Henry Madzorera, should be cautioned for telling journalists not to seek comment from him during weekends because, according to him, he would be off-duty.

He must be reminded that as long as one is a public servant, off-days and weekends are a luxury the country cannot afford for now and forever.

May people of Zimbabwe respect our heroes such as Mzilikazi, Lobengula and Joshua Nkomo. As people of Matabeleland, we are here because of them; therefore let us not insult them to solicit favours from other people. - The Chronicle

Labels: MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, SAMUEL SIPEPA NKOMO, SEKAI HOLLAND

posted by MrK @ 5:20 PM