Mugabe vs Zimbabwe: The Matibili Factor

By Fanuel Nsingo

Zimbabwe’ s ancestors are close to regaining full control and spiritual authority over my ‘stolen’ motherland.

The feeling is so near, and as a patriotic Zimbabwean, our ancestors could be using me as a medium to spread the message, O, help me God!

Since Mugabe came to power, Zimbabwe’s economy has plummeted miserably, largely owing to him being xenophobic yet he is the son of Matibili, a Malawian, and nobody has deported him.

His hatred and anger towards those that he labels ‘foreigners’ has infuriated Zimbabwe’s ancestors, that include Mambo, Sekuru Kaguvi, Mbuya Nehanda and Tsuro Chaminuka, to mention but a few.

It is a common belief in our African customs and traditions that if ancestors are not happy with the way we do certain things disastrous events will eventually take their course.

It is also my belief and understanding that our ancestors are punishing us for failing to mete out justice to the dictator.

Our ancestors have since stopped the rains necessary for growing of crops and feeding livestock. Our ancestors have ‘hibernated into extinction’ due to the mass killings perpetrated by Robert Mugabe’s agents.

In fact, they will stop at nothing to cause more harm in order for real Zimbabweans to rise up and reclaim their heritage and true identity.

‘INjelele’ – the rain-making shrine will never be the same again under Robert Mugabe. The sacred voices from the Holy Shrine will never be heard again by our generation, and if unsolved, by many or all generations to come.

Mugabe has transformed all our sacred places into kindergarten playfields. He has caused destruction to our motherland in an attempt to ‘bribe’ and ‘buy’ or appease our ancestors in order to be accepted to rightfully belong.

History informs us that the word ‘Shona’ only surfaced between the late ’20s or early 30s. Many dialects that include ChiZezuru, ChiKorekore, ChiKaranga, e.t.c were systematically incorporated into a single identity, Shona language.

Now, if Robert Mugabe was born in 1924 of a Malawian father, what was his real identity before the emergence of the unifying Shona code? This clearly proves that before the codification of the native dialects that I mentioned above, Mugabe had no local identity, other than being a Tumbuka(n) of Malawian descent.

Many Zimbabweans who call themselves Shonas jump to the conclusion of identifying themselves with Mugabe and have unanimously accepted him as their bloodline, which is not the case.

‘Aneropa reMaNyasa munhu uyu – meaning his bloodline is Malawian, formerly Nyasaland.’

If we were to consult tried and tested traditional healers in the company of Robert Mugabe, they would unwaveringly roar with surprise and complain, ‘Ko mutorwa anodeyi pano, ngaabudire kunze titaure nevene venzvimbo – loosely translated; why did you bring along a stranger, send him outside only natives are allowed here.!’

Immediately after gaining independence from Britain in 1980, it is possible that our ancestors could have overlooked Robert Mugabe’ s real roots, due to his deceitful tongue that whites would remain in Zimbabwe into eternity.

Our ancestors could have forgiven Mugabe for disrespecting his elders, Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo and Ndabaningi Sithole, respectively, due to his pretence to reconcile with our former colonisers.

But as greed and self-pride took control of Robert Mugabe he began to see non-native citizens as inferior and not belonging. He began to openly lambast Zimbabwean whites as ‘British.’

If people really want to suffocate Mugabe into a dark cave for his lack of intellect, they should ask him who was first to arrive in Zimbabwe, Cecil John Rhodes or Matibili.

Also, many times the wilted dictator keeps reminding us that only those who fought in the liberation struggle qualify to lead and direct Zimbabwe, which I hereby counter forthwith.

It is not proven that Mugabe physically participated in the war, other than teaching in Ghana or certain stories relating to his radical rhetorics and speeches that led to his arrest.

Many, many years ago, our ancestors usually elected their leaders, who were known as kings, based on their courage and bravery as warriors, and one of the most reasonable and realistic formula was to count the number of scars all over the body of an aspiring candidate.

The warrior with the most or deepest scars would be installed as king.

For instance, if I were to compare the late Solomon ‘Rex Nhongo’ Mujuru to Robert Mugabe, or the late Josiah Tongogara to Mugabe, … you can clearly see what I’m talking about!

During the liberation struggle, Mugabe was the architect of a parallel war against our own freedom fighters, meant to ‘eradicate’ all potential future Zimbabwean leaders, who would have emerged from the bushes highly-decorated.

Even our ancestors know that Robert Mugabe has been eliminating everybody that has posed a threat to his leadership. They also know the real freedom fighters and who actually did what, where and when.

They witnessed all of Mugabe’s plots against native Zimbabweans.

While Robert Mugabe prefers ‘An eye for an eye,’ we wish he lives to see the first truly native leader of Zimbabwe, a leader who will suit the position of president.

Ours will be a leader who shares our bloodline. Our leader will easily bond with our ancestors. Our leader will be able to resuscitate, hear and thereafter learn and speak the language of the ‘INjelele.’

In our eyes, our very native leader will be Zimbabwe’s first president since we gained independence from Britain in 1980. Last but not least, our leader won’t be foreign or Matibili’ s bloodline!

Fanuel Nsingo, author of the ZimRadicals Blog