Bulawayo Agenda statement on Joshua Nkomo statue

Bulawayo Agenda would like to applaud the efforts that have been made in the country to recognize the immense contribution that was made by the late Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo in the liberation of this country and his great contribution towards the development of Matabeleland and Zimbabwe after independence.

While we appreciate the recognition of late great Hero and Father of the struggle for Independence, we are dismayed with the manner in which the leadership of this country has turned a deaf ear on the concerns of his family and the people of this country by continuing with the erection of the statue at Karigamombe Center.

It is alarming that despite the fact that we have a Government of National Unity many members of society remain sidelined. We feel that the connotation of the name Karigamombe is an insult to the late Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo, his family and the people of Matabeleland and Zimbabwe. Following the signing of the unity accord in 1987, we find it disappointing that a decision has been made to place the statue of a great man under the shadow of Karigamombe centre.

The connotation of the name Karigamombe is a clear indication that this is a strategy to belittle Dr Nkomo’s contribution to the liberation struggle and undermine his significance in the development of Zimbabwe. The name is a ridicule of the FP Zapu election symbol and is an indication that Dr Nkomo was defeated in his struggle towards the development of this country. The placing of the statue at Karigamombe centre is a stark reminder of the Gukurahundi era where PF Zapu and its supporters were subjected to a crackdown of violence and ridicule.

We concur with the Nkomo family and like minded Zimbabweans that this is a reminder of the Gukurahundi atrocities and is a repetition of the same thing through a new form of ideological attack on the great man Father Zimbabwe.

Statement issued by Bulawayo Agenda