BULAWAYO – The Welshman Ncube led Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has condemned war veterans and ex ZANLA members for undermining Ndebele traditional customs, values and culture, saying this will spark a tribal war.
This comes after more than 500 war veterans’ last Wednesday descended at Matobo Hills in Matabeleland South to conduct their cleansing ceremonies at the sacred Ndebele shrine in Njelele.
“The MDC is disturbed and condemns the continued violation of the culture of the people of Matabeleland by some war veterans’ elements led by some Chiefs from Mashonaland who on Wednesday invaded Njelele to conduct an unexplained cleansing ceremony.
“The MDC stands by the position taken by the traditional leadership in Matabeleland that this action clearly undermines their authority and is a cause for a serious national conflict.
“Such kind of actions has a potential of creating national instability and will certainly undermine the efforts of national healing and reconciliation,” Nhlanhla Dube, the MDC national spokesperson said in a statement released on Friday.
The war veterans were reportedly in the company of 10 traditional leaders from Mashonaland, among them Chiefs Marange, Chivero, Zimunya, Mugabe, Makoni, Makumbe, Nematombo, Chundu, Goronga and Nyajena.
Dube said the MDC has “since asked members of our party at senior government level to take this issue up to the relevant authorities.”
ZANLA war veterans have from last year been forcibly visiting Njelele shrine to bath naked at nearby rivers as part of their cleansing ceremonies and have also threatened to grab land at Matobo to settle their children to appease the spirits of their departed comrades.
The visits have angered Matabeleland traditional leaders, civic groups, cultural activists and Zanu-PF leadership with ZIPRA ex combatants taking the lead to bar the ZANLA former liberation fighters from continuing with the visits.
ZANLA ex-combatants have also been attempting to dig up Cecil John Rhodes grave in Matopo Hills to pave away for the reburial of the remains of their departed comrades that are at Chimoio burial site in Mozambique. Radio VOP
