Furious Members of Parliament from Matabeleland have protested the “ban” of Ndebele in Parliament arguing that it is unacceptable for Ministers to claim they are not conversant with Ndebele which is one of the country’s official languages. This comes after several occasions when National Assembly Members and Senators who speak Ndebele have been forced to make their contributions in English and now they have complained that this is unfair as their Shona-speaking colleagues are allowed to use their mother language.
Annoyed MPs said since they were being forced to use English, they were doing so in protest. Some MPs and Senators said it was unjust to be forced to contribute and discuss issues in English when Shona-speaking lawmakers were allowed to express themselves better in their own languages.
Recently, Bulawayo Senator Angelina Masuku (Zanu-PF) was forced by Deputy Senate President Chen Chimutengwende to speak in English while posing a question to the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development Joram Gumbo.
Chimutengwende said it was improper for Masuku to ask questions in Ndebele since the minister is not a Ndebele. Masuku protested why she was being forced not to use her preferred language.
“Mr President, I will do that in protest because this is a Zimbabwean Parliament and for us as legislators to come here and promote a foreign language and yet we have been voted in by Zimbabwean people phandle laphana besesikhangelana lama ministers (outside there, we would be staring at each saying our ministers) who are Zimbabwean who say they cannot communicate in a Zimbabwean language,” said Masuku.
“I will do that but in protest and I will request Mr President that our ministers make an effort to be truly Zimbabweans.” Matabeleland South proportional representation MP Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga has faced the same problem s everal times, when she was ordered to speak in English, the most recent time being last Wednesday.
During the National Assembly’s question and answer session, the legislator asked the Minister of Energy and Power Development Mr Samuel Undenge a question, but the Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda ordered her to use English.
“I will just agree, but, it’s painful. I understand Mr Speaker but others speak in Shona and it’s never a problem,” said Misihairabwi-Mushonga.
Misihairabwi-Mushonga told The Chronicle that Parliament should employ translators if it wants to solve the issue of free language expression in the legislature. She said what was surprising was that some ministers who were saying they could not speak Ndebele went to school in Matabeleland.
Mishairabwi-Mushonga said some Ministers were deliberately refusing to speak in Ndebele because they did not want to accommodate other languages. “I have insisted that I will speak in Ndebele and I have realised that some of the Ministers now try responding in Ndebele,” she said.
The legislator said as a matter of principle, ministers should be able to communicate in all indigenous languages. She cited Canadian system of governance saying ministers serving in the government speak French although English is the main language. Mr Mudenda brushed aside the whole issue saying parliament does not force Ndebele-speaking legislators to present their questions in English.
“If they ask in Ndebele we only ask them to repeat the question in English. We don’t force them to speak in English and that is done for clarity purposes,” said Mr Mudenda. The country has 16 official languages.
In July, the former Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development Obert Mpofu was involved in another language storm when he responded to a question that was posed in Shona in Ndebele.
Mr Mpofu now the Minister of Macro-economic Planning and Investment Promotion had been quizzed in Shona by Zanu-PF legislator Monica Chigudu on what progress was being made regarding the dualisation of the Harare-Beitbridge Road.
Mr Mpofu responded in Ndebele saying, “Honourable Chigudu ubuze umbuzo oqakathekileyo. Kunzima ukulungisa imigwaqo yonke sikhathi sinye kodwa ngiyathemmbisa ukuthi iMasvingo iyabe siledual road ngesikhathi esifitshane.(Honourable Chugudu you asked a very important question. It’s difficult to fix all roads at once but I promise Masvingo will have a dual carriageway soon).”
After that, Mr Mpofu was told to revert to English for the benefit of other lawmakers. -Chronicle
7 Replies to “Shona – Ndebele War Continues In Parliament”
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Ngisafunda amacomment ngizathi sengifunda udaba lwakhona,kodwa niqaphele ninganginyanyisi
With due respect, I suggest you read your history again. I know you are pissed off as a Ndebele speaker, but you do not sink so low like this. The difference between you and those you seek to correct will be difficult to see. Zimbabwe is ours all, regardless of where our ancestors came from. Read about bantu migration and you will understand that Zulus also trekked down from the north and moved up again during mfecane, going as far as Zambia, malawi and even Tanzania. The number that proceeded beyond Zimbabwe was so small and was absorbed easily into the local populations. They lost their original language, hence we have the Ngoni tribe in Malawi for example. Please read your history and pass on the correct heritage to your children and not lies. You will also be relevant to the Zimbabwean discourse.
No my dear i disagree with you totally. What you are suggesting should apply to all local languages that are used in parliament. It should not be Ndebele speakers only who should explain in English. We need a united country. This nonsense will push us apart.
lm ‘ Didi y amaShona. Handinzwe chindeere, my foot. How the hell do you understand English, a language of people 13 000 Km away when you cannot speak a prominent Zulu language of Southern Africa.
Handinzwe chiNdeere?
Go back to Rwanda where you originated from and leave our Southern Africa where Zulu is the majority language.
26 million people speak Zulu in Southern Africa. Zezuru is only 1million, Karanga 6 million, Manyika 2million Ndebele, a branch of Zulu, 3million.
So, who is the lingual majority in Southern Africa?
The Shona are visitors who speak Swahili in our territory. This is not Rwanda where tribal dominance and loud and empty heroism rules.
Go back home, go back to Rwanda and dominate your area of origin where your behavior is a common feature. We do not have any other type of people like you in Southern Africa. You are totally foreign.
and then u wonder why it is the zimbabwe ruins it is …..
Shona is widely spoken in this country than Ndebele. Practically, that results in more people being able to understand Shona. But that does does not mean to insult Ndebele language or those who speak Ndebele as inferior. Far from that. When a Minister cannot understand Ndebele or Shona, the parliament should provide interpretation services. When the Chair asks one to repeat in English that does not mean to insult any one but just to facilitate communication. There are other Ndebele speaking people who may not understand Shona also. Until interpretation facilities are introduced ,si Ndebele speaking legislators should not overreact and misunderstand the problem of being asked to repeat their question or answer in another language for the purpose of communication. That`s not an insult , which they are just creating in their sensitive minds!
This is a very sad development indeed. Some of us lower our heads in shame when leaders do this. That parliament is full of recycled parliamentarians who should by now be able to speak every single language spoken in Zimbabwe. It only goes to show that we are led by people who do not have a vision for the country. How do you unite the common people when there is a section of society that is prevented from speaking its mother language? Language is not just heritage, it is a vehicle of expressing a people’s culture. No one has a right to prevent someone from speaking in their mother tongue in this world, noooooooo please! 35 years after “independence” the majority of Zimbabweans, if not all of us, should be able to converse easily in any of the 16 official languages. But how can this objective be realised if there is no visionary leadership? Kubuhlungu lokhu madoda. Please employ interpreters in parliament if you are so proud not to want to learn other people’s languages. It is only fair. Ndiyani anoda kuti mutauro wake uparare?