By Paul Nyathi| Apparently MDC-T President Nelson Chamisa lied to the world that he had met with the family of the late nationalist Dr Joshua Nkomo and was promised to be given the popular rod which Nkomo carried in his hand throughout his life.

Angry son to the late liberation icon Sibangilizwe Nkomo told ZimEye.com in an interview that the Nkomo family is absolutely angry at Chamisa’s utterances describing them as very disrespectful of the family and its traditions.

Nkomo said that no one from the family ever met with Chamisa and discussed with him anything to do with the late Father Zimbabwe nor his sacred rod.

“We are absolutely angry at Chamisa’s lies and disrespect of the Nkomo family,” said Sibangilizwe who is Dr Nkomo’s eldest son.

“No one has ever discussed my father’s rod,” said Nkomo angrily. “In fact very few of us know where that rod is and talking about it the way Chamisa did is a serious taboo to the Nkomo family,” he said.

“That rod is not anything to play around with. It liberated this country, it saved people’s lives and Chamisa is just too young to even talk about it let alone claim it,” said Nkomo.

“We can not as a family stoop so low as to take the head of the entire Nyongolo family and give it to a stranger. What is so special that Chamisa has done to deserve to be given Dr Nkomo’s rod or any rod by the Nkomo family.”

“Chamisa is just too young for this issue. His father and even his grand father and his ancestors respect that rod, who is he to claim it?” Nkomo said angrily.

Nkomo said that Chamisa did not even visit the Joshua Nkomo home in Pelandaba which is a stone throw away from White City Stadium where he held his rally.

“Chamisa visited the Joshua Nkomo museum in Matshamhlophe which is a public place under the responsibility of the Parks and Museum Department not the Nkomo home in Pelandaba where I and the Nkomo family reside,” said Nkomo.

According to Nkomo, Chamisa was invited to the museum by Jabulani Hadebe who is the CEO of the Joshua Nkomo National Foundation and a member of the MDC-T and not by the Nkomo family.

“I have never met Chamisa in my life and he does not know me. I only know him from pictures and the television and so he must never lie that he met with the Nkomo family,” added Nkomo.

Contacted for a comment Hadebe also recused himself from Chamisa’s utterances claiming that they never discussed anything about him being given a rod by the Nkomo family.

Hadebe said that Chamisa was just making an unfortunate political statement for his own expediency.

According to Hadebe, Chamisa only promised that he will give assistance to the Foundation when he gets into power after the elections in July.

Mehluli Moyo, the National Director of the Joshua Nkomo Cultural Movement which is chaired by Mr Sibangilizwe Nkomo said that what Chamisa did by claiming the rod of an elderly man of Nkomo’s stature was a serious taboo according to traditions.

“What Chamisa said is serious taboo, he never met the family, he didn’t even meet Mr Nkomo . Chamisa visited the museum just like everyone else would do and there is no rod that was given to him nor promised to him,” said Moyo.

Asked to comment on the actual where about of Dr Nkomo’s rod which Chamisa claimed, Moyo said that even he himself was not at the liberty to discuss the rod.

“As an official of the organisation myself, l am not in a position to discuss Mdala’s rod. That is a deep family issue to be discussed in public. If you hear anyone talking about it in public that person will be telling a lie,” said Moyo.

A Matabeleland cultural activist who asked not to be mentioned due to his links with the MDC-T also lamented at Chamisa’s utterances claiming that the young leader may have just brought himself a curse from the Nkomo elders that may haunt him for a long time.

“Chamisa knows very well that he lied and disrespected the spirit of the old man Nkomo, the best he may need to urgently do is to physically visit the Nkomo family elders and sort the issue out,” he said.

“Some people may take it lightly and belittle the Nkomo family but Joshua Nkomo is an ancestor of many and highly respected in the region for young Chamisa to play with his name like he did,” he added.

ZimEye.com efforts to get a comment from Chamisa’s spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka were futile as his mobile phone was not reachable at the time of writing.