Mthwakazi National Party observes with attention the orchestrated onslaught directed at the paramount Chief Nhlanhlayamangwe Khayisa Ndiweni by the imperfect state of Zimbabwe and ZANU PF, a clear attack on the right to freedom of expression of the oppressed Mthwakazi nation.
Chief Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni, like many other esteemed chiefs within Mthwakazi who remain true to the cause of the people of Mthwakazi, is a beacon of Mthwakazi sovereignty. MNP asserts that the right to dissent and to express and disseminate one’s ideas are critical components of free expression and a cornerstone of a democratic society. Since the time Chief Ndiweni wrote a joint letter with Chief Maduna calling for the United nations to intervene in the resolution of the Gugurahundi genocide matter, Mnangagwa and his cronies have upped their aggression against him.
Our chief is being persecuted for being the voice of Mthwakazi people who have suffered all various forms of oppression under the Zimbabwe colonial rule including denial of our right to self-determination in a free and sovereign Mthwakazi state, denial of our identities as the Mthwakazi people, destruction of Mthwakazi minority languages, ethnic dilution of Mthwakazi, Gukurahundi genocide, displacement of our people from their ancestral land, military ocupation of our country, socio-economic marginilazation, cultural suppression and oppression.
The heavy-handed effort by Mnangagwa’s ZANU-PF regime meant to undermine the authority of our traditional authorities and the pillars of our culture, to persecute her people and disrupt Mthwakazi’s quest for freedom is tantamount to colonialism. Mnangagwa’s regime, like the Smith regime and all other colonial administrations before it, recognises that the only way to dominate Mthwakazi is to interfere with her culture and tradition through the subjection of our traditional leaders.
In light of our commitment as MNP to defending the people of Mthwakazi and our right to freedom of expression, we call on the Zimbabwe regime to stop on its march of aggression against Chief Ndiweni. We want to put it clear before our oppressors that a people who have lost their fear can never be re-injected with fear and that destiny can be delayed but can never be denied.
We recognise the inherent need to restore the sovereign authority of traditional leaders as the pillar of our independence in order to safeguard our culture, tradition, language and historical heritage.
We call upon the people of Mthwakazi to unite across social divides in support of Chief Ndiweni in order to limit the influence of the Zimbabwe regime on what is left of our independent traditional systems.
Mthwakazi will be free.
Vuka Mthwakazi Sizwe!
MNP President S.V Mabhena