By Paul Nyathi
The Mthwakazi Kingdom Royal Council has given MDC-T President Nelson Chamisa a thumbs up on his stance on the revival of the kingdom which was destroyed by the white settlers in 1893.
Speaking to ZimEye.com in an interview on Monday, the Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Council Effie Ncube said that the council is pleased by Chamisa’s positive approach of the matter.
“We appreciate his support for the right of the people to practise their cultures freely and to raise and nurture traditional and cultural institutions to uphold and preserve those cultural rights,” said Ncube.
Addressing the MDC Alliance coalition rally at White City Stadium in Bulawayo on Saturday, Chamisa promised that he will see to the coronation of Crown Prince Bulelani Lobengula Khumalo as the King of the Ndebele people after the coronation was blocked by the ruling ZANU PF party in March.
Ncube hailed Chamisa for his stance calling on all other political leaders in the country to also adopt Chamisa’s position or risk being purged by the Matabeleland region.
“For political leaders the choice is very simple: you are either for the people and their culture or against that,” said Ncube.
“We are glad to see some leaders picking sides with the people. The other side is just not sustainable,” he added.
Ncube explained that the Ndebele king is meant to be just a cultural figurehead who will not be a have a political influence.
“The Ndebele Kingship means no harm to anybody. It will be a cultural institution that will neither discriminate against anyone nor usurp political power from the elected representatives of the people,” said Ncube.
He went on to dispel the ZANU PF government perception that the installing of the king is in line with the Mthwakazi cessation proponents.
“The King will be a cultural leader and not a territorial leader. No borders will be erected against people from other cultures. No one’s political office and legitimate political power will be threatened by us having a King,” he said.
Members of the Mthwakazi Republic Party however downplayed Chamisa’s promise on the king claiming that he was only scoring a political mileage.
Ncube on the other hand said that the Royal Council takes Chamisa to his words and they have no reason to doubt his promise.
“We take public officials at their word believing that their word is their honour and it is not for us to judge people on the basis of that which they never said,” said Ncube.
“He has said he supports the coronation of our King and we take him at his word. At this stage we have no reason to doubt the integrity of his undertaking.”
“He promised the people and it is the people who will hold him accountable just as much as it is the people who must decide the fate of those who use public office to deny people their cultural rights.