New year benediction to all my readers

One can only be thankful


When we look at the paths that God has taken us (me) over decades, years, months, weeks, days hours and minutes. One cannot help but be thankful. There are many who fell on the way side. Many who did not make it to this day , some wise, some foolish, some famous, other were infamous, some educated , other were not educated, some kind, some unkind, some selfish, some generous and some young, while others where older, some sick, others were fit, some were tall other were short, some dark skinned others, were light skinned, some where in the developed world, and  others were in the third world.

 Be thankful every day.

God bless you and protect you in all you do in 2012 & beyond!

Happy new year.

Kudala kwakunganje!

Umfanekiso uyazikhulumela.

I am not the artist, I just found it on friend's profile on f/b. I would give credit to the artsit if I could see him. Great work!

Travel chaos hits Beitbridge border post!

(One of the worlds busiest border post, second from US/Mexico border psots)





There have been chaotic scenes at the Beitbridge border post in the last few days, due to the increased volume of human and vehicle traffic.
Beitbridge is among the busiest border posts in the SADC region, with volumes rising to more than 12,000 travellers and 4,000 vehicles a day in the festive season. Annually this amounts to about four million people, one million vehicles and millions of tons of freight.





But with traffic flows hitting record levels in recent years, because of the ever increasing number of Zimbabweans living in South Africa, facilities at the border have proved woefully inadequate.
Some of those using public transport are complaining that they are being asked to pay more than double the normal fee to travel to Zimbabwe from Johannesburg. A single trip to Harare normally costs R300, but bus and kombi operators have increased that to R700 in the last few weeks.
Our Bulawayo correspondent Lionel Saungweme told us as long as there is no infrastructure development at the border post, the congestions will still be witnessed during peak seasons. He said it takes up to five hours to transit the border, with the delays particularly bad during peak holiday periods.
‘The government hasn’t learnt a thing. These things happen year in, year out and nothing has been done to improve or correct the situation,’ Saungweme said.







The border was set to receive a US$100 million facelift, which government said would cut delays by 75 percent. But Saungweme said Finance Minister Tendai Biti recently accused a South African company, contracted to expand the border post, of failing to complete the job.
‘Biti said government contracted a South African Infrastructure Company to modernise the border post, revamping its technology and decentralising clearing systems to curb corruption by Zimbabwe Revenue Authority officials. The minister said the company was contracted to build a new port but has spent 13 months on the job doing nothing,’ Saungweme said





Story by Tichaona Sibanda.

Xhosa king to honour Mugabe

Xhosa King Mpendulo Zwelonke Sigcawu landed in Zimbabwe on Sunday on a week-long trip that aims to establish a relationship with Zimbabwean Xhosa people.

He is expected to bestow the King Hintsa Bravery Award upon Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.

Xhosa Royal Council CEO Zolani Mkiva said the handing over of the award was expected to take place at Sojini School grounds on Friday in Mbembesi.

Sigcawu would deliver the keynote address in this historic ceremony, said Mkiva.

“President Mugabe is recognised by the king for his humble contribution to the liberation struggle and his outstanding leadership in African affairs,” said Mkiva.

He said the king was looking forward to speak to (President) Mugabe about ways to help Xhosa people who earlier this year in Johannesburg complained of being “left with no option”, but to learn Shona since there were no Xhosa books in the country.

Researcher on tradition and clan name expert Mpumelelo Makuliwe said he had already conducted a study on the Xhosa living in Zimbabwe.

It is believed most Xhosas residing in Zimbabwe have their roots in the former Transkei province of South Africa

Is there anything called the "knife culture" of Matabeleland?


When it comes to colonialism in Southern  Africa, no name is common than that of  Cecil John Rhodes. His ambition was to colonies Africa from Cape to Cairo. To this day there is street corner in Bulawayo that points to Cape town and to Cairo. Matebeleland was at the very center of his plan. Upto this very day his grave lies in Matopo hills. Matopo hills is just a  few hours away from Matabeleland capital Bulawayo!

Despite the severe defeat that  Ndebeles suffered around 1896,  "the man of the long spears"  are warriors by nature. This would see  the Ndebele kingdom collapse, and old Bulawayo was later  abandoned. To this day nobody knows what happened to King Lobhegula.  Some says he crossed Zambezi and migrated to Zambia. There is a lot of myth, and stories on his whereabouts. (This is not a history account)

The use of home made tools and weapons like knives, clubs, axes and spears is still common in most Southern African villages. For most people these are the most basic tools every household often posses. Africans are natural known for hunting gathering and farming. We all know that the previous centuries were dominated with wars. Many cultures and tribes defended and expanded this way. This was the time prior to the missionary age in the early eighteen hundred century. Missionary expansion period and colonialism happened almost at the same time. This dealt a terrible blow to the messengers of the gospel to this very day. This is because most people of African descent still see the white men as a thief who stole their land, and natural resources using a gun and the Bible

Knives has always come in handy for butchering both game and cattle  meat. It is an encouraged culture that every boy must have a knife, and a club when ever going  hunting. This is because in case you find a people need who help cutting meat after butchering a cow beast. These two convenient tools makes the young man feel complete. At home is one expected to have at least one spear  for security. Its  kind of  like a guns to westerners. Americans will go down fighting if you want to strip them of their guns  rights. They understand the need  for self protection.

Coming to the point, it seems that in every age, the Ndebele people like any other nation have a dire need  protect themselves. There is nothing worse than a nation defeated and disarmed. Well, the  Ndebele people have existed as a defeated nation for a long time. In the early eighties, we saw the Gukurahundi sweep across the whole region of Matabeleland and Midlands killing thousands of people. A lot of people still  live in fear, they know that the government is still capable of repeating the same thing it once did.

 The need to for  individual and family security is desperate. Every where one goes, he or she  has to be careful of pickpockets and thugs especially in the cities. I remember growing up in the eighties, my own father  used tell me of countless stories on how he survived dangerous encounters with thugs at night because of his three star pocket knife.  Residences can be easily broken into and people can be brutally murdered. The only problem is that we are living in a grey area period security wise. Time and again the government has embarked on operation "disarm the people". Weapons abuse is obviously rampant. Those who have  knives are using them to settle score and grudges. Almost all Zimbabwean police agents are on the road looking for money. Its been said that where ever there is a Policeman there is money.

The rest of the people are left unprotected. One has to protect themselves since police protection is not always available. Bad guys are usually armed to teeth. Is the so called "knife culture of Matabeleland"  exaggerated!

Staying relavant and focused

At the top of all things that I do be it at home, at work or even at church, the most important question I ask myself is. "Am I relevant?  I  have lived  long  enough  to know that in many spheres of life, there are some things that we do but are not very relevant. I use the word relevant to mean "meaningful, direct and effective at a desired goal" This is not the Webster's dictionary meaning of the word, or at least any other English dictionary for that matter.

Having said that, I must first and foremost apologize for being away from a my desk for a long time. I was away for a over a month and a half. the last time I was away that long was a little over two years ago when my youngest son Ayanda was born. He is now a big boy now, I cannot believe how fast time flies. As  you already know by now that all my activities are centered on family. I remember an incident that happened one time when my first born Themba, was a little baby. It so happened that I was used to going around with him wherever I went. The lonely 325 BMW that I had bough for myself as a present suddenly became a family car. I became an expert in turning my head and talking to my son who would be buckled tight on his baby car sit while I was driving. It so happened that one day I had to go to another side of town, and my wife did not want me to go with the young guy. He must have been around three month or so. Every where I went they used to call me a man with a baby. Ubaba olomtwana! Its not common for a man from the "mother land" to be so close with a little one.

There were guys who literally reminded me that they had kids too. It must have bothered them seeing me with a baby everywhere I went. I took him to church, men's meetings, soccer matches, funeral gatherings and in other social activities. Well to cut along story short, after I had driven by myself for about three miles, I turned my head back and as usual trying to talk to the little guy. He was not there! For moment I was alarmed, then I remembered that I left him home with his mom. To this day I have never felt so lonely on a thirty minutes ride like that day. Life with kids is different. My red BMW two door sport car which was always clean sparkling polished can now be found with a bunch of French fries on the floor, and two grease baby car sits. What a difference fours years can make. My car and clothes do not take priority anymore. Having kids is having life long friends, it surpasses hardships one encounters when raising them.

Through out all this one more thing has survived the test of time. This blog site. It acts as  an exhaust pipe on a car that emits carbon gases out of the system into the environment. I also pray that as I blog, I must be meaningful and directly effective at my goals. I have seen people make surprise parties and give surprise gifts, but the question that usual comes to my mind is that. Sometimes its easy doing exactly the thing that one like or needs most. One might wonder why I have the picture of that duck on the top there. This poor  duck lived friendly in our yard and had eggs, the only problem was that she would cross the road to and from to visit eggs. Her entire friends and family were on the side of a very busy street. She did this for about two days, but our family was concerned about her because we knew it would not end well. We live on a busy street. In Indiana and most other areas in United States motorists are supposed to stop when animals are crossing the road. Most of them practize this rule by day but at night they do not care. So one  morning we found the poor duck lying flat on the road.  Our hearts sunk , because  we knew that she was gone. She left her unborn kids in egg shell. Its been said that the best things in life are not things at all. Moral of the story is life is too short to be irrelevant folks!

Tracking the origins Mkwananzi/ Mkhwananzi/Mkwanazi

From what I gather there were more than four Mkhwanazi lineages of which the most prominent were those of Mhabahaba Mkhwanazi (Intunta), Somhlolo Mathema Mkhwanazi (Inqama), Maqundela Mkhwanazi (Sobukhazi) and Lodada Mkhwanazi. Lodada was the father of Mbhida and Mfaziwamajaha, King Lobhengula's first and second wives respectively. Today only the Mhabahaba chieftancy (Ngungumbane) and the Somhlolo(Mathema) still exist. It appears that the praise names you listed generally belong to the Mhabahaba lineage as he became the most prominent/famous of the the Mkhwanazis. What were Mhabahaba's praise names or those of his immediate ancestors became adopted as general Mkhwanazi izitemo/izangelo/izithakazelo. Broadly speaking, there are two groups of amaKhwanazi in Matebeleland, that is, abezansi (Gagisa/Mpandeyamadoda/Mgidla/Mathema/Sigidi,etc) and abenhla (Gawu/Makhwentaba). Both groups are Nguni although most people associate abenhla with Sothos. Whilst a great majority of abenhla were of Sotho origin, there were many Ngunis who fell under the abenhla group by virtue of the geographical location where they joined Mzilikazi. For instance whilst the Gagisas/Mpande... were abezansi(which means) because they came from Zululand, the Gawus/Makhwentabas were enhla either because they were Nzunza(Transvaal Ndebeles) or Nyamazana's Swazis. The association of abezansi with Nguni and abenhla with Sotho was opportunistically exploited by Sinqobile Mabhena of eNswazi. In 1997/8 when she claimed that as a Sotho, not a Nguni, 'she was entitled to be a chief because Mabhenas were Sothos not Ngunis'. We know this incorrect as Mabhenas, Mahlangus, Sikhosanas, Mthombenis, etc, from kwaNdebele are pure Ngunis from the Transvaal. The Mkhwanazi(Gawu/Makhwentaba) fall under this category. As for Mhabahaba being the oldest known Mkhwanazi ancestor, well, I'm not quite sure. Mhabahaba was son of Zama, who was son of Bebesi, who was son of Lomafu, who was son of Nkwenkwezi, who was son of Sikhumba, who was son of Mthethwa, who was son of Mantewane. The oldest known Mkhwanazi ancestor is probably Mantewane. Bryant, a well-known Zulu anthropologist thinks that Mkhwanazis are originally Mthethwas just like Zulus are originally Gumedes. Curiously, the Mkhwanazi lineage does mention Mthethwa as one of the forebears. Besides, in KZN, the Mthethwas in eMpangeni and Mkhwanazis in Mtubatuba are neighbours who enjoy unusually close relations. The Mkhwanazis are found among all the 5 Nguni groups ie the Zulu, the Xhosa,the Ndebele(Mthwakazi), the Swazi and the Ndebele(Nzunza) and the common praise name that links all of them is Nkwali (Nyoni) yenkosi. As for the spelling, the Mthwakazians are the only group who spell the surname with an 'n' next to the '..zi'. It can be assumed that this is a bastardised version which was acquired in Zimbabwe as a result of the linguistic influence of local languages. The 'h' is not much of a problem as it reflects the changes in the Zulu/Ndebele orthogaphy which did not represent aspirated sounds such as 'khwa' vs 'kwa', 'khu' vs 'ku', 'pha' vs 'pa'. Those who are spelling it as 'Mkhwanazi' are therefore using the modern Zulu/Ndebele orthography while those who spell it as 'Mkwanazi' are using old Zulu/Ndebele orthography. In South Africa and Swaziland only 'Nkwali/nyoni yenkosi' is known. .They instead use Shamase and Ndonga which are not used in Mthwakazi. I hope someone more knowledgeable than me could assist. George Mhabahaba

Tracking the origins of Mkwanazi/Mkhwananzi.

I suspect your source is from the Mhabahaba lineage to which I belong but was by
no means the only Mkhwanazi lineage that Mzilikazi brought to Matebeleland.

From what I gather there were more than four Mkhwanazi lineages of which the
most prominent were those of Mhabahaba Mkhwanazi (Intunta), Somhlolo Mathema
Mkhwanazi (Inqama), Maqundela Mkhwanazi (Sobukhazi) and Lodada Mkhwanazi.
Lodada was the father of Mbhida and Mfaziwamajaha, King Lobhengula's first and
second wives respectively.

Today only the Mhabahaba chieftancy (Ngungumbane) and the Somhlolo(Mathema)
still exist. It appears that the praise names you listed generally belong to
the Mhabahaba lineage as he became the most prominent/famous of the the
Mkhwanazis. What were Mhabahaba's praise names or those of his immediate
ancestors became adopted as general Mkhwanazi izitemo/izangelo/izithakazelo.

Broadly speaking, there are two groups of amaKhwanazi in Matebeleland, that is,
abezansi (Gagisa/Mpandeyamadoda/Mgidla/Mathema/Sigidi,etc) and abenhla
(Gawu/Makhwentaba). Both groups are Nguni although most people associate
abenhla with Sothos. Whilst a great majority of abenhla were of Sotho origin,
there were many Ngunis who fell under the abenhla group by virtue of the
geographical location where they joined Mzilikazi. For instance whilst the
Gagisas/Mpande... were abezansi(which means) because they came from Zululand,
the Gawus/Makhwentabas were enhla either because they were Nzunza(Transvaal
Ndebeles) or Nyamazana's Swazis.

The association of abezansi with Nguni and abenhla with Sotho was
opportunistically exploited by Sinqobile Mabhena of eNswazi. In 1997/8 when she
claimed that as a Sotho, not a Nguni, 'she was entitled to be a chief because
Mabhenas were Sothos not Ngunis'. We know this incorrect as Mabhenas,
Mahlangus, Sikhosanas, Mthombenis, etc, from kwaNdebele are pure Ngunis from
the Transvaal. The Mkhwanazi(Gawu/Makhwentaba) fall under this category.

As for Mhabahaba being the oldest known Mkhwanazi ancestor, well, I'm not quite
sure. Mhabahaba was son of Zama, who was son of Bebesi, who was son of Lomafu,
who was son of Nkwenkwezi, who was son of Sikhumba, who was son of Mthethwa,
who was son of Mantewane. The oldest known Mkhwanazi ancestor is probably
Mantewane. Bryant, a well-known Zulu anthropologist thinks that Mkhwanazis are
originally Mthethwas just like Zulus are originally Gumedes. Curiously, the
Mkhwanazi lineage does mention Mthethwa as one of the forebears. Besides, in
KZN, the Mthethwas in eMpangeni and Mkhwanazis in Mtubatuba are neighbours who
enjoy unusually close relations. The Mkhwanazis are found among all the 5 Nguni
groups ie the Zulu, the Xhosa,the Ndebele(Mthwakazi), the Swazi and the
Ndebele(Nzunza) and the common praise name that links all of them is Nkwali
(Nyoni) yenkosi. As for the spelling, the Mthwakazians are the only group who
spell the surname with an 'n' next to the '..zi'. It can be assumed that this
is a bastardised version which was acquired in Zimbabwe as a result of the
linguistic influence of local languages. The 'h' is not much of a problem as it
reflects the changes in the Zulu/Ndebele orthogaphy which did not represent
aspirated sounds such as 'khwa' vs 'kwa', 'khu' vs 'ku', 'pha' vs 'pa'. Those
who are spelling it as 'Mkhwanazi' are therefore using the modern Zulu/Ndebele
orthography while those who spell it as 'Mkwanazi' are using old Zulu/Ndebele
orthography. In South Africa and Swaziland only 'Nkwali/nyoni yenkosi' is known
from the list Sis Thoko gave. They instead use Shamase and Ndonga which are not
used in Mthwakazi. I hope someone more knowledgeable than me could assist.

George Mhabahaba Siyabonga dadewethu ngokusiphandela imvelaphi kanye nezithakazelo zakwethu.
They are as they were taught to me by my father Elphas kaSolomon kaMajinkila
kaDliso kaMhabahaba. Solomon was Ngungumbane's brother from the Mlotshwa clan.

I suspect your source is from the Mhabahaba lineage to which I belong but was by
no means the only Mkhwanazi lineage that Mzilikazi brought to Matebeleland.
From what I gather there were more than four Mkhwanazi lineages of which the
most prominent were those of Mhabahaba Mkhwanazi (Intunta), Somhlolo Mathema
Mkhwanazi (Inqama), Maqundela Mkhwanazi (Sobukhazi) and Lodada Mkhwanazi.
Lodada was the father of Mbhida and Mfaziwamajaha, King Lobhengula's first and
second wives respectively.

Today only the Mhabahaba chieftancy (Ngungumbane) and the Somhlolo(Mathema)
still exist. It appears that the praise names you listed generally belong to
the Mhabahaba lineage as he became the most prominent/famous of the the
Mkhwanazis. What were Mhabahaba's praise names or those of his immediate
ancestors became adopted as general Mkhwanazi izitemo/izangelo/izithakazelo.

Broadly speaking, there are two groups of amaKhwanazi in Matebeleland, that is,
abezansi (Gagisa/Mpandeyamadoda/Mgidla/Mathema/Sigidi,etc) and abenhla
(Gawu/Makhwentaba). Both groups are Nguni although most people associate
abenhla with Sothos. Whilst a great majority of abenhla were of Sotho origin,
there were many Ngunis who fell under the abenhla group by virtue of the
geographical location where they joined Mzilikazi. For instance whilst the
Gagisas/Mpande... were abezansi(which means) because they came from Zululand,
the Gawus/Makhwentabas were enhla either because they were Nzunza(Transvaal
Ndebeles) or Nyamazana's Swazis.

The association of abezansi with Nguni and abenhla with Sotho was
opportunistically exploited by Sinqobile Mabhena of eNswazi. In 1997/8 when she
claimed that as a Sotho, not a Nguni, 'she was entitled to be a chief because
Mabhenas were Sothos not Ngunis'. We know this incorrect as Mabhenas,
Mahlangus, Sikhosanas, Mthombenis, etc, from kwaNdebele are pure Ngunis from
the Transvaal. The Mkhwanazi(Gawu/Makhwentaba) fall under this category.

As for Mhabahaba being the oldest known Mkhwanazi ancestor, well, I'm not quite
sure. Mhabahaba was son of Zama, who was son of Bebesi, who was son of Lomafu,
who was son of Nkwenkwezi, who was son of Sikhumba, who was son of Mthethwa,
who was son of Mantewane. The oldest known Mkhwanazi ancestor is probably
Mantewane. Bryant, a well-known Zulu anthropologist thinks that Mkhwanazis are
originally Mthethwas just like Zulus are originally Gumedes. Curiously, the
Mkhwanazi lineage does mention Mthethwa as one of the forebears. Besides, in
KZN, the Mthethwas in eMpangeni and Mkhwanazis in Mtubatuba are neighbours who
enjoy unusually close relations. The Mkhwanazis are found among all the 5 Nguni
groups ie the Zulu, the Xhosa,the Ndebele(Mthwakazi), the Swazi and the
Ndebele(Nzunza) and the common praise name that links all of them is Nkwali
(Nyoni) yenkosi. As for the spelling, the Mthwakazians are the only group who
spell the surname with an 'n' next to the '..zi'. It can be assumed that this
is a bastardised version which was acquired in Zimbabwe as a result of the
linguistic influence of local languages. The 'h' is not much of a problem as it
reflects the changes in the Zulu/Ndebele orthogaphy which did not represent
aspirated sounds such as 'khwa' vs 'kwa', 'khu' vs 'ku', 'pha' vs 'pa'. Those
who are spelling it as 'Mkhwanazi' are therefore using the modern Zulu/Ndebele
orthography while those who spell it as 'Mkwanazi' are using old Zulu/Ndebele
orthography. In South Africa and Swaziland only 'Nkwali/nyoni yenkosi' is known
from the list Sis Thoko gave. They instead use Shamase and Ndonga which are not
used in Mthwakazi. I hope someone more knowledgeable than me could assist.
George Mhabahaba Siyabonga dadewethu ngokusiphandela imvelaphi kanye nezithakazelo zakwethu.
They are as they were taught to me by my father Elphas kaSolomon kaMajinkila
kaDliso kaMhabahaba. Solomon was Ngungumbane's brother from the Mlotshwa clan.

I suspect your source is from the Mhabahaba lineage to which I belong but was by
no means the only Mkhwanazi lineage that Mzilikazi brought to Matebeleland.
From what I gather there were more than four Mkhwanazi lineages of which the
most prominent were those of Mhabahaba Mkhwanazi (Intunta), Somhlolo Mathema
Mkhwanazi (Inqama), Maqundela Mkhwanazi (Sobukhazi) and Lodada Mkhwanazi.
Lodada was the father of Mbhida and Mfaziwamajaha, King Lobhengula's first and
second wives respectively.

Today only the Mhabahaba chieftancy (Ngungumbane) and the Somhlolo(Mathema)
still exist. It appears that the praise names you listed generally belong to
the Mhabahaba lineage as he became the most prominent/famous of the the
Mkhwanazis. What were Mhabahaba's praise names or those of his immediate
ancestors became adopted as general Mkhwanazi izitemo/izangelo/izithakazelo.

Broadly speaking, there are two groups of amaKhwanazi in Matebeleland, that is,
abezansi (Gagisa/Mpandeyamadoda/Mgidla/Mathema/Sigidi,etc) and abenhla
(Gawu/Makhwentaba). Both groups are Nguni although most people associate
abenhla with Sothos. Whilst a great majority of abenhla were of Sotho origin,
there were many Ngunis who fell under the abenhla group by virtue of the
geographical location where they joined Mzilikazi. For instance whilst the
Gagisas/Mpande... were abezansi(which means) because they came from Zululand,
the Gawus/Makhwentabas were enhla either because they were Nzunza(Transvaal
Ndebeles) or Nyamazana's Swazis.

The association of abezansi with Nguni and abenhla with Sotho was
opportunistically exploited by Sinqobile Mabhena of eNswazi. In 1997/8 when she
claimed that as a Sotho, not a Nguni, 'she was entitled to be a chief because
Mabhenas were Sothos not Ngunis'. We know this incorrect as Mabhenas,
Mahlangus, Sikhosanas, Mthombenis, etc, from kwaNdebele are pure Ngunis from
the Transvaal. The Mkhwanazi(Gawu/Makhwentaba) fall under this category.

As for Mhabahaba being the oldest known Mkhwanazi ancestor, well, I'm not quite
sure. Mhabahaba was son of Zama, who was son of Bebesi, who was son of Lomafu,
who was son of Nkwenkwezi, who was son of Sikhumba, who was son of Mthethwa,
who was son of Mantewane. The oldest known Mkhwanazi ancestor is probably
Mantewane. Bryant, a well-known Zulu anthropologist thinks that Mkhwanazis are
originally Mthethwas just like Zulus are originally Gumedes. Curiously, the
Mkhwanazi lineage does mention Mthethwa as one of the forebears. Besides, in
KZN, the Mthethwas in eMpangeni and Mkhwanazis in Mtubatuba are neighbours who
enjoy unusually close relations. The Mkhwanazis are found among all the 5 Nguni
groups ie the Zulu, the Xhosa,the Ndebele(Mthwakazi), the Swazi and the
Ndebele(Nzunza) and the common praise name that links all of them is Nkwali
(Nyoni) yenkosi. As for the spelling, the Mthwakazians are the only group who
spell the surname with an 'n' next to the '..zi'. It can be assumed that this
is a bastardised version which was acquired in Zimbabwe as a result of the
linguistic influence of local languages. The 'h' is not much of a problem as it
reflects the changes in the Zulu/Ndebele orthogaphy which did not represent
aspirated sounds such as 'khwa' vs 'kwa', 'khu' vs 'ku', 'pha' vs 'pa'. Those
who are spelling it as 'Mkhwanazi' are therefore using the modern Zulu/Ndebele
orthography while those who spell it as 'Mkwanazi' are using old Zulu/Ndebele
orthography. In South Africa and Swaziland only 'Nkwali/nyoni yenkosi' is known
from the list Sis Thoko gave. They instead use Shamase and Ndonga which are not
used in Mthwakazi. I hope someone more knowledgeable than me could assist.

Many thanks to George Mhabahaba Mkhwanazi for such a detailed  outline.

Founding Ndebele King Mzilikazi honoured in USA!

One would have thought that it was somewhere in Swaziland or South Africa, but it was in Dallas Texas (USA) where people from all walks of life gathered to commemorate the late Ndebele King Mzilkazi.

The event that ignited and showcased the rich culture of the Ndebele people of Zimbabwe was graced by music, poet, art traditional dance, just to say the least. People from that country currently known as Zimbabwe came from all over United States just to experience this annual tradition. Its also worth mentioning that at the same time, there were about six other places celebrating either the same weekend or the next all around the world. Zimbabweans in London are celebrating this weekend, the same applies to those in South Africa and Bulawayo (Zimbabwe).

It is not a secret that the leadership of the late King Mzilikazi is respected among the nations to this day. He was a very inclusive leader who accommodated other nations. For a long time because of colonial influence, most people regarded their culture as evil and demonic. This was obviously the failure to distinguish and descern between the two. This was a double sword in both sides because most African people refused to convert to christianity if they were to discard their cultures.

To try and change this mentality would the biggest challenge, and it would certainly take a very long time. Zimbabwe being a nation that is mainly sympathetic to the Christian religion. It follows that most people associate African culture with evil spirits. That is why preachers are always clad in ties and jackets.

Its been many years since Independence, and it would be foolish to blame it on the missionaries any longer. We obviously cannot change everything that resembles colonialism at once, but we must accept the challenge to look at things differently seeing that the former was false,inaccurate and biased!

No wisdom in putting new wine in old skins

 I decided to finish off one of my old articles entitled "Zimbabweans are trapped in the politics of political correctness" Going back to review my work, a couple of days ago I discovered that the article in question was not only unfinished, but also needed a some breaking down. The idea of writing articles with specific titles does not always work well some times. For examples if I have a minor point to make that cannot be justified by a huge paragraph full of words, that means I cannot write it down because it may not qualify in this normal standard of writing. I must admit that as much as we all claim to be progressive, we often find ourselves trapped in the old styles and ways of acceptable standards as young writers and communicators. Every writer looks and admires some old fashioned folks, who for some unknown reason where taught to use a lot of vocabulary even if they meant a simply thing that could only take a couple of words. I must be clear to mention that not all old writers are suffer from this syndrome.

Coming back to my topic: Anybody who has been following Zimbabwe's politics knows its trends. By this I mean it is predictable. It obviously revolves around tribe and origin and connections. While we all are looking forward to a day when the political landscape of Zimbabwe will be level, we must accept the fact that, for now we are caught in a predicament that we are not able to escape from. There are no surprises in Zimbabwe's politics. I must also admit that as much as we remain stagnant in that area, there have been some little volcano's that almost shock the whole mountain down, but came a little bit short from achieving that goal. Those volcano's were parties like ZUM and MDC lead by the late Edgar Tekere and Morgan Tsvangirai respectively. Tekere lead Zum in 1990. Tsvangirai lead MDC in 2000 and 2008 elections. These two gentlemen were quite impressive under the circumstances.

I should have mentioned that the ZANU PF and PF ZAPU are the very traps that we find ourselves in. I will explain why! Even before and after the meager, depending on which side and you believe, the two parties dominated Zimbabwe's politics. Well, PF ZAPU did not win the majority rule, but in this case they are ruling with ZANU PF. Or at least ruled with ZANU PF, all theses things are subject to argument to a certain extent. I am not really willing to go that route today, but fact remains, these are the parties/ party that lead us from Independence in 1980. Yes there where ZANU Ndongas and some other minor parties, but these did not influence a larger portion of the nation. Again I am not willing to judge PF Zapu /ZANU Pf marriage for now so that point will be proved correct. My humble opinions are meaningless at this point. I would gladly share them in another platform, or when discussing another topic. Like I said, earlier, its hard to follow specific topics and headings but we must be true to them if we are to be relevant at the same time.

The present political landscape prevailing in the country does not only frustrates ordinary men, but politicians , political scientist and scholars. Recently, a well known ZANU PF spin doctor, by the name Jonathan Moyo who is also a political scientist and a Tsholotsho MP was heard expressing his frustration to fellow comrades. He warned fellow party members about corruption and violence. It is believed that there are many in the party who are not happy about the way things are handled but obviously be trapped in political correctness system. Its hard to rise above party level politics and lines, hence we find ourselves travelling on a merry go round time of scenario. Its like trying to put new wine on old wine skins.

Just recently, MDC T leader Morgan Tsvangirai dismissed Welshman Ncube's MDC as a regional party. Check the trend. Anything coming from outside Mashonaland is regional. Sound familiar. You are right you have heard it before. Any party lead by a minority is regional party. Cheap politics, even great heroes like Morgan Tvsangirai are subscribing to it. Shame!

Is Zimbabwe going through a sexual revolultion?

(Sign of times)

We all thought it was a joke when we first heard that there were gangs of women on the rampage who are going around raping men in Zimbabwe's cities and towns. This is not only unbelievable but puzzling to say the least. I must say that it looks like there is a lot of bizarre things happening in Zimbabwe these days. Internet newspapers are sending competing headlines out there!

Midlands: Woman admits to having an affair with her son and want to marry him!

Mberengwa: MAN OVER POWERED BY A 90 YEAR OLD GRANNY TRYING TO RAPE HER!

Kadoma: MAN ADMITS TO A 16YR OLD RELATIONSHIP WITH DAUGHTER!

Victoria falls: WOMAN CHARGED FOR MOLESTING A 12 YR OLD BOY

Kwekwe : MAN GANG RAPED BY WOMEN ON A TRUCK!


I cannot even talk about about some even more weired stories like man raping a donkey in Tsholotsho. Just last year a goat gave birth to something that looked like a human but had four legs in Zhombe. That kid died a day after it was born. Even the Midlands Governor admitted that it was partly human. The governor later warned people from having incest with animals saying that was un-natural.

The increase in women raping man is a cause of great concern, not because of its man that are victims, but because of the way they operate. They seem to operate in gangs. Some people have suggested that its for muti/wicthcraft operations.Some even thinks the Chinese are behind that movement. Mind you this is a HIV aids era. I still condemn the rape of women by man for that and many other reasons. Two wrongs do not make a right. May be women are revenging for the wrongs man has done them for a very long time.Or it could just be the country is undergoing sexual revolution. Who knows? It might even be the that Zimbabwen women are sex starved?

Which way Zimbabwe?

Above: (A picture taken during a recent demonstration by Zimbabweans in Sandton South Africa)


Tens of thousands of Zimbabwean immigrants residing in that country took advantage of the amnesty to get proper documentation, but thousand were left in the cold again.It is feared that deportation may start anytime, now that the amnesty period has come and gone. Politics at home is not promising despite the fact that the country has seen some stability in the past two years, thanks to the govt of national unity. This fragile government of national Unity was signed by Prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai, deputy minister Arthur Mutambara, and President Robert Mugabe representimg their different parties.

The past year saw the change in political landscape with the rebirth of Zapu and the emerging Mtwakazi voices calling for a separate state altogether. Welshmen Ncube's MDC rebranded itself, with Ncube himself being a serious Presidential candidant. This new developments saw Mutambara political hopes come to a sudden halt despite being a signitory of the September 15 unity agreement that is going to expire soon!

Its still not known when elections will be held. Political parties have been throwing blows at each other about this issue. Sadac moderators have been accused of taking sides, and not to mention that relations have almost gone sour in the process throwing the negotiations completely off balance.

The Sorry state of Bulawayo

High tariffs on imports and raw materials as well as poor representation of people from the Matabeleland region in policy and decision making bodies have been highlighted as the reasons why so many strategic companies have been closing down or relocating to other cities.

This was said last week by Dr Ruth Labode, the chairperson of the Matabeleland Chamber of Industries, during an MDC –T organized extra ordinary policy conference on the re- industrializing of Bulawayo.
Labode said Bulawayo had been hardest hit by the company closures and relocations which she said had affected the quality of business markets, purchasing power, employment generation and household incomes.

“It is our concern that over the past decade, there are fewer and fewer people from Matabeleland in policy and decision making bodies, be it public or private ones. This leads to marginalization and failure by the people of this region to participate actively and contribute into mainstream national activities,” she said.

She cited the Zimbabwe Tourism Board (ZTA), National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), NASSA and the Zimbabwe Revenue Collection authority (ZIMRA) as some of companies whose boards did not have any one from the region. Labode also cited the Lupane State University board which she said was being run by people from Harare.

The MCI chairperson also complained about what she described as high tariffs on imports of raw materials which many companies in the city used. She also blamed the city’s perennial water shortages.

More than 80 companies are reported to be either closed down or relocated to other cities since the beginning of the economic meltdown which hit the country before the formation of the inclusive government.

Ruth Labode, the MCL Chairperson. (Zim diaspora)

Do not just "baby sit" your own kids!

For most of us busy parents, the temptation to just "baby sit' your children is greater. Baby sitting is a term used to keep the kids out of dangerous things, feed and change diapers (nappies) Izitshubo! We are living in a time, and a generation where we want it all. We work harder to make sure that we live a good life. A life style where by we have everything at our finger tips. And really there is nothing wrong with that. For most of us, we are trying to make sure our kids get things that our parents never managed to do for us. We look back at the life styles that our parents lead, while we were growing up, and feel compelled to do better. Surely there is no better standard of measuring progress than that. Each generation is pushing for the better.

While the above general analysis is true to many people, it could not have been any more real than in my own life. We all natural respond to life choices, and decisions by what transpired in our lives during our upbringing. I know a lot of people who grew up in mere poverty, but are now living like kings. I also know a lot of people who never amounted to anything just because of the environment they grew up in. There are some who used their own humble beginnings as a stepping stone for the better. Such are few, and the rest lie somewhere in the datum line. Its been said that if you do not know where you are coming from, you do not know where you are going either.

I must admit that most of the things we run around chasing every single day, are not really about putting bread on the table. They are about pleasure, and matching the Jones next door. We do not want to be left behind. If the neighbors get a new vehicle, its time for us update our models as well. This is an acceptable type of peer pressure in today's world. The only sad thing is that in the process we neglect the most important investments we have. Our children. Spiritually, emotionally and socially they become losers, and loners. We do a good job of connecting them to elements, yet a bad job when it comes to connecting them with us.

I am one those who grew up in transitional period of time in Zimbabwe for most African people. This was the time when our parents could afford to leave their children with grand parents in the rural areas while they were working in the cities. Back then money was not an issue as it is today, but it paved a way for a good living. This is true especially for those who used it to further their education.  Education, like sports skills and innovation rules the world we live in today. These are not  measurable by the income people get, but the amount of loss that families go through socially is unmeasurable. The abuse of drugs, alcohol among other things is a direct result of such well not limited. For most of parents we are bent on hiring baby sitters who offer nothing other than "baby management" We spend most of our lives running away from our children. Some even send them to boarding schools far away as much as possible. Boarding schools have produced some of the greatest academic minds, who are also some of the corrupt people of all time. I am in no way trying to strike a contrast between those who have and those who have not. All I am saying is that we can use our energy, and resources for the betterment, and the benefit of our children as a people.

I am privileged to be raising my own children together with my lovely wife, who is their mother. There are a lot of financial resources me and my family can use, just in case you are wondering, and have a little excess. It is blessed to give that to receive! (email listed above). Po Box Santa Indiana. We are an average family with ups and downs but we are seriously pursuing the American dream. During my grade and secondary schooling days, I could have used some emotional and financial support. I am not a cry baby type of a guy but believe me, it can be devastating when parents do not show support to your sporting and academic events. I played soccer and ran track, and none of my parents ever got a chance to cheer for me. This is not a verdict to my ailing father, who suffered terrible stroke over two years ago. I wish him well, and I love him. We cannot turn back the hands of time, if we could, I am sure he would do things different. My case is probably not isolated, but that is not an excuse either.

My mother did not get the chance given the distance. She lived over 400km away. Its tough being a child of a divorced couple in a third world country. No terms, no lawyers and the the children in between suffer terrible. I never had the luxury of playing with my father as a child. He was always a busy man, probably like many of us. He loved photos, and he could pose like a film star in front of the camera, yet he never took a single picture with me.

I only managed to take a picture with him last year for the first time in our lives. Thank God we had that chance. He is obviously not the same man any more. Grown up now. Times have changed, time has the magic of healing situations..

I pray and hope that God will continue to bond me, and my two boys together, so much that our life here on earth becomes an experience. That we can seize every opportunity to live, laugh, love, play, share and pray together. Just "baby sitting" them is not enough. Our generation has to get it right the first time!

Gukurahundi: push for genocide trial

Zimbabwean writer, Geoff Hill

More than 300 delegates from around the world have gathered at the National University in Buenos Aires for the biennial congress of the International Association of Genocide Scholars.
Ahead of the meeting, one of the most influential players in global justice reaffirmed that Gukurahundi falls within the United Nations definition on genocide and must be classified as such.
Speaking from the Argentine capital, Dr Gregory Stanton of Genocide Watch told The Zimbabwean *********** that events in Matabeleland between 1983 and 1987 were well within the International Criminal Court definition, and ranked with, "the worst of our generation."

"Gukurahundi was genocide," Stanton said. "We have clear rules from the Rome Statute that set up the International Criminal Court at The Hague, and from precedents coming out of trials in places like Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Cambodia."

Stanton said that killing many people was not always genocide. "Idi Amin murdered more than 300 000 Ugandans, and while it was a crime against humanity, there is no agreement on whether this was genocide because his victims came from so many regions. He removed anyone who stood against him," he said.

The key, he said, is when people are killed solely based on their colour, tribe, religion, gender or social status.

"In Gukurahundi, the victims' only crime was an accident of birth. If you were Matabele, that was enough to have you killed. There is no difference with Hitler killing Jews or the murder of Tutsis in Rwanda. The numbers vary, but not the hideous thinking that lies at the heart of genocide."

Also in Buenos Aires this week was Zimbabwe author and journalist, Geoff Hill, who in 2009 became the first African to serve on the IAGS advisory council. Hill has been invited to deliver a paper on Gukurahundi and the silence in Europe, America and Africa that allowed it to happen.

He told this newspaper that there was "huge interest," in the topic.

"Sadly it took things like Murambatsvina and the seizure of white farms to move global opinion, but in the 1980s even those who were at the forefront of protests against apartheid in South Africa knowingly kept quiet while thousands were being murdered in Matabeleland," he said. "Mugabe was seen as a hero of his age and few were willing to tackle him."

Stanton agreed, and said lessons from Gukurahundi were especially relevant to killings now taking place in Sudan.

"The gun is not the deadliest weapon," he said. "Sadly the real danger lies in silence because it allows the slaughter to continue, and this was our crime during Gukurahundi. We must learn from that, and ensure that Khartoum's bombing and hunting down of civilians — taking place right now in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan — is condemned from every quarter," he said.

Stanton has been involved with global justice for more than two decades and was instrumental in setting up courts in Cambodia that opened last year to try perpetrators of the Pol Pot genocide, more than 30 years after the event.

He said that dealing with Gukurahundi was essential before real peace could come to Zimbabwe.

"That must include a chance for survivors to face their tormentors in a judicial environment, and a full investigation of events, regardless of who is named among the accused.

"I know that Geoff has worked hard these past two years to push the Matabeleland issue in the IAGS, at The Hague and elsewhere and he will be meeting with a lot of scholars here to take things to the next level," Stanton said.

This story was first published by The Zimbabwean news online.

Zim international match fixing scandal is bad news

As I was watching USA women soccer World Cup team qualify for the finals this morning in Germany against France, I could not help but agree that soccer is still the most beautiful game. Well not because the women were playing, but also the unity that it brings among nations, races and creed. The game of soccer has been used as a vehicle of goodwill around the world. We have seen various international organisations donate to the improve the lives of young people around the world through soccer. United nations in particular donate millions of dollars annually to a lot of causes in the third world countries. Soccer has inspired young people in war torn regions of Congo, Uganda, Angola and so on. It has opened the world to different cultures. The recent World Cup held in South Africa in 2010 was an example of such a showcase. In a world of turmoil and tenacity soccer has transcended politics and religion.

I noticed that before they started the game, the players had to make a statement about racism and unfairness around the world. They raised a big banner with a sign that loudly read, SAY NO TO RACISM! Watching females plays this game at a world cup stage shows how much the world has changed. For a long time this was a game played only by males. In many African countries Zimbabwe included women soccer it not as popular as it is in developed countries. Some countries have obviously made commendable strides, while others have neither resources nor provision for such. Its been said that you can only judge a nation by how they treat their women, and that to me is a best standard one can use to do that.

I must admit that I am not an average soccer fan. In fact I am more of a player than a fan.I love to watch certain players execute their game. Not every player impresses me.I am more interested in their intentions with the ball. Soccer is also a mind game believe it or not. As a soccer referee myself, I have the privilege of seeing best execution and plays. Soccer is huge in United States, over forty million people play soccer every year including adults and kids. That is almost like the rest of South Africa playing soccer!
I was actual impressed by a couple of French players Bompastor among others. They were a good team but lacked the drive to win. I was also amazed that United States did not have a single black player this time around. France had about four or so.I must also mention that Lauren Cheney a local girl is also one the most valuable team United States has.
She graduated from from Ben Davis, a high school not too far from where I live right here in Indiana, and that makes us proud.


The recent news about match fixing scandal in Zimbabwe national team international circles is certainly not good news. Never in the history of the sport have we seen so much greed associated with this game. Shame! This tragic and unfortunate incident will put a bad spell in Zimbabwe's grassroots soccer. Sponsors and well wishers might think twice. I hope those who did this sad and unthinkable act will be brought to book so that the world may continue having faith in the beautiful game.

Mthwakazi nation: Why now?

About two days ago, Zimbabwe leading online publication had a poll survey asking readers to respond if they agreed that maNdebele land should be a separate state. I am pretty sure that the results of the survey are yet to be finalized. It is also interesting to note that while that was going on the President of Zimbabwe had attended a celebration and commssioning of the new South Sudan. This is Africa's newest state which is said to have taken a long time after the people of that region fought hard to liberate themselves from the rest of Sudan that opressed them. I must also say that the calls to for Mthwakazi state or a separate MaNdebele independence state are growing larger each day. This is probably why Herald ran a poll survey I assume.

Zimbabwe's own second Vice President John Nkomo was recently quoted as saying that those who are calling for devolution of power are mislead individuals. Nkomo who sadly contradicted himself further by admitting that decentralisation was the only answer to the problems in Zimbabwe. Hardly a week before that another former high profile personnel in Zimbabwe' politics, who is also one of the founder members of the ruling party ZANU Pf, Cde Enos Nkala admitted that up until as late 1923 Zimbabwe was divided into Mtabeleland and Mashonaland. Hardly a month ZAPU leader and revivalist also denounced those who are calling for a Ndebele separate state. Dabengwa who defected away from ZANU PF last year also admitted that the Matabeleland region was lagging behind in terms of development. He further said that as much as he was not the separatist, he welcomed the debate that it has opened.

The high profile response by politicians of both parties was no doubt due to pressure social networks campaigns and the recent demonstration in Sand ton South Africa. The string of high profile letters written by Mthawakazi activist directed to his Excellency (The President of Zimbabwe) obviously hit the nerve. Without wasting time Zimbabwe's police commissioner Agustine Chihuri threatened to bring down to book anybody who causes conflict. Bulawayo was soon swamped by police from the left right and centre.

Three people were picked up among them was Paul Siwela a well known former Zapu 2000 Presidential candidant and activist. Siwela who is also the son of one of the Bulawayo mayors, the late Abel Siwela was detained for almost six moths in prison for allegedly committing the act of treason. The protest and the unite among Mthwakazi and the Ndebele community was overwhelming especially on face book. Infact I must mention that there is a huge political revival and consiousness in the entire Matabeleland these days. Every political party oraganisation is gunning for the poor Matabele men. The economic decline did hit the region very hard. A lot of companies have releocated to Harare leaving Zimbabwe's former industrial powerhouse (Byo) as ghost town. The saddest thing is that even in Bulawayos's good days locals did not get jobs. People from other regions enjoyed the succes and local Ndebele man where left without a choice but to cross the border and seek opportunies either in Botswana or South Africa.

I will not talk about scholarships and college education. "Ayipiwa bana ningi". Kungenwa ngubuhlobo langokwazana! As a matter of fact for one to be suucess full in the present day Zimbabwe, they have to speak Shona whether you like it or not. The discovery of the infamous anti Ndebele document in the mid 90s sparked anger and distrust among young Ndebele youths toward the system in the country. This documnet which might have have been written just b4 independence or there about suggested that All Ndebele tribes must be supressed and oppressed in evey sector. Govt, Military, police, public service, education etc. What bothered most people was not the documnet itself but the realisation that the principles of the docuument where already in operation.

This was the time when Zimababwe was said to be booming. Not even tourism industry could bennefit the locals. People were shipped from Mashonaland to feel position even the most basic postion in hotels. Clearly the idea of a united Zimbabwe where oppoturnites where shared by all fail to materialise. Every sector is dominated by Shona. Primary school children are taught by people who are not fluent in local languages. Ndebele languages are undermined in Zimbabwe period. Ndebele people have been patient for long time. Perhaps they have decided to take matters into their own hands now and forever. Who knows if separation of the country back to Mashonaland and Matabeleland as it was before the arrival of the white men will bring the much desired dignity and respect.

Is it time for a separate MaNdebele State?

Its is amazing how soon change can occur sometimes. In the past twenty years I have witnessed world events that I never thought I would ever happen in my lifetime.  I have seen the South African gain its Independence in 1994. The whole world saw Nelson Mandela becoming the first black leader of a new South Africa. We all saw the end of violence in Kwazulu Natal(ANC and Inkatha freedom party clashes) This were so serious that my home time newspaper had a section  dedicated just for that everyday. The head lines would read. "Ninety nine dead on weekend in ANC/Inkatha clashes over the weekend" Most of the times that was just the lowest number.It would sometimes gat to 900 or more. I rmember delibertaely praying earnestly for that violence to  end. A year later we saw the Rugby World Cup coming to that same country in 1995. Just last year we all unbelievable saw the coming of the World Cup to South Africa. This was a mile stone for the whole continent. I am still pinching myself about that. I am probably over a hundred years by now  judging by by these events.


I should have metioned that as if that was not enough I witnessed Barack Obama taking an oath to become the first black President of United states of America. I was in the crowd among the multitudes that thronged downtown Indianapolis on his last day of campaign back in 2008. I made it a point to be there and witness history in the making. I do not regret taking  my family early in the morning on a cold freezing day! My son who was seventeen months old then, will probably never remember. I made sure he will always feel part of important piece history when he sees pictures some day.


Coming to Zimbabwe and Matabeleland issue, I must say I was little bit younger when Zimbabwe attained its Independence from Britain back in 1980. Radio slogans, and televisions promotions of the "New Zimbabwe" are still fresh in my mind to this day. I must be honest to say that as much as the rest of the country celebrated this historic event, there was not much enthusiasm in our area. I am pretty sure most of that was because the candidate and party that most people were behind, suffered a great loss. The most popular names was Dr Joshua Nkomo.

People sang emotinal about "Nkomo". Song like "uNkomo wethu somlandela, somlandela, somlandela yena uNkomo wethu" Eginiva somlandela!

It was like a religion. "I must confess that I probably knew  more about Nkomo than God himself in those days". I have not seen so much energy and support for an political candidant in my life ever. We walked a whole day 's journey on foot just to witness Nkomo speak at a rally in Maboleni back in 1979. "Abantu babehlanya ngo Nkomo le ZAPU" In all this we were surprised when a new named was announced as a winner and leader of a free Zimbabwe. We began learning about Prime minister RG Mugabe. Cde Mugabe a leader of ZANU PF would take the stand as the leader of the new nation Zimbabwe. Rhodesia would be changed to Zimbabwe!

Soon after  Independence in 1980, I started my very first grade. Many will remember that the school were shut down because of the war of liberation. Although I had witnessed the first hand  activities of the war of liberation as a little child, the whole history behind the struggle would be told to us at school. Most of it really was bits, and pieces. It was not much detailed but enough to drive the point home. While we were still learning about ZAPU /ZANU PF/ ZIPRA/ZANLA/ANC/ and ZANU Ndonga, another  remarkable moment of history unfolded in our very eyes. Without warning.

The infamous "Gukurahaundi" (1982 - 1987) also known as the "dissident era". Times became  tough, people were murdered, maimed raped by the ZANU PF militia. This was unprecedented. The "New Zimbabwe" and its dreams came crumbling down right. Most people who suffered, were people from Matabeland and Midlands. These were the areas  where Mugabe and ZANU did not win any seats. Ndebele speaking  people were in hot soup. We had to learn Shona as quick as we can in order to survive. Lo and behold there was not enough time to do that. The divisions of Zimbabwe emerged fully. At least twenty thousand people died within those two provinces. Some went missing mysteriously to this very day. (To be continued watch this space)

Usazi kanganani isiNdebele?

(YiBulawayo endala ngaphezulu emfanekisweni)

Namuhla ngithe ke sikhumbuzane ngolimi lwethu esiluthandayo sonke malandu kamalandela. Ngitsho phela sona isiNdebele kumbe isintu uqobo. Ngizafaka izitsho kumbe izaga ezimbalwa, angizulichaisa kodwa kuzakuthi lowo ozwa efuna ukuchasisa iloba esinye sazo enze njalo. Asikhliseni ulime lwethu silufundise labantwabethu!

1) Bame amadlodlongana

2) Hlala uzinze

3) Odinga imbila uaya entabeni

4)Unguthatha awese

5)Angibuzanga elangeni

6)Engasadlanga nkotshana

7) Uzakhala zome

8) Yawuchitha umuthi inkonyane

9) Kusasa kuyizolo

10) Uzaqonda njengo solobhoni

Can Zimbabwe handle a new generation of political leaders?

For many Zimbabweans living in South Africa, the name Ngqabutho Nicholas Dube sounds very familiar. Dube who is a human right activist and representative of MDC(M) in South Africa is ushering a new kind of politics in Zimbabwe. His name first shot to the headlines, when he and others like Mrs Joyce Dube, also an activist were instrumental in organizing a soccer match between Zimbabwe's oldest team Highlanders, and South Africa's famous side Jomo Cosmos. This was a deliberate effort to forge "Ubuntu" relations between the citizens of the two countries and also to combat xenophobia through sports.

He is also credited for helping a lot of Zimbabweans immigrants through liaising with South Africa"s ministry of home affairs to get them registered for documentation in the on going amnesty in that country. He works tirelessly to bridge the gap between the two bureaucratizes and the people. The forty year old political science student, is also aspiring to represent the MDC faction as a member of parliament for the constituency where he was brought up. Ngqabutho Dube who communicates much through his face book page, was recently nicknamed "the man of the people" for his efforts in helping all Zimbabweans regardless of race , tribe and gender.

Dube who crisscrosses the country now and then to get in touch with people on the ground in Umzingwane district, to hear the people' problems, recently launched a rare political campaign slogan in Zimbabwe's politics. "Love your neighbor". This because of his great christian influence, which he boldly confess that it  inspires him in all that he does. He is a proud member of Brethren in Christ Church in Berea. BICC is a church that has its roots in Southern Zimbabwe where he comes from. It would be unfair for me to leave out that he is a proud Highlanders fan.

"My growing up in the village during the war of the liberation struggle and during the Gukurahundi era inspired me to become a political activist. I grew up in a community of hard working peasants who survived on tiling the land. We would struggle to take our farming produce to the city due to lack of transport thanks to poor roads. Our village is about 40 km outside Bulawayo, but it will take you two hours to reach the city. There is need to embark on rural development. There is need to develop roads, improve on farming methods, make it easy for the rural community to have access to irrigation and clean drinking water. We need projects that will target young people in rural areas and embark on skills development."

Our biggest challenge in rural communities remains HIV /Aids. There is lack of education on the subject and shortage of ARVs in local clinics. People travel long distances to clinics. There is need to make it easy for people to have easy access to health facilities. Our children travel long distances to school. During the rain season, most children can't get to school because they can not cross the rivers. There is need to build better facilities in rural schools as a way of attracting qualified teachers.

In terms of governance, devolution of power is the best option. The current system has failed us as a nation. The relationship between three tiers of government, namely, national, provincial and local must be clearly defined. My party the MDC believes in a mixed economy. We believe that the government must protect both the rights of workers and employers.

Our country remains divided on tribal lines. We need healing. I personally think we made a fundamental mistake by asking politicians to be in charge of the ministry on National Healing. We recall the statements made by Hon Holland, that was unfortunate. In my view, civil society should be in charge. Unfortunately we seem not to have an independent civil society anymore in Zimbabwe. There must be a quota system introduced when employing public servants. This is why we believe that devolution of power is the best at the moment. This will address the question of access to our natural resources and who stands to benefit.

Being a rural boy,  my focus is more rural hence my desire to represent my rural constituency in parliament. I believe most rural communities have similar challenges. I did this interview with Mr Dube a little over two years ago. Mr Dube is running for MP for Umzingwane. There seems to be lot of new faces coming to the political arena this time around. I hope Zimbabweans will embrace the opportunity elect new leaders with new ideas.

Let Joshua Nkomo rest in peace

Its been exactly twelve since Zimbabwe's gallant son and human rights activists popularly known as Father Zimbabwe passed away. When it comes to Zimbabwe and Africa's politics, few men will match this man's status. Nkomo who became Vice President of Zimbabwe after the infamous Unity accord of 1987 was considered by many as larger than life itself.

"Mdala wethu" as he was affectionately known by many peace loving Zimbabweans, Nkomo was a once in a lifetime leader. He scarified his life for the freedom of the masses in Zimbabwe. The former ZAPU leader and commander in Chief never wavered when it  came to liberating his beloved country. Dr Nkomo made some tough choices concerning his political career, given the prevailing situation in Zimbabwe at that moment and time. He agreed to the join Mugabe one party's state government as second Vice President. Not too many  of his supporters were pleased with that move.

To him that was the only way to unite and bring peace to Zimbabwe, a country he had spent his life time fighting for. He was pained by agony of seeing Zimbabwe breaking into tribal lines. He had envisioned one Zimbabwe, where people of all colors and tribal origins would core exist and thrive. The idea of tribal politics caught him flatfooted. Though he was a Ndebele, he embraced the other tribes like Shona, and many others.

Mugabe's ambition idea of achieving a one party state all by means prompted him to send armed soldiers and militias to Midlands and Matabeleland from 1983 - 1987. Thousands of Ndebeles and Nkomo' supporters were killed massacred and butchered in indiscriminately in front of their relatives. Times were tough, and Nkomo was not getting any younger. He had seen enough blood shed during the liberation war. The former Anglican preacher did not distinguish between politics and religion. He was quoted as saying that if he does not unite Zimbabweans, God would not admit him to heaven.

He left a legacy that was clear to all. "Unity, love and prosperity". Sadly enough, a little bit over ten years after he died, many are using his name for politically gain and personal ambitions. My only wish and plea to you all who revered this man is that you let this man rest in peace!

Its time to let Joshua Nkomo rest in peace

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Affordable ways of staying healthy (2)

It is important to understand that there is more to staying healthy than just losing weight. Staying healthy is a deliberate effort that takes both effort and will power. I must be quick to point out that the opposite is equally true. Unless one changes their way of life is almost impossible to achieve this goal. It takes one truly disciplined individual.

I will start by talking about our eating and sleeping habits. It is recommended that an average adults must sleep at least eight hours every night. The worst case scenarios can be at least six full hours without disturbance. Sleep is an important part of maintaining good body rest and must never be under estimated. Eating well is one integral way of maintaining good health. Its been said that "we are what we eat" If you eat junk foods, you are junk. If you eat health foods, then that is beneficiary for your body. When it comes to staying health, eating good can never be over emphasized!

Experts recommend vegetables and fruits in most diets. Too much meat is equally bad. I know a lot of us Ndebele people from Zimbabwe we love meat. "Siyayithanda inyama asikhulumeni iqiniso manene lamanenekazi" Umbuso waNdebele yinyama lotshwala! Alcohol is not good either. Readers must note that the writer is not a health expert but just a healthy fanatic.

It is very important that at least once a year one must book an appointment with a physician for a annual check up. I am aware pretty much how money and insurance issues can be a hindrance to this but as much as we can, it is good thing to develop such a habit. It is said that most disease can be cured if dictated early. Hatshi ukufa lakho!

One thing that we all need regularly is exercise. Starting some easy less stressful or enjoyable ways of exercise is key. I would suggest that you pick something that you enjoy for starters. As for me I like riding a bike. If you have good side way to walk or run in your neighbourhood please take advantage of them. I like to leave my car at home and walk to the park if the weather is good. I sometimes walk to the library or post office. Some people like to swim, its a good way to exercise too.

Doing some jobs around the home can be one beneficiary way, like cutting grass and so on. One just has to keep active. Going to the gym can be a little bit intimidating for beginners. If you are able to join a local gym, please do so. I would also advice that you seek help from personal trainers. They can help motivate and set your pace until your are tuned in. Remember where there is will, there is a way. If you can get a neighbor of friend to partner with you in your goal, that is good too. Whatever you do always listen to your body. Do not force it. Good luck! A journey to a thousand miles begins with one foot. Yes you can.

Cheaper ways of leading a healthy lifestyle (1)

For many of us African people who finds ourselves immensed deeply into the western cultures and trends either because of temporary or permanent migration, one of our greatest challenges is leading a healthy lifestyle. There is a lot of positive things about the western civilisations that I would not want to take for granted. It just that thing a set a little bit different from what we are used to. Anything done to an extreme tends to have some negatives effects to it. This is true of the western civilisation. Its all about material, material and acquiring more material! Walking down the great streets of New york, Dallas Texas, Chicago Illinois, Indianapolis Indiana and many others you will be amazed at how fast the world is moving. Its a traffic jungle.

The same traffic you see in the streets and magnificent highways of Americas heartlands, is the same traffic you will see in many homes. In American for example, most people do not even use their stoves for cooking. All they do is go to the restaurants or other eating house also known as fast foods places. There you will find a lot of cars in drive through windows. These are open twenty four hours a day and generate billions of dollars annually. It is a well known fact that they do not offer the best food diets. Over the years some have tried to improve their ingredients to make them a little bit healthier without much success. Needless to say that many fast food outlets have been sued by their clients for allededly "fattening" them.

Given this scenario, no sooner do immigrants find themselves lost in this jungle. In short we are "forced" to live like an average westerner. Always chasing time. Twenty four hours of the day do not seem to be enough any more. We leave home early in the morning and come back late at night. For most its juggling schooling and work. For some its just trying to handle double shifts or two jobs. Whatever the case, nobody can distinguish the different between them and us. We are all in the same bout. Cases are different though, there are some who are just caught in the trends, and there are some who have little or no choice. When I first came here ten yrs ago, it was said that an average American is one week away from being homeless, and now its even worse. Many people lost their homes to the banks in the past five years than any other time.

Days become weeks and weeks become years and soon we gain a lot of weight. There are weigh loss places and gyms of all names brands in every couple of mile distance. This is one money spinning type of business. Most people just join and pay subscription for the whole year or so. The only problem is that they will only go once or twice and that is it. A lot of people are ambitious but not too many are motivated enough to maximise these amazing facilities. No pain no gain. The challenge of going through an organised facility gyms can be both overwhelming and intimidating for starters. Most people expect same day results just like they are used to cooking food at the speed of a lightning through gadgets like microwaves and so on. The idea of working hard and sweating is foreign to them, even though they want to look and feel good, but the process is too hard for them. Where then do we stand as African immigrants health wise? I will continue. (That was just an introduction)

Memories of growing up in a war situation

Pictured above is a Rhodesian dog species, similar to one my family was forced to leave behind in Sidobe homestead in Victoria Falls around 1978, when we suddenly had to flee the village one morning.

We were awakened by the sound of helicopters and gunfire that unforgettable morning, and me and my mother grandmother, aunt and cousins took to the road leaving everything behind. There was no time take to pack or anything like that, we just had to get out and as we were. To this day I can still feel the sound of gunfire in my stomach when I think about that morning.

My grandfather Jeremiah Ndlovu who was a headman (Sobhuku) refused to leave saying he would rather die in his home. One of my uncles, Sign had just crossed Zambezi to join the liberation forces in Zambia. There were reports of buses burned and people missing. Times were tough and war had taken toll on many young people. I still remember one young boy who was a little bit older than myself. He had just started attending grade one at a local school. Young Bernard was shot and killed by the Ian Smith regime soldiers on his way to school.

I will never forget that dreadful morning as long as I live .We walked miles, and miles just to catch the nearest bus. No buses could access our area at the time. That is why we walked to try and catch them in the neighboring villages. Our best friend, Spot was with us, he had nice black spot on him that set him apart from the other dogs.
he walked with us faithfully, and was only turned away because buses did not accept dogs. Our hearts were broken because he was part of the family. To this day I have not forgotten him, its been over thirty two years at least.

It so happens that this day is the day that many South African students bravely stood up to guns in protest against Afrikaans language in 1976. We will never forget their bravery and little Bernard's courage. Me and my mom still talk about "Spot" whenever we recall the events of that fateful day in 1978.

Does our culture needs a second look at Lobola?

What they said on face book.

Ingxoxo/ Discussion. Do you think the so much cherished African culture and custom of Lobola is a disadvantage to girls. Or should I say, is it still applicable in today world or it needs revamping to fit the times? . I think it needs a little panel biting
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Nqobizitha Vella Sibanda it has been revamped, i think it should never die. My wish would be that it doesnt change from the way it was done.

Ncube Lobola is a yardstick! If a man cannot afford to pay lobola how is he going to take care of you! If he has no money, that means personal finance is lacking and he needs more time to get his finances straight. If he is grumbling about your '...gold-digging' parents, that means he doesn't appreciate them enough for who you are, and by deduction he doesn't appreciate you that much as well. Girls need to stand with their parents on this customary stuff and stop compromising themselves too!

Mandla Mkwananzi The only problem I see with (due respect) is that is make females property thereby disdavantaging them from being equal partners it the marriage institution. That is why some parents do not favour investing their money in girls ngoba bayakw...enda, and they feel like they lost. Long ago it was token but now is real paying, and when one is paid for, the one who paid can do anything ngoba inkomo ziyabe sezadliwa koyise zala.

Linda Ncube Long ago Mandla it was a token lanamuhla its still a token. Ayephuma amajazi lamajali lenkomo kanti even today ziyabizwa zonke lezi izinto. I think now it is the attitude pple have towards this lobolo thing but yona iryt.

Glenn Bengwane Ncube Manini mbijana Gagisa lizathi selikhuluma mina I have 3 girls, lizama ukwenzani.


Linda Ncube Asikhumbule ukuthi sikhuluma ngamalobolo proper hatshi ifund-raising Mkwananzi. lLobolo was paid for our parents kungelamuntu ozwa ubuhlungu futhi obabamkhulu babelungiselela nxa umfana esiyacela umlilo bekwazi futhi ukuthi kuzabizwa inkomo ezingu8 or so futhi bayekhala kodwa isiphetho zaziqhutshwa engxenye sekwephulwe eyodwa. Man should work hard before bayethatha abafazi babo.

BNeauty Ndiovu yah u rite Li.nda . hawu Gagisa unamadodana amanengi yini,manje ubona sengathi inkomo zophela esibayeni.

Gwab Mpofu Lobola is good, but the sense of property ownership is not good. It depends on how you take things, I like Lobola but everything has to be subjective. I take it as a way of appreciation and ukuqala ubuhlobo, Let us not take some of these th...ings out of proportion at the end we lose the valuable African values of some of these things. I know we are now a mixed nation, but the problem is when we start to undermine some good qualities we (africans) had, look at other cultures, they still have some great things about their cultures, However, there are exceptions to everything.

Wizzy Mangoma Lobola as we all know was meant to represent the token of giving a woman to her loved one by following our Culture. Now it has become a business for parents and uncles. They are forgetting the big picture -the cultural unification of two fa...milies and the two people who love each other. People are NOT for sale. The traditional aspect of it should be preserved with respect without punishing MEN. When unreasonable amounts are requested during lobola, not only men suffer but the women too. because they are the ones who are going to spend their lives with the man who has just been drained financially. Well some couples just help each raise the money and some girls do have understanding parents who may not charge a huge amount. Its a matter of meeting half way. Each couple and each family differ. So basically I think each family should make a formula to fit them. At the same if we maintain our culture, we will never loose our identity.See More
about an hour ago ·


Gwab Mpofu You are all right, lobola is now more of a fund raising, Maybe it is good to do so,maybe not. it all depends how it is brought to those making the payment and how those asking for payment think of it. If the payment requester put a value t...o their daughter as selling the daughter, that is not what it should be. But as we all know everything have value, some times value is not measurable with a Dollar. that is why there are things they call priceless. You can not put a price to something. good lobola is in good consideration of who you are asking to make the payment. Like everyone is saying, if a man is poor and his family does not have any cows or Reserves, asking for a lot of cows from that man will cripple him and his family. At the same time, even if his family is wealthy, make the lobola be reasonable. you will hear no complaints from many men and women. but if you ask for more than most men can afford then that is when some men would want to use the western culture as a way to escape lobola. Let's bear in mind that some people like Western culture with everything it comes with. sometimes that is good sometimes it is not. There can not be a formula to some of these things, because some would argue that, the money they could have used to purchase cows were used to educate their daughter and the guy just comes in and takes her out of the family. that may not be a valid argument when you look at it from a different angle. At the end it comes to, what do you believe and what are you comfortable with, As for me, I like lobola, that is part of African culture I am proud of. whether someone is using it to raise money or not, I still like it. Thanks for raising this discussion, I am done commenting.

Bottom line

Thanks for all your contributions, this matter is obviously a sensetive one, both in terms of culture and custom. One thing I realise is that we are living between two culture, western and African, for example, umtshado, which we call white... wedding is not African. While we are now a culture that has gonw west, we are also trying to cling to our "own culture after all". Many of you mentioned that it was a token and that is probably what it should be, however we are all aware that it is not the case anymore in this day and age. If a young man growing up in a porverty in the presnt day Zimbabwe, then he should not marry, because the standard is so high. I will not even talk about love because, withthe price love becomes irrelavant. This is not to say that everybody your daughter will love is poor, No!

Our African things are not legistated, that means there is no limit. Who does not want amantshontsho? Young people need to start thier lives, buy a house, car, raise their kids etc, but with the sowering prices of soul mates, that will beco...me a pipe dream. I am one for culture ubuhlobo by all means, but eish $$$ speaks. Times has changed somethings for better some for worse. Bottom line is money is now used to abuse some relations in some quarters, how many young people do you know who never married the ones they loved because of porverty even though they went in to prosper at some time in life. My arguement real does not apply to every situtation but to at least few people, who's lives and fate are now on the price tag. The African girl is the poorest person in in the whole world, not tilte deeds, ngoba she is brought here as property and she will remain that way. Have you ever had man saying uzaphuma uphele lapha, in case of uggly divorce or anything , she leaves and goes back home without a dime to her name.

As long as girls do not have are not empowered Africa will remain poor. Think of it from another perspetive, who gains by lobola? Not the girl, she will come home and languish in poverty again in case of marriage failure. Lord forbids tha it happens , but lo and behlod it hapens everyday.More over these are time of Aids and so on. We all know that most man are bringing the sickness in homes because they think they bought the other half and can do as they please, and they know for certain that abangakini imali sebayidla and your sisiter or daughter has nowhere to go.