Indaba convined to highlight plight of ZIPRA Vets Welfare!

Today, Sunday 04 November 2018 a contingent of ZPRA War Veterans, ZAPU Armed Wing of Zimbabwe Liberation Struggle descended in the City of Kings, Byo at YWCA Conference Centre for a crucial Meeting to deliberate on their Welfare since 1980 when the country attained Independence. Cdes from all ZPRA Organisations / Formations :- National, High Command, Trusts & Associations,  trooped in from the country's provinces of Matabeleland. The Meeting was organised by ZPRA Veterans Association, an affiliate of the current ZAPU led by President Dr Dumiso Dabengwa.
The Meeting discussed among other things the following, ZPRA Veterans Welfare, War Veterans Act, Vetting, Heroes Status, School Fees, Current Affairs (Status), Properties, Projects, Structures & Programmes. The Meeting was open to all concerned including ZPRA Veterans who crossed the floor to join ZANU PF (ZANLA).
A very pertinent Question was posed, "Who is a ZPRA War Veteran?" This question was explicitly clarified, that all who participated in the War of Liberation are considered including their spouse, widows & offsprings (dependents). Also included are Detainees, Restrictees, Prisoners & all those who fell in battle. This raised the Question of the current Legislation :- ZPRA War Veterans Act and its preceeding Bill yet to sail thru Parliament & Alignment of Laws with the current Constitution.
A milestone was made today as Cdes agreed to form a Committee / Taskforce comprising representatives from all current ZPRA Formations, and this Committee was given the mandate to spearhead the lobbying of all ZPRA Grievances to Govt as a matter of urgency and report back to the People.
Our local News Media was missing in today's Meeting, however the CIO was present and as protocol demand Govt has been informed. From the deliberations it became apparently clear that most ZPRA War Veterans were greatly disadvantaged during the Vetting Exercise as most were not vetted and lost out on all the Benefits, worse still with the current Economic Turmoil as they have suffered almost  38 years of depravity. Just imagine out of 17 000 ZPRA Cadres who were once assembled in different locations during the Armed Struggle, only 4 000 ZPRA Veterans were vetted and benefitted, leaving the rest in the cold. A call was made to mobilise all Cadres dead or alive,  across the country for Vetting. This is to necessitate them & their dependents alleviate their suffering thru life stress and their offsprings in their educational endeavours.
The selected Committee has to push Govt in addressing their Grievances. All the Cdes were urged to be united & work together and map the way forward so as to achieve their intended objectives. School Fees for their has been paid in Bonds into their individual bank accounts as of this week.
The Minister of War Veterans Cde Mutematanda who visited Byo two weeks ago promised that Govt was prepared to fund Projects for War Veterans, however ZPRA Veterans demanded the return of all confiscated ZAPU / ZPRA Properties and then Funding of Projects can be done on those returned Properties. So Structures in all Provinces have to be put in place for easy Co ordination on Programmes  to do with the Welfare of ZPRA Veterans. All Stakeholders will be called to come forward and brief Cadres on all Developments to do with the Welfare of ZPRA Veterans. * Check the second instalment on this Meeting tomorrow (today). #Mandla Khanye ZAPU Secretary for Information, Publicity & Marketing, Byo Province, in Southern Region.

Mkhwananzi lambasts the double standards in Civic society

The Wisdom Terrance Mkhwanazi Case: The Sickening Double standards of Zimbabwe Civil Society

George Mkhwanazi

The Zimbabwe Civil Society has proved itself to be a conflicted bunch of useless donor-funded entities who are not driven by the cause they purport to fight. They have proved that they have no business with the oppressed and democratically suffocating masses and activists from Matabeleland but are merely grandstanding and even extending their sympathies to those who contradict their stated cause.

From around 2000 I can demonstrate that the so called pro-democracy elements in both Civil  Society and independent media react differentially to Matabeleland violations of human rights compared to the rest of the country. When activists who are fighting a tributary cause to the MDC or even Zanu PF factions get arrested they scream their lungs out whilst maintaining a loud silence when activists from Matabeleland get arrested for fighting for their localised cause.

This collusion by these forces (the axis of evil) which claim to be on opposite sides even takes open condonment of the brutalisation of Matabeleland activists in their quest for justice.

Check how they reacted to the following human rights abuses which which deservedly attracted their responses:

1. When Munyaradzi Gwisai and 45 others got arrested for their treason case in 2011 they came out guns blazing.

2. When Jestina Mukoko got abducted and subsequently tortured by State agents they decisively acted and forced the a regime to release her.

3. When Evans Mawarire briefly got arrested for his ill-fated  "This Flag" Campaign they wasted no time in drumming up support for him.

4. When Solomon Madzore and other MDC youths got incarcerated for their treason case they whipped public sympathy for them.

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5. When Last Mayengahama and others got arrested for the alleged murder of a Police Officer they did everything possible to win sympathy for them and present them as heroes.

6. When Victor Matematanda and Douglas Mahia were arrested for factional fights within Zanu PF Civil Society mourned bitterly for them.

Contrast that with the following deafening silence when activists in Matabeleland were in similar circumstances.

1. In 2002 Paul Siwela and George Mkhwanazi got arrested for condemning the Zanu PF Grand Plan and were incarcerated for a month without bail. Civil Society was conspicuous by its silence. In an article written by Mduduzi Mathuthu, The Daily News even mocked them for their arrest just because their activism was not tributary to the MDC cause.

2. When Mthwakazi Youths got arrested and tortured in 2015 for the Makuzeze School incident in Mangwe District in which they sought protection for the local community from being academically molested by outsiders, Civil Society kept quiet.

3. When Paul Siwela, John Gazi and Thomas Gumpo got arrested for their views about Matabeleland as a colony of Zimbabwe, ZLHR (a Civil Society body) didn't just keep quiet; they condemned them and refused to represent them in court. The despicable behaviour of ZLHR caused the  the emergence of the Mthwakazi Abameli (Thanks to Advocates Matshobana Ncube, Sindiso Mazibisa, Kucaca Phulu etc for that revolutionary initiative).

4. Just recently 5 youths died on the Gwanda Gold mines  after being attacked by State organised and armed hordes of invaders from outside Matabeleland. Like the Zimbabwe  government, Civil Society has kept mum. Only members of MRP tried to agitate against the incidents.  Neither Government nor Civi Society officials visited the bereaved families or the injured in hospitals. Instead the ZRP arrested the victims and chained them to their hospital beds.

5. Last Week in Bulawayo, Wisdom Terrence Mkhwanazi gave a verbal testimony before the Kgalema Montlhante led Commission which is investigating the deaths of 6 people who got killed in Harare last August in the post election violence. He recounted how he lost his parents to Gukurahundi in the 1980s when soldiers murdered them in the same style as those killed in Harare. For that testimony Mkhwanazi earned himself a cell in Grey Prison for a week in leg irons. Thanks to the intervention of Bekezela Maduma Fuzwayo for aŕranging legal representation. Other than just that representation Civil Society is once again quiet. These double standards by the Zimbabwe Civil Society are sickening.

 We are observing all these things and making a Roll of Shame.

Indiana based Zimbabwean soccer referee recognized at a banquet!

Mandla Mkwananzi a Zimbabwean soccer referee based in Indianapolis Indiana USA was recently acknowledged by the Crossroads Soccer Officiating Association for getting into a new and higher level of High school Soccer Officiating. Mkwananzi who does soccer officiating as a way of contributing to the local sport was caught by surprise when he got the invitation to reserve the date for such a prestigious recognition. He was recognized among others officials different sports disciplines such as basketball and football. He and one other guy were in the soccer category for this year's acknowledgement. "It was a joy to share this moment with my wife" I was privileged to be in the same room with many other professionals that I look up to!

Names of Bulawayo townships and their meanings!

Amabizo koBulawayo lemitsho yawo

BULAWAYO,
Lobhengula chose this
name because there was some
opposition to him succeeding his
father Mzilikazi. Two turbulent
years passed before he was
enthroned. It was so named to express Lobhengula's feelings that
he was the one meant to be killed
(ngingobulawayo ). It was common at that time to refer to
Bulawayo as 'kobulawayo
umtanenkosi.' Mbiko Masuku
wanted Nkulumane to be King
instead of Lobhengula- his wife was
sister to Nkulumane.

MZILIKAZI
named after the founding
king of the Ndebele nation King
Mzilikazi.

Makhokhoba, was derived from the
actions of Mr Fallon who used to
walk around with a stick. The name come from umakhokhoba, the
noise of the stick ko-ko-ko made
by the old man who stayed there.

BARBOURFIELDS
 was named after a
Bulawayo mayor H R Barbour

NGUBOYENJA
 was named after one of King Lobhengula's sons who was
whisked out of Rhodesia by Cecil
John Rhodes to give them western
education in the Cape Province.

MATSHOBANA
named after King
Mzilikazi's father. Matshobana was the son of Mangethe.

SIZINDA
 was named after one of the
Ndebele villages called iSizinda, at
one time iSizinda village was
stationed where the present
township is site

IMINYELA
 the township built for
men only was named after the tree
species that abounds in the area.

MABUTHWENI
 sometimes referred to
eZinkabini , there lived men who
were not supposed to bring in their wives, frequent searches were
carried out to flash out women.
Amabutho refers to conscripted
men, ready to be trained as
soldiers during the heyday of the
Ndebele State.

NJUBE
 was named after one of the
royal sons of Lobhengula, Njube
was the first to be born after
Lobhengula had become king. He
alongside Nguboyenja were taken
to Cape by Rhodes in order that there be no rallying point in
Matabeleland that could lead to the
resuscitation of the Ndebele
mornachy.

MPOPHOMA
 was a favourite of
many residents in Bulawayo, it provided a long term lease and
accomodated lodgers. Mpophoma
in isiNdebele refers to a waterfall.
The name is derived from a stream
further west which flowed towards
the Khami river and the stream in question had a waterfall.

PHUMULA
 was built further west and its
name captured the ongoing
struggles to gain longer and more
secure housing tenure for Africans
in Bulawayo since the Rhodesian laws stipulated that town belonged
to whites and Africans were to live
in reserves hence Africans had to
rest and phumula the struggles.

PHELANDABA
 became the name that
immortalised the struggles for more secure tenure. The matter (of
the struggle) is over, indaba
iphelile. Phelandaba became a
prestigious township where big
names lived, Joshua Nkomo had a
house there.

MAGWEGWE,
 this suburb was named
after King Lobhengula's senior
induna, Magwegwe Fuyana. When
King Lobhengula fled north under
attack from Cecil Rhodes' forces,
Magwegwe was killed in place of the king and his remains, disguised
as those of King Lobhengula, were
interred in a cave at Pashu in
Binga.

LOBHENGULA
 was named after the
last Ndebele monarch, the very king who gave the last Ndebele monarch, the very king who gave the name
koBulawayo. It was Lobhengula's
contested accession to the royal
throne that led to the name
koBulawayo. When soldiers
arrayed by Mbiko kaMadlenya Masuku the Chief of Zwangendaba
fought him, King Lobhengula
would say 'ngingobulawayo .'

ENTUMBANE
 comes from King
Mzilikazi's burial place, a small hill
off the old Gwanda road.

EMAKHANDENI
 is a name that
derives from one of the four
generative villages at the time of king Mzilikazi. It was the third to be
established following the
integration of the Dlodlos into the
Ndebele State. A number of villages
were part of aMakhanda that is,
iNzwananzi, iNxa, iNdinana, iNsinda and iNsingo.. Amakhanda was also
the place where amabutho were
undergoing millitary training.
Emakhandeni is the isiNdebele
name for Fort Rixon.

NKULUMANE,
 the name derives from Nkulumane, King Mzilikazi's heir
apparent, Nkulumane was born
during the visit of Dr Robert
Moffart. By then King Mzilikazi was
then resident at Mhlahlandlela
where Pretoria stands today. Dr Moffat was coming from Kuruman
but that name was corrupted by
the Ndebele to Nkulumane.

EMGANWINI,
 the name derived from
aa tree found in the vicinity. The
marula tree is called umganu in isiNdebele hence place name given
in locative form. The last tree
where traders and missionaries
from the south usually stopped
and outspanned their wagon

TSHABALALA
 was the totem of King Lobhengula's mother a woman of
Swazi extraction Fulatha
Tshabalala. This was also a reason
to bar Lobhengula from succeeding
his father that Fulatha his mother
was not a pure Nguni. After ascending the throne, Lobhengula
rightly treated his mother as the
queen-mother.

FAMONA
 was named
after one of Lobhengula's
daughters Mfamona but the name
was corrupted to Famona.

MAHATSHULA
 bears the name of a
senior member of the Ndebele
royal circle, Mahatshula Ndiweni
who lived in the Nhlambabaloyi
village.

KHUMALO
 was named after the Royal Clan of the Ndebele

LUVEVE
 named after chief Luveve

GWABALANDA
 named after one of
the Ndebele Chiefs Gwabalanda
Mathe. During the heydays of the
Ndebele State there was indunankulu, chief of chiefs and
under King Mzilikazi it was
Gwabalanda Mathe.

MALINDELA
 was Lobhengula's
ma

!

Izinto zika Mpandula

Names of Months and Days in North Ndebele

Gregorian Calendar

Months

January: Zibandlela (Zib, Z)

February: Nhlolanja (Nhlo, N)

March: Mbimbitho (Mbi, M)

April: Mabasa (Mab, M)

May: Nkwenkwezi (Nkw, N)

June: Nhlangula (Nhla, N)

July: Ntulikazi (Ntu, N)

August: Ncwabakazi (Ncw, N)

September: Mpandula (Mpan, M)

October: Mfumfu (Mfu, M)

November: Lwezi (Lwe, L)

December: Mpalakazi (Mpal, M)

Days

Sunday: Sonto (Son)

Monday: Mvulo (Mvu)

Tuesday: Sibili (Sib, S)

Wednesday: Sithathu (Sit, S)

Thursday: Sine (Sin, S)

Friday: Sihlanu (Sih, S)

Saturday: Mgqibelo (Mgq, M