Insights into the declaration of Ndabaningi Sithole as a national Hero
The history of the liberation struggle in Zimbabwe during the first and second Chimurenga proved that religion plays a crucial role, inspiring people to unity, fighting for independence and history is awash with various sacrifices made in different areas in Zimbabwe and spirit mediums remains were at the centre of the struggle.
This has been the case with Chipinge District politics as it is driven by spirit mediums, Oral history has it that during the formative days of the struggle the crocodile gang which many politicians wanted to associate with was tasked to kill a white settler and collect his blood which was used for sacrifice at Takuradehwe place under a baobab tree found in Mudzimwa Village in ward 3 of Chipinge West constituency.
With history not being clear, it will be rather premature to unpack the Takuradehwe sacrifice but the attempt to recognise Rev N Sithole is just politicking and a futile appeasement exercise to try and convince the wiseman and women from the East.
When the country gained independence, the nationalist leaders across Zimbabwe had an obligation to thank the spirit mediums nation-wide for the guidance and protection during the war.
Due to struggle within struggle and power schemes Musharukwa Ndaba was outsmarted in the power contest and this has compromised the thank you rituals which were to be held with specific reference to the “Takuradehwe sacrifice” cleansing.
Be that as it may Mr Robert Mugabe managed to be elected leader of the country but still seeks legitimacy in “gods and ancestors” rather than its people.
This unfinished business of thanking the spirit mediums forms part of cultural issues which later shall be postulated as national questions.
ZANU Ndonga remains relevant in political discourses in the country as it controlled the Eastern region of Zimbabwe with support and inspiration of spirit mediums under the able leadership of Ndaba.
President Mugabe then continues with his intention to destroy ZANU NDONGA and his moves to marginalize the people of Chipinge are well documented as his attempts on the life of Ndabaningi with events leading to his departure for exile in the US.
Struggle and Myth
The politics of Intonga or Ndonga remains mysterious to many politicians in Zimbabwe and only Father Zimbabwe and Rev N Sithole held these Intonga as signifying religious -Political power despite the various interpretations that have been brought forward to demystify the issue of Tsvimbo/Ndonga in the body politic in Zimbabwe.
For the record, during the last general elections campaign of 2018, Mr Nelson Chamisa was quoted in the media as interested in Dr J Nkomo’s stick /Ndonga, which is alleged to be have been kept in a museum in the City of Kings and Queens, the only place with identity in Zimbabwe.
The significance of the Ndonga is subjective but all the same the late Morgan R Tsvangirai was closer to the issues of Ndonga with him following footsteps of the late Ndabaningi which led to his acceptance by the spirit mediums of the Mutema Chieftainship Makopa etal who happen to be the software of that national questions
Religion as a Riding Horse of Politics?’
The former President of Zimbabwe Mr R G Mugabe during his tenure in office tried to resolve the national questions asked by the spirit mediums who supported the struggle.
In the year 2005 when Morris Sakabuya was then Deputy Minister of Local Government and Public Works, he was allegedly assigned the task to deal with this spiritual question of the struggle.
All the spirit mediums were consulted in Chipinge with an intention to brew ritual beer at Nyamure primary school for the appeasement exercise.
As a family, we have lost four family members who joined the struggle from school at Mt Selinda and my own hero Enock D M Matyabadza of the Ingazvakanaka Clan, a ten year Hwahwa political detainee was part of the Takuradehwe sacrifice crew.
I will explore more on this later in the article but its significance lies in our involvement in the consultation processes held in ward 4 Masani area in 2005 after Mugabe tried to resolve the puzzle.
Then Minister of State Security, Didymus Mutasa, who was once assigned to convince Mdara Enock and crew in 1985 was part of the 2005 delegation at Nyamure Primary school where the beer was brewed but later deserted when Makopa the spirit medium asked tough questions to the delegation which included Mutasa and Chinamasa among others.
The attempts to conduct the cleansing exercise failed since Mugabe then refused to attended the ceremony.
History will always repeat itself
Resolutions of the 17th Zanu PF Annual National People’s Conference held at Esigodini, Matabeleland South, from 13-16 December 2018 were in 5 main areas which include political, economic and historical.
For the purpose of this write up I will be focusing on the historical part wherein it was resolved that the Party and Government must lead the process to thank the ancestral spirits for Independence.
The declaration of Musharuka as a national hero traces from this background and I will unpack the current processes underway with an intention to attend the unfinished business under discussion in this article.
The President of Zimbabwe Cde Mnangagwa who was expected to implement party resolutions after the Cyclone Idai which affected Chimanimani and Chipinge visited the area and gathered all the Chiefs and spirit medium and pleaded to resolve the national question and unfinished assignment of thanking the national spirit mediums for independence.
I will not go into the details of the meeting and deliberations since this might get this villager above board .The President managed to get answers on the Ndonga Question and assured the spirit mediums and Chiefs that he will own up to his promise.
The elevation of ndabaningi heroically remains a great commitment by the second Republic.
The ruling party seems commited as it did back then during its consultation to all stakeholders together with spirit mediums with an intention to solve this puzzle.
The processes is underway and claims in the ruling party corridors at local levels suggest that it was their agenda to convince the throne to recognise Musharuka but with a clear intention to appease those who matter in the attempts to resolve the Takuradehwe sacrifice which was done to enable the fighters to get protection and guidance.
Muburwa Allanviny Murozvi of the Ingazvakanaka Clan is a Local Governance practitioner, Opinion Leader based in Chipinge district.