Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) has started preparing for the next elections, urging residents in Bulawayo and in Matabeleland to elect its members into local governance and parliamentary seats come 2023.
The party, whose focus is the development and self-determination of Matabeleland, said people in the country’s southern region ‘deserved more, as they had not fully enjoyed independence while their economic fortunes continued worsening.’
Addressing a rally at Tshabalala Hall, Saturday, MRP leader, Mqondisi Moyo urged people to give his party a chance at running council and parliamentary seats whose mandate would be to put the country’s southern region first.
“People say we MRP should stand aside and let the MDC take down Zanu PF. They say we are disturbing MDC but we always ask what they are doing if they feel disturbed. We don’t care about Zanu and MDC.
“In 1980, people didn’t even vote for Zanu but ZAPU and now you people voted for MDC yet look at the scuttles that have taken place at the Bulawayo City Council. Long ago Bulawayo used to have an aroma of fresh baked bread from our bakeries now the city is smelling of raw sewer,” he quipped.
Moyo spelt out that the party’s theme was ‘Taking the restoration agenda to people’ as they wanted people to fight for their social and economic independence.
“We are talking about liberating Mthwakazi Nation because history will tell you Matabeleland was a separate country from Mashonaland. We want to contest in the elections because we want to control our provinces and resources. People here must have control of own resources and develop themselves. 60 percent of the wealth that sustains Zimbabwe comes from Matabeleland,” the MRP leader claimed.
He added that MRP was interested in justice, equality and fairness, having joined politics to pursue those values.
“We are not here to become rich, there is no money in politics but our aim is to free Mthwakazi and if doing so leads to our arrest or death, we are prepared to for it. MRP seeks to restore peoples’ lost culture that has been dominated by other cultures. Therefore vote for MRP in the 29 council seats in the city, plus the constituency seats in Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and South.”
Moyo noted that his party was growing with MRP branches opening in the United Kingdom, North America, Botswana and South Africa.
The party paraded its chairman of the UK branch Sikhululiwe Ndlovu and his treasurer Cain Malinga “who had flown in for the rally,” plus chairman of the SA branch Bhekinhlalo Ndlovu.
“This year, MRP will engage in international lobbying. Government must know that we want a divorce and we are to approach SADC, the African Union, United Nations, including Britain while our cause as Mthwakazi is even known by the Queen of England,” Moyo said.
MRP National Chairman, Mqondisi Ndebele also appealed for votes from people, saying if they supported them, Matabeleland would thrive.
“You only want MRP when you have been dismissed from your job but we are saying put us in local governance seats so we can empower you,” he said.
Meanwhile, the MRP leader announced the party had launched a petition seeking for its withdrawal from the country and was looking for 20 000 signatures.
“20 000 signatures to represent the people who were killed during Gukurahundi. Our struggle is spiritual and until Mthwakazi is liberated, the spirits of those were killed will not rest and those spirits are the ones pushing us,” Moyo said, hinting the number of those killed in the genocide were more than 20 000.
“That is why we say (President Emmerson) Mnangagwa who was part of the killings cannot preside over this matter. Besides, who said we want an apology, the biggest compensation we need is giving us our country back.”
