Political activist Chilumbo Mudenda has urged the government to actively focus on uplifting the Tonga people and even suggested that they be awarded their own province.
Mudenda argues that the Tonga people are the original tribe who lived along the mighty Zambezi River but are still subjected to all forms of poverty resulting in their marginalisation.
“The right to independence is one of the fundamentals among other rights in the United Nations’ charter on sovereignty. Subscribing to attributes leading towards the self-determination of Matabeleland (Mthwakazi), against all of the negative conspiracies pertaining to the existence of the Tonga people in the Global village, there is an urgent need for the tribe to be granted its province,” he told CITE.
Mudenda, indicated that if established, the Tonga Province could stretch from the Chilundu (Chirundu) Border Post up to Kazungula Border Post.
“The province of Tonga has suffered the consequences of the full-scale implementation of the 1979 Grand Plan that undermines other groups while striving to ensure an absolute visibility of the Shona tribe dominance across all fabrics,” Mudenda claimed, alleging that the State was complicit in undermining the Tonga people.
“To begin with, they changed the name Chilundu to Chirundu. Chilundu is a Tonga name which means a mountain which equates to the mountainous geographical status quo of where the Tonga are found. After Chirundu was named, it became part of Mashonaland West. Besides being a border post, Chilundu is rich in wildlife yet the proceeds are not uplifting the Tonga.”
Mudenda said another Tonga name that was altered was Kariba.
“Kariba used to be Kaliba, which was changed to suit the pronunciation in Shona. Kaliba means a death trap in Tonga where elders were referring to a protruding top-notch of a granite rock which was left visible in the midst of the lake after the filling up of the dam from 1955 to 1959,” he said.
“Kaliba is the electricity hub of Zimbabwe working hand in hand with Hwange power station and these all belong to the Tonga tribe. According to the international laws, there must be overhaul implementation of the social corporate responsibility concept by ZPC Kaliba and Hwange respectively but centrally to that,all jobs in these power stations are in the hands of other groups under the guise of them having sufficient educational qualifications unlike the Tonga.”
Mudenda also said the change of names was not limited to places but companies as well, citing an example of Ume Crocodile Company that was changed to Padenga Holdings.
“This change replaced a traditional Tonga name against our will. Ume River is a tributary of the mighty Zambezi (Kasambabezi) river and the company was named after some of the local Tonga chiefs along the river that is Chief Musambakaluma and Chief Moola both of the same tribe,” he said and lamented that some major companies operating in Kaliba were not assisting the local Tonga People.
Mudenda claimed Kaliba District has four chiefs, while Binga has 17 and Hwange four, whose areas of jurisdiction have not benefited from the Rural Electrification scheme of Zimbabwe although “they are the owners of the grid.”
“Further to this, we are rich in wildlife and tourism in Victoria falls. The so called ZimParks officers have few Tonga people who were conscripted as management of public perception yet this is against the devolution laws,” he said.
“To the Zimbabwean Government, we want our province now. We have our people who are shared amongst the three provinces and these are Mashonaland West, Midlands and Matabeleland provinces.”
Mudeda stated Kaliba District and Nyaminyami District were conscripted into Mashonaland whereas Gokwe Kana Constituency and Kabuyuni Constituency respectively were co-opted into the Midlands Province whilst Binga and Hwange were incorporated into Matebeleland North Province.
“Masvingo Province has less number of chiefs compared to Binga yet it was accorded with a provincial status and we strongly condemn it,” Mudenda said, adding the State had designed “a system where the gerrymandering of districts and wards was done to suit political agendas rather than what is best for the people.”
“I would like to remind the Government of Zimbabwe and its President Emmerson Mnangagwa that the issue of provinces has nothing to do with census but is circumstantial. We want our Tonga people back in one province that will subscribe to the Mthwakazi nation.”
