Vice President, Kembo Mohadi has chided the opposition party, Zapu, for trivialising the 1987 Unity Accord saying the pact was irreversible.
The Unity Accord was an agreement signed between Joshua Nkomo who led ZAPU and the late Robert Mugabe who led Zanu to form Zanu PF, bringing to an end the Gukurahundi atrocities in Matabeeland and Midlands provinces.
Addressing a rally at Stanley Square Sunday, VP Mohadi also dismissed as untrue, claims that ZAPU was ‘swallowed’ by Zanu.
“It was PF Zapu and Zanu PF who came together in the Unity Accord. Zapu dropped the PF and Zanu dropped theirs to become Zanu PF. No one was swallowed by the other,” Mohadi said.
“Why didn’t they tell Joshua (Nkomo) that he sold out? Why hide behind his death and not tell him?”
Mohadi added that the country was fought for and they will defend it.
“We went to the liberation struggle without anyone telling us to do so. People called us ogandaganda (guerillas) but now you want to take the country from us – you who remained here enjoying the warmth under the Smith regime. You want to treat us like dogs, which brings back a rabbit from its hunt but is given bones. This country was attained through blood and by blood we will defend it,” he charged.
The VP also took a swipe at Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) for calling for secession.
“Zimbabwe is a unitary state under one national anthem. Where were you when we fought for this country? We are determined to fight those people who call for such. We fought against the white settlers from Britain, Germany without a single cent…” Mohadi said explaining that Zanu PF will defend the country from any threat.
In response to Mohadi, ZAPU National Spokesperson, Iphithule Maphosa, said such rhetoric from national leaders indicated there was a need for historical lessons concerning the Unity Accord.
He noted that records would show that Nkomo himself wanted to pull out of the Unity Accord but died before he could.
“Mohadi needs to be reminded that President Nkomo’s demise came before he had the opportunity to pull ZAPU out of the pact but plans were always there as the last resort if Mugabe and his party kept on refusing to reform. So it is an open lie and shameless for Mohadi to even attempt to rubbish the pullout as selling out when he is the bigger sellout who is advancing personal gain ahead of the general welfare of the people,” Maphosa said.
“The leadership then tasked the late Dr Dumiso Dabengwa, Thenjiwe Lesabe and Joseph Msika to put together a plan for a formal pullout. Nkomo died before the timelines. Msika was part of the pull out but was blocked by the Central Intelligence Organisation at the very last minute when he was set to address the meeting that resolved the pull out at White City,” he said.
Maphosa added that besides the Unity Accord was a ceasefire document to stop mass murders of civilians.
“First and most importantly, no champagne was popped when the document was signed. Neither were there any meaningful negotiations, but Unity Accord was a ceasefire document that was signed as condition for ceasing the mass murders of ZAPU supporters, perceived ZAPU supporters and generally the Ndebele people by ZANU PF government,” he said.
Maphosa noted that the ink that signed the Unity Accord document represented the blood of tens of thousands unarmed civilians killed by the Zanu PF government, majority of them being children, the unborn, women, the elderly and the sick.
“Secondly and equally important, the revival of ZAPU and pulling out of the unity accord had nothing to do with President Nkomo. Mohadi must understand that the grievances that led to the pulling out of the Unity Accord are well documented and on record,” said the spokesperson.
“For him to pretend as if he doesn’t know them is the highest order of selling out, the same tag he is trying to attach on those who genuinely are aggrieved by lack of will by the Zanu PF contingent of the pact to observe the accord.”
ZAPU is currently rebranding and is scouting for a leader to take over at the helm following death of Dr Dabengwa.
