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Mthakwazi Liberation Front for Matabeleland to secede from the rest of the country is complex and cannot be done without creating conflict.
In an interview with our Bulawayo Bureau, Mr Nkala said once there are violent clashes over the issue, people meant to benefit from the process turn out to be victims instead.
Mr Nkala, who seems very conversant with the history of the country, noted that before 1923, Zimbabwe was divided into two regions – Matabeleland and Mashonaland.
This, he notes, ceased after the 1923 referendum called by whites who were the colonisers and wanted self-rule and decided that the two regions become one.
He said blacks did not participate in the referendum and they were just amalgamated into the new system of governance.
Mr Nkala said the only politician who came closer to talking about the division of the country was the late paramount chief Khayisa Ndiweni whose part was championing federa-lism.
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“Every politician, in the region laughed at his suggestion and PF Zapu did not pursue his idea. The politicians from this region should have gone along with the late chief’s thinking and he clearly did not talk about dividing the country into two regions. He said let us be a federation between Ndebeles and Shonas,” he said.
He noted that since 1923, the country has been governed as a unitary state and said when people went to war, it was not a regional war but a national war against white minority rule.
“People should consider realities before they talk about secession. Peo-ple are allowed to dream, yes, but dreams must be backed by something. The fact is that we are a unitary state,” he said.
On the closure of companies and relocation of others from Bulawayo to Harare, Mr Nkala said this could in the near future lead to civil conflict.
He blamed the scenario on local politicians whom he said were not doing enough to lobby for the resuscitation of Bulawayo industries.
“Bulawayo was referred to as the industrial hub of Zimbabwe. It is now in a sad state of affairs because most of the factories have become shells,” he said.
Mr Nkala said there was a misconception within the people of Matabeleland that the region is being deliberately sidelined when it comes to development when the truth is that the local politicians are not doing enough to lobby for the development of the area.
“What we have are Members of Parliament and Provincial Governors, who are ministers, who go to the august house (Parliament) with the sole aim of earning money.
“They should speak about the development of the region; they should not expect other people to do this on their behalf. Some of these politicians are members of the Zanu-PF Politburo and also belong to that party’s Central Committee and one wonders what they talk about when they see Bulawayo dying,” Mr Nkala said.
He challenged politicians from the region to stand up and do more than just talk in order to ensure Bulawayo industries are revived.
“How many of them have ever bothered to take a drive around the industrial sites to see how many factories have become shells? What have they done about the situation and what is it that they have done that they can stand up and show to the region?” asked the veteran nationalist.
Mr Nkala said politicians from the region spent a lot of their time talking about other political parties instead of concentrating their efforts and energies on the development of the region.
He said if the situation of companies relocating from Bulawayo to Harare was allowed to continue, the end result would be that the Matabeleland region would become dependant on Harare.
In the near future, he said, this could lead to civil conflict as already evidenced by the emergence of political parties like MLF that are calling for the separation of the country into two regions.
While acknowledging that Zanu-PF was founded at his house in Harare, the veteran nationalist reiterated that he does not want to be buried at the National Heroes’ Acre but would like to be buried alongside his parents.
“We did not engage in the war of liberation so that we would be buried at Heroes’ Acre because it did not exist then. It is just a by-product of Independence,” said Mr Nkala.
He said the performance and length of service in the liberation struggle should be used as a yardstick for measuring someone’s hero status.
“History would decide my heroism. Who is qualified to sit and decide on my hero status? I am a Christian and I do not want to be buried at that shrine. Why can’t people look after me when I am still alive instead of troubling my dead body by moving it all the way to Harare? Being buried at the national shrine does not bring any rewards after my death,” he said.
Mr Nkala said he knew that the late national hero Cde Edgar Tekere, who called him a few days before his death was against the idea of being buried at the National Heroes’ Acre but was betrayed by his family.
Mr Nkala denied having a hand in the Gukurahundi deployment stating that by that time he was Minister of Finance.
“I am Ndebele and could not have gone around killing my own people. The only time I went out to meet the people was after the 1985 elections when I was Minister of Home Affairs. If you want to know my views about Gukurahundi you would better go and ask (President) Mugabe,” he said.
Online Reporter