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Bongani Ndlovu, Chronicle Reporter
ZANU-PF Bulawayo chairman, Cde Jabulani Sibanda has condemned tribalism saying it does not bring development in any country.
He called on Africans to know their origins so that they can guard their birthright.
Cde Sibanda was speaking last week during the Church Leaders Dialogue organised by the Council for Churches in Africa (CCA) held at the City Pentecostal Church in Bulawayo.
It was a dialogue among hundreds of indigenous church leaders from across Zimbabwe and the ruling party members.
The event ran under the theme; “The role of the Church in Consolidating Peace and Development in an Independent Africa.”
Cde Sibanda condemned tribalism saying it derailed development in Zimbabwe.
“Today we are failing to build the country because we are seeing Shona, Ndebele, Tonga or Zezuru.
How do you see these people?
I’m 64 years old, born in Tsholotsho, I have never seen what a Ndebele person looks like.
“If you see a Ndebele person, take a photo and give it to me and I show it to my children.
I have been around the country, I even lived in Masvingo for one-year-and-two months, I didn’t see what a Karanga person looks like.
If you see one, take a picture and send it to me so that I can show it to my children.
“When we were fighting the war of liberation, I didn’t see a Shona person.
I have never seen a tribe.
I can hear and understand Shona, Zezuru, Ndebele and Kalanga but I don’t see tribes.”
Cde Sibanda’s remarks were premised on Isaiah Chapter 19 verse 24 which states: “On that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth.”
“Africa is number one, in resources Africa is number one, in everything Africa is number one.
On that day the truth will come that even Israel that you think are God’s will be number three. So says God in Isaiah Chapter 19.
“Today is Africa Day and we are Africans, until we know our position in the eyes of God, we’ll never know who we are.
And if you don’t know who you are, you have a problem as you don’t know where you are from.
If you don’t know where you are from, you don’t know your birthright.
Know who you are as Africans so that you know what is yours so that you lift up, develop and guard what’s yours,” said Cde Sibanda.
He said it is evident that Africans were the hardest working as they have built their countries and the rest of the world.
“Africa has hard workers.
Go to Europe, go to America, it was built by the sweat of the Africans.
We were born and built to build, yes, we built as slaves but it was us that were building.
If you go to Europe today, at any property you can smell the sweat of the African people that put those foundations of the sky scrapers that you see.
“If you listen properly, you will hear the screams of our people under the sjambok.
That is Africa where we come from, that is Africa where we are, we have built not only our countries but we have built the world,” said Cde Sibanda.
Africa, he said, fought for its freedom in two-fold from the shackles of slavery and colonialism.
“When it comes to freedom, it’s Africans that have fought for its freedom.
So, we know how to build, whether as a slave or as a free man, we know how to fight as a free man or a colonised person to be a free people.
You want freedom, ask Africans, we sweated and died for it.
“Our own position is number one to God, but we as Africans have the white people and Israelites as the people of God, when Isaiah was telling them that God told him to tell Israelites that they are number three,” said Cde Sibanda. – Follow on Twitter @bonganinkunzi.
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