Williams’ demo on Mugabe flops

Temba Dube Deputy News Editor
A group of political activists led by serial demonstrator Jenni Williams yesterday tried to take advantage of the dialogue created by President Mugabe’s comments about Kalanga people to draw attention to themselves. The group, made up of mainly MDC-related organisations, marched from the ZCTU offices — the labour movement that created the MDC — through the city centre carrying placards that denounced the President.

Following a dismal poll run in the 2013 harmonised elections, the MDC formations have been desperately seeking relevance and they grabbed the chance to be angry on behalf of the Kalanga people.

Butjilo Muleya, a Kalanga from Kezi, said a majority of the people who marched had never been to Kezi.

“If there’s an issue here, let true Kalangas address it. These people are just drawing attention to themselves by purporting to represent Kalangas,” said Muleya.

Sections of the media recently quoted President Mugabe as saying the Kalanga people were uneducated and ended up being criminals in neighbouring South Africa.

Despite Media, Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo explaining how the President had been quoted out of context, the group has proceeded to try to fan tribal discord in the country.

Prof Moyo said the government had noted various Press reports including social media chatter on remarks attributed to President Mugabe to the generalised effect that Zimbabwean Kalangas in South Africa are not educated and commit petty crimes.

He said while some commentary on the remarks had raised understandable community issues, it was unfortunate that there has also been opportunistic and even mischievous misinterpretation of the President’s remarks by some media and opposition political circles for inflammatory purposes.

“It is common cause that every statement has a context. The remarks in question were made against the backdrop of unsubstantiated allegations that horrific xenophobic attacks in South Africa were because governments in the region are allegedly pushing their citizens into South Africa. President Mugabe corrected this,” said Moyo.

“In this context, it’s a matter of history that before Independence there was a stereotype that Zimbabweans who crossed into South Africa were mainly Kalangas from Matabeleland South who did not have much formal education which they were denied by successive colonial regimes.”

He said credit should be given to the President for his education for all policy at Independence that ensured every Zimbabwean was educated and dispelled the stereotype.