adminGRAPHICS, pictures, videos and words tell us that the signing of the Unity Accord on 22 December 1987 was characterised by jubilation as Zimbabweans celebrated a milestone in the country’s history.
After the political disturbances that had taken place in Matabeleland and parts of Midlands, many did not expect such a historic event to take place. But it happened and that unity is still being cherished.
Sunday News caught up with the only surviving PF-Zapu member who was part of the trio that negotiated the historic peace settlement with Zanu-PF, Cde Naison Khutshwekhaya Ndlovu at his home in Luveve 4. Cde Ndlovu was part of the PF-Zapu negotiating team together with the late Vice-Presidents Joseph Msika and John Nkomo.
Now 27 years since the signing of the Unity Accord which will be commemorated tomorrow on Unity Day, Cde Ndlovu reflects on what is arguably the most important moment in Zimbabwean history.
“Umdala (Dr Joshua Nkomo) came to my home sometime in July 1987. He asked me to accompany him to Harare. It was July 16 when we left for Harare,” recalls Cde Ndlovu who was by then PF-Zapu’s National Chairperson.
“It was a time when there was disunity and disorder in the country. He explained to me that he wanted to go and talk to President Mugabe as there was nothing that could stand in his way. Dr Nkomo was talking about the issue of ending violence. He underscored the fact that we had been fighting for this country and now that we won and the country is ours, there was no reason for us to keep on fighting.”
During that time, Cde Ndlovu said, violence was at its peak “with people dying like flies”.
As a result of the violence, travelling was not easy as there were a lot of roadblocks. Cde Ndlovu and Dr Nkomo had to go through all these roadblocks.
“We left for Harare at 4am and with roadblocks all over the place, it was not easy to travel. We first went to see Canaan Banana who by then was the President of the country. Mr Banana was going to set an appointment for us after Nkomo told him that his mission was to meet Prime Minister Mugabe. This is where the unity talks began,” narrated Cde Ndlovu, who is Bulawayo’s first black mayor.
“Cde Nkomo and President Mugabe started meeting and they later agreed that there was supposed to be a committee to spearhead the talks. PF-Zapu had three representatives; Cde Joseph Msika, who was the leader -by then Cde Msika was the Vice-President of PF-Zapu; I was also the other committee member as I was the party’s National Chairperson and the last person was Cde John Nkomo who was by then the publicity secretary.
“Zanu-PF also had a committee led by Cde Maurice Nyagumbo, although they kept alternating, they did not continue with one team but (Vice-President Emmerson) Mnangagwa at one point was involved, so was Edison Zvobgo. This is the committee which was debating on what could be done. The secretary was Willard Chiwewe (former Masvingo Provincial Governor), who was coming from the defence forces. He was tasked with taking minutes.”
Since this was a time of political instability in the country, PF-Zapu lost some members who were defecting to Zanu-PF. This, however, did not stop the PF-Zapu team from continuing with the talks that gave birth to peace in the newly independent country.
“As I told you earlier, there was war and while we were trying to unite some were joining Zanu. Our deputy chairman Cde William Kona took the corner and joined Zanu. Cde Cephas Msipa (former Midlands Governor) who must have been the Secretary-General of the party also joined Zanu.
“We mainly talk about that with Msipa and he always said he just retired but I always ask him how he could have retired from Zapu when his sympathy was now with Zanu. He says he did not want anything to do with the fights that were taking place. We always tell him that his sympathy was no longer with us so when we went for unity, he was already under Zanu.”
Cdes Msipa and Kona joined Professor Callistus Ndlovu who had long joined Zanu-PF from PF-Zapu. Despite these defections, the talks went on and Cde Ndlovu indicated that both parties were in the same boat and were driven by the need to iron out their differences.
He said ordinary Zimbabweans actually embraced unity between the two parties as they felt it was long overdue.
“There was no misunderstanding on why we were meeting as everyone was concerned on why there was no unity despite us being one. We were looking back at 1957 when Southern Rhodesia ANC was formed and the formation of UNDP 1960. We were united then and the slogan which was being used when these parties were formed was “mwana wevhu, umntwan’ womhlabathi.”
“We were still united and this is also shown by how people in Mashonaland respected umdala. Cde Nkomo was called Vamutekwatekwa, Shumba yeZimbabwe, (lion of Zimbabwe) Chibwe Chitedza (the slippery rock). In Matabeleland we just called him umdala,” Cde Ndlovu said.
“It is for this reason that we realised that we were just united from ANC, NDP and also Zapu. Of course there were problems that occurred when we were still Zapu, as people always fight. All these are some of the issues that we looked at and realised that we were not supposed to split. The talks went smoothly and an agreement was reached.
“Before the signing, parties had to form committees which comprised PF- Zapu and Zanu-PF that would address members, tell them that their leaders had agreed that disunity must end since we were all one and we had been one. The reason was also to allow people to express their views. It was realised that people were ready to unite; people felt the talks were long overdue. For those who were in the committee, no one came with a different aspect; the response was that people were wondering why unity was long overdue.
“Parties called their respective congresses and as Zapu we held ours at City Sports Grounds in Harare and as the Chairperson, I was the one who was chairing the meeting. This is where we agreed that as Zapu we are now dissolving ourselves as we are now united with Zanu.”
Despite the common understanding that there was a need to unite, Cde Ndlovu revealed that the name that was going to be given to the party raised a lot of dust that could not easily settle.
“What dragged the talks was the name, as to what the party was going to be called,” recalled Cde Ndlovu. “We realised that the name of the party cannot hold the unity talks at ransom, as people had agreed that we are all Zimbabweans. People then agreed that Zapu’s name had to be dropped and this name Zanu was new.”
Asked on what name political parties might have suggested, Cde Ndlovu said: “There was no name that was suggested. As we were debating it was raised that when Zapu was being formed, the name Zanu was raised but leaders preferred to adopt Zapu. The name was seen as powerful, people said vakomona Zapu rinemutsindo. It was seen that Zanu-PF did not look for the name from somewhere but they just took the name which was dropped.”
Cde Ndlovu who is also the former Member of Parliament and Senator for Insiza said there was no one who had the mandate or authority to stand and announce the revival of PF-Zapu. He declared that through signing the Unity Accord, the revolutionary party was not going to lose any elections. He added that those forming their own political parties were wasting their time.
“There is no one who can say I am now pulling out or leaving but someone can decide to leave the party at his or her will as this is the case now as some Zanu officials were fired. No matter what the person can call himself or herself, the person is no longer part of the family. Through signing the Unity Accord, we realised that the party was very powerful and no one was going to defeat the party. It was then decided that the day was going to be a public holiday,” he said.
He rubbished claims that the Unity Accord was transitional. He said there were people who did not want the PF-Zapu spirit to be alive in the Unity Accord.
“There are renegades, who are the people who joined Zanu long back and they do not want that Zapu spirit. They just want to erode everything about the party and want to see that Zapu spirit to be completely blotted out. You cannot do that and history cannot allow that and it is known that Zapu is living in spirit in the Unity Accord. When that spirit is blotted out and Zanu remains as Zanu, the whole political situation is completely diluted.
“There is nothing (Dumiso) Dabengwa has done and will ever do. Simba Makoni too left and formed his project, Mavambo, but he too has failed. There were real men like Ndabaningi Sithole who pulled out and formed their Zanu-Ndonga, Abel Muzorewa tried, Edgar Tekere tried but they too failed. There are so many who tried and some are still trying but they will not win an election against Zanu-PF,” Cde Ndlovu said.
He urged Zimbabweans to cherish the unity that exists in the country and not be more concerned about positions in the party or in Government. Cde Ndlovu said no one should be bothered about when a former PF-Zapu member would lead the united Zanu-PF.
“What is important is the Unity Accord. Don’t take other issues to do with positions seriously. That is not the end of the world. Things change as time goes, as long as there is that unity and that unity binds us together. Don’t say perhaps now it’s my time to take over, many people wished to be in those positions but failed to get them.
“Don’t rush and now it’s 27 years and in history 27, is just yesterday. That is how history is made, so that you can’t rush to say it’s now 27 years since we made that unity and ask when a Zapu President will emerge. We don’t ask such questions or things, we are not talking for such to happen. What we have to ask is where we are heading to. The Unity Accord is not a hindrance in providing people with opportunities, it is not that former Zapu people are being sidelined.
“What we should ask is what are the equal opportunities for our people. We are not looking back at whether I was supposed to be the First or Second Vice-President. We are looking forward for Cde Mphoko (Vice President) not to act on his own but in unity even in decision making,” he said.
Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu