34 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE, MATABELELAND HAS NOTHING TO CELEBRATE

Zimbabwe recently celebrated 34 years of independence but Matabeleland  region paints a gloomy picture and is still reeling  from the effects of marginalisation.

Considering that it has been many years since Zimbabwe attained freedom, Matabeleland as one of its provinces should be different in economic, political and social spheres. It must have developed in a number of ways but instead we see the opposite happening.

There has not been much difference in the woes faced by the region in terms of dying industries, lack of development in its infrastructure, the crippled education system and others.

Bulawayo, fondly named the City of Kings, which had once been considered as  the industrial hub of the country should have achieved a lot more in terms of economic development in these 34 years of independence, but instead, the city has earned the name  of being a scrapyard.

While there is evidence of progress in terms of developmental projects in other regions, Matabeleland has shown embarrassingly little and no development at all in some parts of the region.

According to the Mthwakazi Republic party's secretary Mbonisi Gumbo in an interview said ofcourse Zimbabwe had attained 34 years of independence  but to the rest of people of Mthwakazi, it was not yet independence.

"The people of this land are still subjected to all forms of oppression from the Zimbabwean government since 1980," he said. 

Gumbo said a lot of things had happened from the past till now and these include Gukurahundi atrocities, political imbalances, economic genocide, unfair distribution of resources, distortion of Mthwakazi history, denial of enrollment of the locals  at institutions of higher learning in Matabeleland, denial to access bank loans to business people in Matabeleland and continued arrests and intimidation of people in Matabeleland whenever they fought for their rights.     

Zimbabwe recently celebrated 34 years of independence but Matabeleland  region paints a gloomy picture and is still reeling  from the effects of marginalisation.

Considering that it has been many years since Zimbabwe attained freedom, Matabeleland as one of its provinces should be different in economic, political and social spheres. It must have developed in a number of ways but instead we see the opposite.