A United Matabeleland Is Seen As A Security Threat - Tshabangu

According to Sengezo Tshabangu, politicians from Harare and or Mashonaland do not entertain the idea of a united Matabeleland as they view it as a security threat. He claims to have seen this in the ruling ZANU PF and experienced this under the leadership of Morgan Tsvangirai, the late founding leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). He told Zenzele Ndebele during an interview:

There is nobody from that end who wants a united Matabeleland. A united Matabeleland is a security threat. A united Matabeleland gives them sleepless nights. A united Matabeleland is a threat to the establishment itself. It is now being transmitted to the opposition politics. I don’t think President Emmerson Mnangagwa would want a united Matabeleland. Morgan Tsvangirai was never at one given time at ease with a united Matabeleland so is Nelson Chamisa, he is scared of a united Matabeleland.

This neglect of Matabeleland provinces by political elites is not a new issue. It is often alleged that these regions are only considered during election periods. Political analysts often say the ruling party, ZANU PF, is particularly fearful of a united Matabeleland due to the historical event known as Gukurahundi. This violent period occurred after independence when former President Robert Mugabe deployed the 5th Brigade to suppress alleged dissidents in Matabeleland and Midlands. Thousands of people were killed, and the wounds from this tragedy remain unhealed.