The rise of secessionist political parties in Zimbabwe is a sign that successive governments have failed to address issues affecting the Matebeleland region, political analysts have said.
Numerous secessionist parties such as Patriotic Union of Matebeleland, Matebeleland Liberation Organisation (MLO) and Matebeleland Liberation Front (MLF) have been formed all with the same agenda, calling for the separation of the Mthwakazi State from the rest of the country.
On Saturday, another secessionist party, Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) was launched in Bulawayo, with its leaders promising to deliver on their promises to bring about an independent Mthwakazi State.
Dumisani Nkomo, a Bulawayo based political analyst believes these political parties have a right to call for a secession and it is a reflection of the hurt and the pain that people from the region feel.
"We should not deal with the symptom but the root cause why people are calling for secession. It means there is a serious problem in terms of marginalisation and exclusion. We have to interrogate some of the structural and economic reasons that cause people to call for secession," said Nkomo.
His view was supported by another political analyst, Anglistone Sibanda who opined that secessionist calls were justified as the people of Matebeleland have been disadvantaged for many years.
Sibanda said secessionist parties were important in the development agenda of the region although he was quick to point out that the feasibility of creating a new Mthwakazi state was achievable in the near future.
Another political analyst Methuseli Moyo described the secessionist calls as " dramatisation of the desperate situation of the people of Matebeleland."
"In their view these parties think it is a solution to the problems bedevilling Matebeleland and a way of attracting attention of the central government. Whether this will succeed we will just have to wait and find out," said Moyo.
The analysts said it was high time these parties spoke with one voice in order to realise the desired results.
"These parties are bound to fail if they are fragmented. We need united fronts at various stages and levels in terms of people who agree with each other ideologically. The machinery that is there is too big to be challenged by small parties," said Nkomo.
Mbuso Fuzwayo of Ibhetshu LikaZulu, a pressure group based in Bulawayo said: "There is strength is number. We would have appreciated if these parties join forces and spoke with one voice. We have noticed how most of these political parties are manipulated by powerful people with their own political agendas. Therefore, these parties must speak in unison so that their concerns are heard."
On why they were not joining forces with other like minded parties, MRP President Mqondisi Moyo said their party was unique and did not share any similarities with other political parties calling for secession.
"We are MRP, we are not MLF or any other political party, so we will not concern ourselves with what other political parties are doing," said Moyo.
Aliqunywe Mthwakazi
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