Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai Speaks Out Against Secessionists

Nqobani Ndlovu

29 May 2011

Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai last week said his MDC party is against calls for a separate Matabeleland state but supports the devolution of power to provinces.

Tsvangirai said a new constitution should provide for devolution of power to ensure that calls for a secession of Matabeleland by some pressure groups, notably Mthwakazi Liberation Front (MLF) did not gain ground.

MLF is leading calls for a separate Matabeleland state amid growing sentiments that Matabeleland and Midlands provinces are sidelined from national development programmes.

MLF — formed last year — says a separate Matabeleland state is necessary to bring to an end the marginalisation of the region which lags behind in development.

Its campaign has however put it on collision course with the police and three of their leaders are now facing treason charges.

But Tsvangirai, speaking at a victory celebration party for Speaker of Parliament Lovemore Moyo in Brunapeg, Matabeleland South said devolution of power would empower all regions.

“The MDC-T wants unity of all Zimbabweans despite our diversity. We do not want a split of Zimbabwe,” he said.

“We do not support secession. The MDC-T wants power to be devolved to provinces and regions as opposed to splitting this country.”

He said all Zimbabweans must be treated equally.

Zapu is also pushing for devolution of power as its central policy with its president, Dumiso Dabengwa, saying devolution would “remove all bottlenecks and red tape created by the current Harare-based centralist governance system.”

Zapu argues that elected governors and regional assemblies with power to manage, public services and resources would politically and economically empower Zimbabweans and encourage cultural and social diversity.

Dabengwa said his party would cut the current 10 provinces by half into Mashonaland, Masvingo, Midlands, Manicaland and Matabeleland “to be led by an elected provincial mini-government”.

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