THE PROCLAMATION OF UMHLAHLO WE SIZWE SIKA MTHWAKAZI

THE PROCLAMATION OF UMHLAHLO WE SIZWE SIKA MTHWAKAZI

KNOW IT ALL PEOPLE OF THE WORLD THAT:

“In view of the survival crisis stemming from the tribal domination of the minority population of Matabeleland, by the ruling government which draws its overwhelming backing from the majority tribe of Mashonaland and preserves the absolute and exclusive privileges for them at the expense of the overwhelmed people of Matabeleland, and;

In view of the resounding outcry by the victims of the survival crisis for a patriotic intervention to address the question of Matabeleland by a popular vote of no confidence against oppression and suppression and get commit to freedom and social justice, and;

In view of the indisputable civil rights of the people of Matabeleland to the entitlement of self-determination, and to assert their equal rights and human dignity in the global village;

Umhlaho wesi Sizwe sika Mthwakazi is being proclaimed as a freedom front to eradicate the oppression and suppression of the people of Matabeleland along the tribal lines. Umhlahlo shall not be a political party and has no programme of contesting elections because the people of Matabeleland have no freedom to govern themselves. Instead Umhlahlo is a community umbrella of the Inter-Cultural Society of Matabeleland which is committed to the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is a non-violent community rooted umbrella of all the suppressed people regardless of partisan, ethnicity, creed, gender, class or age. Its membership is free to individuals, groups, institutions and associations who adhere to the principles of justice and humanitarianism”.

The Background of Umhlahlo.
Umhlahlo is the brainchild of the victims of the suppression of the minorities of Matabeleland. Matabeleland is the western territory of Zimbabwe which was an independent kingdom until 04 November1893 when it was conquered by the British South Africa Company without the authority of the British Head of state Queen Victoria. The invasion of Matabeleland by Rhodes violated the of Treaty of Peace and Unity between the Great White Queen of England and the Mighty Elephant of Matabeleland which was signed by King Lobengula and Rev John Moffat on 11 February 1888 and committed Britain to defend Matabeleland, if attacked. Lord Salisbury authorized Sir Robbin Hercules to ratify it on 25 April 1888. Queen Victoria tried to abide by the Treaty when King Lobengula protested about BAS Company aggression (... the Queen wishes Lo Bengela to understand distinctly that Englishmen who have gone out to Matabeleland to ask leave to dig for stones have not gone with the Queen’s authority, and that he should not believe any statement by` them or any of them to that effect ... It is not wise to put too much power into the hands of the men who come first, and to exclude other deserving men. A King gives a stranger an ox, not his whole herd of cattle; otherwise what would other strangers arriving have to eat ... The Queen said to King Lobengula through the Lord Knutsford, the colonial secretaries’ letter of 26 March 1889) In August 1894 when the King protested to the Queen about the killing of the people of Matabeleland by the BSA Company mercenaries, she replied the British High Commissioner in the Cape Sir Henry Lock that: (You can tell the King from me I have no intentions of invading his country or dragging him into war) From London the new Colonial Secretary Lord Ripon cabled to Sir Henry Loch that Jameson Should be told that the Company policy commandants should be told: (Their duty is to defend the occupied territory and Her Majesty’s government cannot support them in any aggression) On 11 November 1894 after Matabeleland had been conquered, the British government sent Maj Good-Adams the commander of the Bechuanaland Mounted Police with orders to prevent Jameson from distributing the land, gold and the looted royal head of cattle of Matabeleland to his mercenaries. In 1943 the British Crown did repatriate Prince Nguboentsha who been exiled to the Cape since 1893 to come and restore the Kingdom of Matabeleland but the BSA Company remnants thwarted the exercise.

Mashonaland the present oppressor of Matabeleland had been colonized peacefully by the same company three years earlier on 12 September 1890. Subsequently in 1923 the British government assumed the responsibility of ruling the two territories under the constitution of Southern Rhodesia which exercised an informal union.

In 1980 Britain granted independence to Southern Rhodesia with majority rule status. A black government with an overwhelming support of the majority tribe of Mashonaland was formed and it has ruled the country for the past 27 years. This government has ruled the people of Matabeleland with reign of terror, committed serious crimes against humanity and preserved absolute and exclusive privileges for the majority Shona people. Hence Matabeleland is plunged in the survival crisis.

Consequently the people of Matabeleland through their community structures and traditional means of communication have echoed an outcry for a patriotic intervention to address the survival crisis. This outcry has translated into the proclamation of Umhlahlo as the popular freedom front for intervening against the oppression and suppression of the people of Matabeleland.

The forms of oppression in Matabeleland.
a) Marginalization of the Elected MPs of Matabeleland.
b) Instituting the Reign of Terror in Matabeleland.
c) Perpetrated ethnic cleansing against the People of Matabeleland.
d) Translocation of the Economic Resources of Matabeleland to Mashonaland.
e) Reserving Key Jobs for the Shona People in Matabeleland.
f) Depriving Education Opportunities to the People of Matabeleland.
g) Retarding the Cultural Identity of the Inter-Cultural Society of Matabeleland. (See the political history of Matabeleland for details).

The unjust treatment of the people of Matabeleland by our fellow African brothers and sisters constitutes a parting insult. We are not being separated by ethnic diversity of our nature; but by their attitude of treating the people as underdogs just because their population is smaller than theirs. That has become unbearable and irreconcilable. It is the only option of preventing recourse as a last resort to rebellion against tyranny and oppression. Furthermore disassociating ourselves from Mashonaland does not constitute secession because there is no legal treaty which binds Mashonaland and Matabeleland as union, (e.g. The United Kingdom is bound by the treaty of 1801 which created the union of Great Britain and Ireland and was sealed by the Union Jack. While the Union of South Africa was forged by the treat of the union of Transvaal, Orange Free State, Natal and the Cape Colony on 31 May 1910.) But our informal union was just a common understanding based on Pan-Africanism between the territories which were under the same colonial power. There is no jurisdiction tying Matabeleland to Mashonaland whatsoever.

The Mission of Uhlahlo.
“Umhlahlo stands to eradicate the suppression of the people of Matabeleland on tribal bases and set us free”.



The Aims and Objectives of Umhlahlo.

“The basic aim of Umhlaho is to forge the solidarity of the people of Matabeleland in order to address their grievances with a single voice. The fundamental objectives of Umhlahlo are to revoke marginalization of the people of Matabeleland and to invoke freedom in order for the people to exercise their rights of self determination with the safeguard of the minority groups”. (See the Constitution of Umhlahlo for details).

The Administration of Umhlaho.
“Umhlahlo is a community rooted umbrella of the of the oppressed and suppressed grassroots masses of Matabeleland, born from the resounding outcry for popular intervention to address the survival crisis. It has no authoritative leadership nor a master, but it is being spearheaded by the highly powered servants of the people who are delegated with the mission to address the survival crisis and transfer the political power from the oppressors into the hands of the whole people of Matabeleland who will form their chosen transitional government and draft their own democratic constitution. Umhlahlo is a patriotic community rooted voice of eradicating the suppression of the people of Matabeleland”. (See the programme of Umhlahlo for details)

The Immediate Task of Umhlahlo.
“The outcry of the people of Matabeleland has been translated into the community rooted umbrella voice of all the people. The loyal servants of the people have accepted the challenge and taken the patriotic assignment to serve the oppressed people by spearheading Umhlahlo. The immediate task of all the suppressed masses is to forge a strong solidarity with their loyal servants who are spearheading Umhlahlo and cooperate voluntary in all the ways and means in intervening to address the survival crisis in Matabeleland. The spearheading servants are earnestly appealing to everybody to support the patriotic cause either physically or mentally, in cash or kind, big or small. The single aim is to support the patriotic struggle, not the personalities who are spearheading Umhlahlo. The task of Umhlahlo rests on everybody’s shoulders. A win, is a win for all. We all have something to add!”

The Rv vnbole of the Citizens in the Diasporas.
“Brothers and sisters of Matabeleland, where ever you are; the home is best. Matabeleland needs you both during the struggle against the suppression of the minority by Mashonaland and during the building of a free Matabeleland. You are duty bound to give the interests of Matabeleland an uppermost priority and participate in the patriotic intervention of the survival crisis in our homeland; physically or mentally, in cash or kind, big or small. Your massage is that the task of Umhlahlo rests on everybody’s shoulders. A win, is a win for all. We all have something to add!”

The Appeal to the International Community.
“We the people of Matabeleland are plunged in the survival crisis stemming from the suppression of the minorities of Matabeleland by the majority of Mashonaland. As we wage our peaceful struggle for freedom; we are earnestly appealing for your humanitarian support morally, materially as well as technical advice. We accept aid without strings which infringe the Universal Declaration of the Human Rights, big or small we appreciate whole heartedly”.

The Appeal to the People of Mashonaland.
Please do unto others as you would like them to do unto you. We totally agree with you when you say that: “Blair keep your England and we shall keep our Zimbabwe”. But we go further to say that: “Mugabe keep your Zimbabwe (Mashonaland) and we shall keep our Matabeleland”.

The Theme of Umhlahlo.
“Set us free and leave us alone. We ask nobody as our master.

The Freedom Charter of Matabeleland.
“Our free Homeland of Matabeleland shall be an Inter-Cultural Society based on the self-determination of all the people of the community, expressing the popular will of all the sections of the community and endowed with the safeguard for the minority groups. Free Matabeleland shall be committed to the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
a) There shall be political democracy which guarantees the government of the people, by the people and for the people themselves.
b) There shall be the rule of law which shall bind all the offices and institutions of the land and ensure that all the people are equal before the law.
c) The respect for the human dignity and tolerance for diverse points of view which do not infringe the Universal Declaration of Human Rights shall be enforced in the free homeland.
d) There shall be a policy of public relations on the basis of truth, justice and morality as our attitude towards each other and the rest of mankind.
e) The national wealth of Matabeleland shall be managed with transparency to ensure a fair distribution, exchange and consumption of the country’s products.
f) The cultural identities of all the Nationalities of Matabeleland shall be promoted by the state and all the languages which are used as mother tongues by the local communities shall be graded as official languages which shall be taught in the relevant education institutions up to the highest level of learning and used in the mass media of the land.
g) All the central government, local authorities and the business institutions shall operate ethically, according to approved standards in order to satisfy the consumer expectations.
h) The occupation opportunities shall be allocated according merit and the government shall be obliged to widen career development and create sufficient chance for the whole community.
i) All the elected representatives of Matabeleland shall be delegated with the mandate of their constituencies to which they shall be accountable, and shall be constitutionally liable to be recalled with a vote of no confidence if need arises.
j) A free Homeland of Matabeleland shall respect the international law and its relations with other nations shall be based on the principles of non-alignment and non-interference on other state’s affairs”.

THUS DONE UMHLAHLO IS FORGING AHEAD TO ADDRERSS THE QUESTION OF MATABELELAND FACE TO FACE WITH THE OPPRESIVE REGIME OF ZIMBABWE.

IT’S NOW OR NEVER!
Do it alone; Do it together. Winners Never Quit: Quitters Never Win.

Procaimed by the spearheading National Executive Committee of Umhlahlo we Sizwe sika Mthwakazi on ……………………………..2007 at Bulawayo as a resolution of the people of Matabeleland.