MUGABE'S FOREIGN ANCESTRY : HEATED DEBATE!

Zimbabwe: Mugabe's foreign ancestry sparks heated debate

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 07:05:00

Theresa Nkala

 

http://www.zimdaily.com/news/117/ARTICLE/1581/2007-04-17.html

 

Zimbabwean President's foreign ancestry has sparked heated debate countrywide and beyond, some of it bordering on derision, ranging from tribal, to "as ugly as Robert Mugabe" slurs.

Robert Mugabe was raised without a father, his Father Masuzyo Gabriel Matibili of Malawian descent deserted the family when he was still very young.

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ZimDaily exclusively revealed on Wednesday that Mugabe is a Zimbabwean of Malawian origin. His father, Masuzyo Gabriel Matibili, was an immigrant worker.

Many ZimDaily readers missed the point: it is not about Mugabe's Malawian roots but about the Bill he assented to and made it a law that stripped millions of Zimbabweans of their citizenship and their right to vote in the crucial 2000 and 2002 plebiscites.

The government enacted a law late in 1999 just before the crucial 2000 parliamentary elections which saw the opposition shocking ZANU PF by snatching 57 seats in the 120-seat chamber, the first time an opposition party came closer to toppling Mugabe since independence in 1980.

Had more than six million Zimbabweans, both black and white of foreign descent, voted, the scales could have tilted the other way.

That was at the height of the chaotic land grab that saw more than five thousand white commercial farmers forcibly moved off their farms ostensibly to parcel them out to their cronies in ZANU PF and government. White-owned businesses were taken over, too, in the name of black empowerment.

Zimbabweans of foreign descent, who formed the bulk of those working on farms and in mines were the most affected. They suddenly found themselves homeless and jobless and had they been allowed to vote, they could have "voted with their stomachs", sending ZANU PF crashing out.

Comments from ZimDaily readers worldwide ranged from sober to extreme hatred of anything from Malawi.

"What is wrong with Malawians?" asked a reader after a flurry of innuendos and derogatory remarks about Mugabe and his ancestry.

Indeed, there is nothing wrong about Malawi or anything from Malawi. In fact, we have had many Zimbabweans of Malawian descent who have done extremely well in their various endeavours.

The late finance ministers Bernard Chidzero and  Ariston Chambati were Zimbabweans of Malawian descent. So too were broadcasters Brighton Matewere and the late Benedict Mazonde and renowned journalist Bill Saidi, now deputy editor of The Standard newspaper. The list is endless.

Besides Bantu migration, Malawi was part of the Rhodesia and Nyasaland federation. In other words, it was one country. Therefore, there was free movement of people within the federation.

What many readers were against are the double standards applied by the Mugabe regime. Unless, they said, many disenfranchised Zimbabweans living within and without our borders were allowed to vote and have their citizenship restored, then Mugabe cannot legitimately continue running this country as he is also a Zimbabwean of foreign descent. Unless, of course, he renounces his claim to Malawian citizenship.

That also applies to his nephews and niece --- Patrick, Robert and Sarudzai Zhuwao --- Sabina Mugabe's children.

However, a brawl between imbibers at an elite Harare sports club on Wednesday night takes the biscuit: it was sparked by a "You are as ugly as Robert Mugabe" slur. Apparently, the victim was a Zimbabwean of Malawian descent.

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The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. ZimDaily is not responsible for what they say. Please keep your comments short and to the point. Obscene, tribalistic, racist, vulgar comments will be deleted. Simple HTML is allowed for basic text editing.

Location

He's from Mudalira Village, near Chirazu, which is near Limbe.

Posted By Madonna on tour , UK sometimes : Apr 17 2007 08:54 AM

matibili

Ngaadzokere ku mudalira village kwake .

Posted By GRINGO , HRE : Apr 17 2007 09:26 AM

Hezvo ka!

What goes around, comes around... explains why the guy wants to do a Kamuzu!

Posted By Ntokanje , Zimbabwe : Apr 17 2007 09:33 AM

Ariston Chambati

Ariston Maguranyanga Chambati was born in Hurungwe District in Tengwe. The Chambati's are one of the the first families to settle in Hurungwe District, after the massive forced removal from Nemakonde District close to Chinhoyi in the 1920's and 1930s after the Settlement Act was passed. The Chambati's are of the Mateere totem. He was of Mwendamberi totem. Ariston's lineage is Ariston-->Hwaisva---> Maguranyanga--->Uswahwengai. He was raised by his his StepFather from the Chambati's who worked on a local store owned by Greek Immigrant. Its is always good to check you facts first.

Posted By Ruzha , Harare Zimbabwe : Apr 17 2007 09:59 AM

Chambati

Chambati is a Malawian name for a popular dish known in Kenya as Chapati. Chambati's father was a Malawian immigrant who first worked in the Farms in Tengwe before eventually taking employment at a local Shop

Posted By Facts , Harare, Zimbabwe : Apr 17 2007 10:15 AM

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