Veteran journalist Hopewell Chin’ono says he will not remain silent when he witnesses xenophobic attacks against President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa.
Chin’ono was responding to some reports alleging that Mnangagwa is not a Zimbabwean but of Zambian origin.
This was after prominent Zambian politician Joseph Kalimbwe referred a certain Lloyd Mnangagwa, a Zambian national living at Kalindi Village in Mumbwa – Central Zambia as a relative of President Mnangagwa.
“This is Lloyd Mnangagwa, a Zambian national living at Kalindi Village in Mumbwa – Central Zambia. His bloodline is a President in Zimbabwe,” said Kalimbwe.
One netizen supported Kalimbwe’s claims saying it is not just about growing up in Zambia, his surname is Zambian. Even when he finished a jail term in Rhodesia they deported him back to Zambia…….So his citizenship was in Zambia not Zimbabwe.
Apparently, in response Chin’ono said:
I have seen these xenophobic attacks against Emmerson Mnangagwa and many like him who had to leave the country because of our colonial history.
I have many issues with Emmerson Mnangagwa, but I will never remain silent when I witness xenophobic attacks against him.
Emmerson Mnangagwa is not originally from Zambia, nor is his family originally from Zvishavane either, his clan came from Mutoko.
His father, like many people from the Midlands, moved to Zambia and particularly Mumbwa due to the colonial challenges faced by many Black Zimbabweans during that time when they lost their land. They moved to Zambia.
We cannot condemn xenophobia in South Africa and support it in Zimbabwe, it is morally wrong and politically bankrupt.
It is true that many of his family members remained in Zambia, but he cannot be accused of that.
Mnangagwa, the tyrant, has many legitimate accusations against him like corruption and mismanagement of the economy, but calling him non-Zimbabwean is cheap and ridiculous.
We should always highlight these moral inconsistencies that arise when people condemn xenophobia in one context but ignore or even promote it in another.
Mnangagwa is a Zimbabwean, and his family was affected by migrations caused by colonialism and other socio-political issues.
When criticising political leaders and those in positions of power, it is important to focus on valid points and issues, rather than resorting to cheap attacks on their identity, background, or origin.
Such attacks undermine, and at times even invalidate, the genuine grievances we have against these leaders and their actions.
Emmerson Mnangagwa is Zimbabwean, Robert Mugabe was Zimbabwean, Kembo Mohadi is Zimbabwean, Joshua Nkomo was Zimbabwean, and Ian Smith was Zimbabwean.
Focus on what they did when in power, not these ad hominem attacks, which are xenophobic!
Also read books to cure this ignorance and understand why Mnangagwa was deported to Zambia.
Zwnews
