Former Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (Zpra) regional zone commander Andrew Ndlovu (66) says he wants to fight for people’s freedom and their constitutional rights in Parliament.
Ndlovu (AN) who is contesting the Nkulumane seat in Bulawayo on a Zapu ticket, told Sunday Southern Eye reporter Sharon Sibindi (SS) in a wide ranging interview that he was confident of winning the election.
Ndlovu will face off against Desire Moyo from the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), Freedom Murechu (Zanu PF), Nompilo Bhebhe (Zimbabwe African National Congress Zanc), Delish Mtetwa united Zimbabwe Alliance (UZA) and Adelaide Mhlanga (FreeZim Congress).
Below are the excerpts of the interview:
SS: You are a candidate for Nkulumane. Why now?
AN: Zapu members demanded that I represent the party in the coming harmonised general elections.
I felt that I must stand up and be counted among Zapu candidates to fight for better people's living conditions, their fundamental rights and other rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights in the constitution.
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SS: What is your political background?
AN: Born on August 19, 1957 in Lupane, I joined the liberation struggle in 1974, trained guerrilla warfare in Morogoro Zpra Training Camp in Tanzania then left for further training as field commander in the then USSR Ukraine Republic in 1976.
In 1977, I was deployed in the Northern Front 2 and became one of the Regional Zone commanders until the ceasefire in 1979.
In 1980 I was attested into the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) at the Zimbabwe Military Academy (ZMA) in Gweru and got commissioned as captain.
I served in the ZNA for a few years and later left the army owing to Zapu and Zanu political upheavals in 1982.
SS: What inspired you to represent the constituency?
AN: What inspired me to represent the constituency was the revolutionary spirit to fight for people's freedom and their constitutional rights through representing them in the Zimbabwe Parliament.
SS: What makes you think that you are the best against other political candidates?
AN: It's not me as such who is the best candidate but my party Zapu is the best party to vote for.
It is known to have liberated the people of Zimbabwe and is the only political mother party of all political parties in Zimbabwe, which is the only party that can bring peace and tranquillity in Zimbabwe and respect for human rights and the rule of law just to mention but a few.
Zapu is the only party that would push for real devolution of power through its proposed five provinces namely: Matabeleland, Masvingo, Midlands, Mashonaland and Manicaland.
These five provinces would be manageable in their natural resources and land distribution control, including developmental programmes.
SS: You have been involved in scandals before such as leading farm invasions? Do you have any regrets in your past?
AN: I was never involved in the farm invasions as such but I was involved in the former colonial land redress which was borne by the Berlin conference of 1895 after the developed countries had met and agreed to share Africa among themselves forcefully and Zimbabwe was not spared hence our forefathers were defeated in 1893 and the white men grabbed our land so far so good we redressed their land invasion and no regret.
SS: Were you ever a member of Zanu PF?
AN: I was never a member of Zanu from its inception in 1963 when it broke away from Zapu on tribal bases.
l was a political refugee in exile for almost 10 years and I was repatriated back home from Liberia in 1992.
I had to seek clarity from the late VP Joshua Nkomo on which direction to follow. It was then that I visited him at Blue Lagoon on July 17 1992 and he advised me to join others in what he called new Zanu PF which was borne by the Unity Accord of 1987.
I left Zanu in October 2008 after seeing that Zanu had failed to recognize the role played by Zapu and its military wing ZPRA during the war of liberation.
I revived Zapu alongside Dumiso Dabengwa and Thenjiwe Lesabe (both late).
SS: Have you ever been involved in Zapu efforts for the return of seized farms and other properties? Do you think there's any sincerity in the government ever returning the properties?
AN: Yes I did. During colonial land redress, as some call it land invasion, we forced the late President Robert Mugabe to return our Zpra properties and told him that if he failed to do so, Zpra would take their properties forcefully.
It was then that he instructed the late VP Joseph Msika to call a Zpra meeting at Castle Arms to inform us that Mugabe had returned our properties but without title deeds.
Nothing was mentioned about the removal of the caveat.
As such, I am made to believe that the government is not yet committed to give Zpra its properties as I can see that politicking is day-to-day business and reality on the ground is zero.
SS: Do you feel the government is sincere in peace and reconciliation efforts? With regards to Gukurahundi, what do you think is the best way forward in addressing the matter?
AN: Zanu PF would never be sincere because it can never be the complainant, prosecutor and the judge against its genocide which its 5th brigade Gukurahundi committed.
Only if a new government gets into power can Gukurahundi be addressed but working very closely with Zapu as the complainant of the victims.
SS: To the electorate in Matabeleland, what is your message to them when it comes to. voting?
AN: I say to them, in order for them to restore their human dignity, devolution of power to their provinces, restore their culture, tradition, protect their land and all its natural resources, they must go and vote for Zapu councillors and Members of Parliament. August 23 is around the corner, no one will free you, your vote will liberate you.
