Clive Thabo Dube
SIXTY- FOUR year old Sibangilizwe who is the son of former Zimbabwe Vice President Dr Joshua MN Nkomo will this year lead a party that has the same name as a movement his father once led into elections.
“Zapu will contest in the elections, we are prepared and ready. There is no question about that, we will contest with great vigour, determination and we will come out with something. We are going throughout the country mobilizing our base and people are saying they are ready to show ZANU the door so that they can leave Zimbabwe alone to its people under the leadership of ZAPU,” said Nkomo who was controversially elected as a successor to the former Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) intelligence supremo Dumiso Dabengwa in 2021.
Zim GBC News engaged Dr Joshua Nkomo’s son in an exclusive interview in which he expressed confidence about the chances of his Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU) party wrestling power from ZANU- PF (a party that swallowed his fathers original movement PF- ZAPU in 1987).
“Our young people have been taught lies, they have been indoctrinated with the wrong history and taught a lot of things which are un- African. In this regard there is need to change our politics, social behaviour and as the leaders we need to change.” Nkomo told Zim GBC News
Will he be able to steer the ZAPU ship in the right direction, the same way his father did with the PF- ZAPU formed in 1961 and PF- ZAPU of the 1980’s?
“I have a vision. We need to have the factories opened and modernised, we need the Agricultural sector to work efficiently and productively. The mining sector should benefit every Zimbabwean unlike the current setup where precious minerals like diamonds, gold and recently lithium are only enriching the elite.” Added Sibangilizwe Nkomo.
“Our first problem is that we are led by people and a party that is not people centered. Right here in Bulawayo, this Government’s policies encouraged the shutting down of the factories whose presence in the city gave it the status of the “Industrial hub of Zimbabwe’ “. He said.
Quizzed on what is his secret to remove the ZANU- PF regime which has been in power since 1980. Nkomo said his party will remove the fear out of the people which he says is what has kept both the Mugabe and Mnagwagwa regimes in power.
“People must get rid of the fear that was created by evil men (Zanu pf). ZANU- PF has employed violence and fear mongering since 1964. Zimbabweans are actually traumatized by Zanu-pf’s actions which can be neutralized by intensive de- brainwashing of our people.” The new ZAPU leader told Zim GBC News.
Sibangilizwe Nkomo will be the 6th leader to represent a party or any party that uses the name ZAPU since 1980 in elections.
In 1980, Dr Joshua M. N Nkomo led what was called Patriotic Front in a plebiscite that was won by Robert Mugabe’s ZANU party. In 1985, Dr Nkomo became the first leader to lead a party using the name PF- ZAPU in elections. Again Robert Mugabe’s ZANU- PF won the polls that were marred by violence. Dr Nkomo eventually agreed to melt PF- ZAPU into ZANU-PF at the end of 1987.
Fast forward to year 2000, a new outfit called ZAPU 2000 emerged led by Agrippa Madlela. That outfit perfomed dismally when pitted against the mighty ZANU- PF and labour movement, MDC. Come the year 2002, that party split with Paul Siwela establishing another ZAPU with Madlela turning his outfit into Zimbabwe African People’s Union Federal Party. There is also a ZAPU faction/ outfit let by Sikhumbuzo Ndlovu which took part in the 2008 elections but has not been active of late.
Post 2008, Dumiso Dabengwa and some of his sympathisers claimed to have pulled out of the 1987 Unity Accord to reform the original ZAPU of 1961. It is this ZAPU that Sibangilizwe Nkomo now leads after the passing away of Dabengwa.