Innocent Sibonginkosi Ncube
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Tanaka Ziso, a recent graduate in Civil and Water Engineering from the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), has made headlines due to a series of controversial incidents surrounding his graduation. Despite facing significant backlash for his earlier comments, he celebrated his academic achievement on social media.
The controversy began in March 2024 when Ziso posted derogatory remarks on X (formerly Twitter) that targeted the Ndebele community.
Under the handle @iamryantanaka on X, Tanaka made derogatory remarks targeting the second largest Ndebele community in the country.
Ziso tweeted,
“The way MaNdevere claim they’re not Zimbabweans is top tier man😂, woenda kuSouth Africa vokuramba, wopiswa ikoko futi. I wish I could live with those kind of brains, no real thinking, no straining your brains. Just an idiot saying Vele 25 times a day. Freestyle kinda life😭.”
Coincidentally, NUST is located in Bulawayo which is part of Matabeleland where most SiNdebele speaking people are found.
Ziso’s comments were widely condemned, leading to a public outcry for accountability as his tweets included offensive language that many found tribalistic sparking outrage across social media platforms.
Following his inflammatory tweets, Ziso faced legal repercussions, appearing before a magistrate on charges related to offending individuals of a particular race. This incident intensified calls for NUST to take disciplinary action against him, with many users urging the university to deny him the opportunity to graduate.
Despite issuing a public apology, Ziso’s attempts to rectify the situation were largely dismissed, and the campaign against him continued to gain traction on social media.
Amidst the speculation that NUST might revoke his graduation rights, Ziso ultimately graduated and took to social media to express his joy and relief. He described his journey as a battle, stating,
“Went to war for it,”
This statement on its own does not appear coming from a person who was arraigned in Courts of Law for derogatory statements against a tribe.
Having graduated, Tanaka Ziso, it would seem is not remorseful for his earlier statements.
His statement has again brought to the fore outcry from the people of Bulawayo who ask why NUST largely enrolls students from other regions at the expense of the derogatory named “MaNdevere”.
“Kanti vele kungani eNUST kugcwele abantu besiShoneni? Ungizwe kahle mntanami, angitsho ukuba bengezi ukuzofunda, ngithi kungani begcwele?”
MaTshuma, a senior Supermarket supervisor quizzed.
Why is there so much enrollment of Shona speaking students at NUST. Am not saying they shouldn’t be there, am saying why are they so many
She continued to say, she has applied so many times to study at NUST without success but some of her colleagues with Shona surnames and ‘contacts’ there have graduated from the institution.
A political analyst who cannot be named for professional reasons had this to say,
“The statement used by this young man is derived from some liberation war veterans who, when they want to justify their wrong doing claim that, “takayiendera kuhondo nyika iyi”. He thus suggests that insulting another tribe calling them “stupids” is equivalent to going to Hondo.
“Again this is still derogatory. He has not repented.”
The political analyst went on to state that MaTshuma’s sentiments are spot on. Had the Devolution process been implemented as the Constitution states, there would be many students from this region learning at NUST.
Another graduate who “spent four years” with Shona speaking students quipped,
“Ngihlale labo four years, four years, same room but sebebuyela and not even one can speak isiNdebele. Instead, mina yimi esengikhuluma isiShona.”
I shared a room with Shona speaking students for four years and none of them can speak siNdebele, instead its me who now speaks Shona
This situation underscores the complexities of why one tribe goes to such lengths in undermining other tribes in the country to an extent they use social media interactions to inflame derogatory statements. Such behavior has potential consequences especially in a culturally sensitive context.
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