Zim GBC News Political Desk
BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe (Zim GBC News Archives) – Below is the full text of Dr. Joshua M. Nkomo’s pivotal address delivered on April 4, 1982, at White City Stadium, Bulawayo, during a tense period in post-independence Zimbabwe.
“We Did Not Fight for Decades to Bring Zimbabwe to Flames”
By Dr. Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo President, PF ZAPU
Countrymen, Comrades, and Friends,
I address you today not just as PF ZAPU supporters, but as Zimbabweans. Recent events have left every family in shock. Were it not for the maturity and discipline of PF ZAPU’s leadership and followers, this country would be in flames.
We did not fight for liberation as tribal or regional factions. If we had, Zimbabwe would never have been born. Yet today, we stand on the brink of chaos. Why?
The Arms Cache Allegations: A Political Witch-Hunt?
This crisis began with the so-called discovery of arms at Nitram Farms, Ascot, near Bulawayo. On February 6, 1982, Emmerson Mnangagwa displayed these arms to the press. The next day, Robert Mugabe accused me and PF ZAPU of plotting to overthrow his government.
These allegations are false. Mugabe knows this. Yet for weeks, he insulted me publicly, questioning my role in Zimbabwe’s liberation.
Who is Robert Mugabe? A History He Ignores
Let me remind Zimbabweans of facts, not insults:
- the 1890-1960s: Our people fought colonialism as one. Mugabe was not there.
- 1957: I was elected President of the revitalized African National Congress (ANC). Mugabe was not there.
- 1960: I placed Rhodesia’s case before the United Nations for the first time. Mugabe was nowhere near.
- 1963: When ZANU was formed by dissidents, Ndabaningi Sithole was its leader—not Mugabe.
- 1977: Mugabe became ZANU leader by default, appointed by 25 people (most now in his Cabinet).
I led Zimbabwe’s struggle for 33 years before independence. Mugabe? Three.
The Lancaster House Betrayal
At Lancaster House, we spoke as one Patriotic Front. Yet after the talks, ZANU secretly decided to contest elections alone. We delayed registering, waiting for their call—it never came.
Then, before results were announced, Mugabe was in Maputo and Dar-es-Salaam, meeting General Walls (Rhodesia) and General Malan (South Africa). Suddenly, we heard ZANU had “won 57 seats”—before votes were counted.
The Real Plot: A One-Party Dictatorship?
Mugabe’s accusations are a smokescreen. The true agenda? To force a one-party state under ZANU PF.
- February 16, 1982: Mugabe banned ZAPU-linked companies.
- February 17: He dismissed me and three ZAPU ministers from government—without meeting us.
- Since then, I have been under constant surveillance.
If ZANU PF tries to impose an unconstitutional one-party rule, we will resist with all our strength.
My Pledge to Zimbabwe
I never plotted against Mugabe’s government. If any ZAPU member did, it was without my knowledge or support.
We fought for Zimbabwe’s independence — not for power, not for tribalism, not for dictatorship.
I urge all Zimbabweans—in the army, police, and civil service—to remain steadfast. Do not let this country collapse.
Zim GBC News | Global News From An African Perspective©2025