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MRP threatens blitz on ‘foreign’ teachers

MRP president Mqondisi Moyo

SECESSIONIST political party Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) has threatened to intensify its blitz on teachers from outside Matabeleland region.MRP president Mqondisi Moyo, whose organisation is celebrating 10 year of existence, said one of their mandates was to fight the deployment of non-local teachers to Matabeleland schools.

“In early 2013, a dynamic youth organisation focused on Mthwakazi’s  (Matabeleland) welfare embarked on a mission to address pressing issues like Shona educators’ intrusion in Mthwakazi (Matabeleland) schools and the escalating unemployment crisis,” Moyo said.

“We advocate schools in Binga to teach languages such as Tonga, in Beitbridge they should learn Venda. MRP has a mandate to fight against imbalances in the education system because we feel that we cannot be taught by non-local language teachers in our schools. This is not right.”  Moyo claimed the deployment of non-local teachers to Matabeleland was meant to deprive the Ndebele people of education.MRP was launched on January 11, 2014.

A number of Shona-speaking teachers has been facing challenges in executing their duties in Matabeleland schools.Primary and Secondary Education ministry’s spokesperson Taungana Ndoro said they had not received complaints concerning the deployment of non-local teachers to Matabeleland schools.

“It’s not the government's requirement to deploy local teachers to their local places, Ndebele-speaking people have been deployed to teach in different schools in Harare,” Ndoro said.

“Local teachers are only deployed for pupils in ECD up to Grade 2 only, that’s where there is deployment of local teachers. We have received complaints about some Ndebele teachers who are not able to speak Tshangani but they are still deployed there.”

Meanwhile, MRP said it experienced a decade of excellence and its celebration did not only serve as a testament to its steadfast resolve, but also showcased the remarkable milestones it had reached.

“Undaunted, we marched forward with audacious spirit, fearlessly confronting the injustices suffered by the Mthwakazi people under the tyrannical rule of the Zanu PF government. Despite a modest turnout at our launch, overshadowed by the late former president Robert Mugabe’s oppressive regime, it failed to dim our unwavering commitment to chasing our vision and dreams,” Moyo said.

MRP participated in the 2018 and 2023 elections focusing on local authorities and parliamentary seats in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces, but did not win any seats.“While in our participation in the 2018 and 2023 elections, we didn’t yield the desired results, it illuminated our unwavering commitment to self-determination. Criticised for engaging in flawed elections, every 

step we took was a stride towards an unstoppable wave of self-determination.“Additionally, the Zimbabwean government, using its security apparatus, has continuously subjected us to unwarranted arrests and intimidation. At present, we stand in solidarity with the nine committed MRP members who are unjustly  serving prison terms ranging from 33 to 36 months, with baseless and fervent charges levelled against them,” Moyo added.

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