A senior MDC official, Joshua Mhambi, has described politicians opposed to devolution of power as “modern colonisers”.
Mhambi is deputy director of strategy, planning and implementation in the Welshman Ncube-led MDC party.
Addressing a constitutional reform meeting organised by the Zimbabwe Election Support Network at the Small City Hall in Bulawayo on Friday, Mhambi said it was a fallacy to claim people from Matabeleland were not capable of managing their resources.
“There are people who wake up to fight and say bad things about devolution. Please forgive these people. They are at work. They are people who are employed to do that. We know these people,” Mhambi said.
“What makes people to say ‘No’ to devolution is that they have taken over from the colonial masters and they are now modern colonisers. If we are going to be devolved we are not going to have colonisers who are black people. They choose for you what you do not want if they are colonisers. We do not want to be a colony. Matabeleland cannot be a colony again.”
Mhambi added: “Who says we do not know how to control our own resources, our hospitals, schools and leadership? We want to control our own resources and everything. People just need to be trained to administer their own affairs. How can a person who wants to fish in Kezi go and get a licence in Harare?”
He said only power hungry people were opposed to devolution.
