Ironically, the Matabeleland region and the city of Bulawayo were the birth place of the most fierce opposition party, MDC.

The country’s grab and loot land reform is likely to haunt the country.

A former Zanu (PF) Bulawayo Province chairperson, tipped as one of the brains behind the revival of Zapu, has revealed that the land grab was one of the issues that the province wanted to discuss with the presidium but never got a chance to until they decided to pull out of the unity accord of 1987, entered into by the late Joshua Nkomo and Robert Mugabe.

The Zanu (PF) Bulawayo province tried to organize meetings with the presidium last year to ponder over the unity accord issue, but failed because of the disunity in the province.
Vice President Joseph Msika did not make it to White city where the meeting was organized.

Speaking to the Zapu special congress that gathered in Bulawayo recently, Mcleod Chawe, who was ousted from the Zanu PF Bulawayo provincial leadership last year, said as much as the former Zapu comrades were belittled by exclusion from the talks that led to the inclusive government, the land issue was high on the agenda.

“Distribution of land is quite an issue. Go to Nyamandlovu, 60 kilometres out of Bulawayo and you will see that this issue is really a problem. What I am talking about is what is discussed by people out there. You can’t go to Masvingo from Bulawayo and say I want to stay here. They will ask you where you come from and if at all there is no land there,” he said to the applause of thousands of people gathered at MacDonald Hall in Mzilikazi Suburb for the special congress.

He said the meetings were meant to discuss the talks that led to the inclusive government, the economic crisis, the water situation, electricity problems, the allocation of funds from the central government the land distribution and the Unity Accord of 1987.

PF Zapu is seen as one of last hopes for the people of Matabeleland to gain entry into national policy formulation.

Political idols such as liberation struggle intelligence supremo, Dumiso Dabengwa is a confirmed supporter of the new opposition party.Dabengwa was on the news last year for backing the presidential loser of Simba Makoni.

Vice president Joseph Msika and Zanu Pf national chairman are members of the original PF ZAPU but have so far distanced themselves from the project.

The local press reported just last week that the new ZAPU would soon recall all its senior members who do not want to come back to the party.