Nkala itched for Nkomo’s blood — Mugabe August 30, 2013 in National, News, Politics PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe yesterday revealed that the late former Defence minister Enos Nkala was itching to have a go at the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo when cracks emerged within the nationalist movement that led to Zapu’s split. Report by Staff Reporters Mugabe said Nkala, who died last week aged 81, offered to deal with Nkomo, since they were both from Matabeleland. “Enos Nkala in 1963 said leave Joshua Nkomo to me, he is Ndebele and I am Ndebele,” the President told mourners at Nkala’s burial at the National Heroes’ Acre yesterday. Zanu PF was formed after the split of Zapu in 1963, with Nkala playing a leading role in the creation of the former, which was formed in his house in Harare. Officially, Zapu and Zanu split on ideological lines, but recent revelations indicate that there was bad blood between Nkomo and Nkala. Zapu leader Dumiso Dabengwa last week revealed that Nkala was spurred to push for the formation of Zanu PF after personal differences with Nkomo. “He was the mastermind in forming Zanu (PF) mainly because of his personal dislike of Nkomo. It was because of a domestic matter that up to now I do not know what exactly it was,” he said. “There was a domestic issue that did not have anything to do with the party.” On Nkala’s personal life, Mugabe revealed how the late former Defence minister had left his first wife because of infidelity. “Incarceration wreaked havoc on many families,” he said of the time Nkala spent behind bars. “Marriages broke down. His (Nkala’s) first marriage broke down, but he loved his kids, Thandi and another, the two girls, he was always talking about them. “He told me about the sad story of the unfaithfulness on the part of his wife.” The President added that Nkala went on to marry a second wife who hailed from his (Mugabe’s) Zvimba home, but the wife died until he settled for Thandiwe, the widow he left behind. Nkala was later to be blamed for spearheading Gukurahundi, which claimed more than 20 000 lives in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces and Nkomo was driven out of the country. Turning back to Nkala and the history of the party, Mugabe said in 1963 there was virtually no functioning political party, although the nationalists identified themselves as Zapu. He said as cracks emerged, Nkala offered to take charge of the situation. “Cracks surfaced once again and the nationalists fought each other primarily due to differences in opinions,” he said. “Nkala offered to handle the situation.” Nkala, Mugabe said, repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction with Nkomo, whom he described as a weak leader. Mugabe said Zapu leaders and Zanu PF founders differed on the approach on how to deal with the colonial regime, with Nkomo preferring to form a government in exile, while the latter wanted an armed struggle. The President chose to skirt the controversial issues of Nkala’s life, which included his role in the Gukurahundi massacres and the Willowgate Motor Industries scandal that brought an end to the nationalist’s political career. Instead, he glorified Nkala’s role in the 1960s and 1970s before skipping the following decades and speaking about him towards his death. Nkala died last week at a private clinic in Harare
Posted on: Fri, 30 Aug 2013 05:56:01 +0000
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