Life in Tsholotsho will never be the same again. The memories and scars of the Gukurahundi terror campaign which have been kept sore by the massive underdevelopment and deliberate acts of marginalization and seclusion leadership are about to be refreshed. Civic Society groups, development workers and opposition activists may be forced to re-plan and realign their work owing to threats of political violence from a well known terror campaigner, war veterans’ leaders and ZANU PF stalwart, Jabulani Sibanda.
According to credible sources that spoke to Habakkuk Trust on condition of anonymity for security reasons, Jabulani Sibanda descended at Tsholotsho Ward 5 (Sipepa) on the 14th of July 2011 in the company of four other war veterans and addressed a meeting of village heads. It’s in the meeting where Sibanda is said to have told the village leaders to ‘stand straight’ in their political affiliation or else ’they will see’.
Sibanda who was accompanied by Jonathan Nkanyezi (from Nyamandlovu), Patrick Ncube (a Tsholotsho DDF worker), a Mr. Ncube and Alice Dube (both Tsholotsho Hospital workers) is also said to have told the village leaders that he is going to be organizing community meetings and wants every village leader to come to the meeting with all the people under their leadership.
The sources say earlier on the day Sibanda had disrupted a meeting at the clinic that was meant to discuss the development of the institution. He further went on to threaten a clinic official whom he told ‘you have no respect and your days are numbered’.
Sibanda has previously been accused of masterminding and executing violent mafia style political terror activity in Masvingo and parts of Mashonaland which left many people dead and some maimed. His presence in Tsholotsho raises fears that he will throw the early 1980s Gukurahundi ripped area into chaos and anarchy.
