The secessionist group says the predominantly Ndebele region has been neglected by the post-independence government led by President Robert Mugabe.
This affects general infrastructural development, resources and employment. Most companies have relocated and are
headquartered in Harare.
They are also agitated by the fact that one has to travel to Harare all the time to access key services such as obtaining passports, birth certificates, while some banks require one to travel to the capital to apply for loans.
But in a snap survey carried by The Zimbabwean in Bulawayo recently, most people said that, although they shared the concerns of the Mthwakazi Liberation Front, the idea of separating the region from the rest of country was a far fetched way of solving an existing problem.
Most of them are in favour of devolution, which is practised in other countries such as South Africa.
Separating the whole of Matebeleland region from the rest of the country would actually set a bad precedent in the country, said Mavis Khoza, a Bulawayo resident.
Should that happen, what would be the reason to stop the Manyika from demanding their own State because the reasons could still be used by other tribes?
Zenzo Mabhena, a transport operator, also feels the idea is no longer so fashionable.
This is not a good idea. I have relatives and business interests in Bulawayo and Harare and it would negatively affect my social and business life if I had to use a passport to travel up and down, he says.
Bernard Malaba, also a Bulawayo resident, says if this was a popular decision in Matebeleland, people in the region would have revolted in support of the three Mthwakazi Liberation Front leaders who were incarcerated for demanding a separate Ndebele State.
Sithembinkosi Msimanga also feels the region has not yet fully healed from the Gukurahundi atrocities and would not want to start a debate that would invite the wrath of Mugabes regime.
People should be quiet about this. Apart from being impracticable, it will give Mugabe an excuse to crack down on people in the region at a time when we are still trying to heal from the loss of our loved ones during the Gukurahundi massacres, she says.
Langton Ndlovu, who hails from Kezi, says the MLF idea has been overtaken by time.
It is true that Matebeleland lags behind in many ways. But I do not agree with secession because idea has tribalistic undertones. As ordinary Zimbabweans, we are now above that. We are now living in the progressive world where people must be advocating things that unite us as a people, rather than separating us. We also risk a civil war should we start promoting tribalistic sentiments among the populace, he says.
Former Home Affairs minister Dr Dumiso Dabengwas Zapu, which draws its largest support from the region, also says the party was also not in favour of the secession.
Our opinion has always been one Zimbabwe, one nation, says party spokesperson Methuseli Moyo.
Zapu dates back to the liberation struggle. When we went to liberate Zimbabwe, we were going to liberate the whole of Zimbabwe and we would wish Zimbabwe would remain one country and one nation. Zapu would prefer devolution as opposed to secession.
Similarly, the Zipra Veterans Trust, an autonomous ally of Zapu, also wants the country to remain united.
The idea is far fetched for now. People should realise this is not an executable idea given that the country is more than a hundred years old. You cannot overnight wake up and split the country, says Zipra Veterans Trust director Lazarus Ncube.
If this desire is based on the lack of resources and the fact that companies have relocated to Harare, we still feel that they did not migrate with the buildings and everything. Bulawayo has been an industrial capital for a long, long time. That business has drifted to Harare does not mean that Bulawayo is dead. If local authorities could be given more power, devolution would make more sense than secession.
Post published in: Opinions