MRP Condemns Tribal Attacks on Warriors Players After Afcon Exit

The Mthwakazi Republic Party has condemned ethnically charged social media attacks on Warriors players Devine Lunga and Marvelous Nakamba following Zimbabwe’s Afcon exit (image source)

The Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) has publicly condemned what it describes as ethnically charged attacks directed at Warriors players Devine Lunga and Marvelous Nakamba following Zimbabwe’s elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations after a 3–2 defeat to South Africa.

The loss, which ended Zimbabwe’s campaign at the group stage, triggered a wave of social media commentary accusing the two players of deliberately undermining the national team. Some online users went as far as labelling them “sell-outs,” allegations that MRP leader Mqondisi Moyo said were unfounded and dangerously divisive. “Football is one of the few remaining spaces that can unite people across ethnicity, language and political belief,” Moyo said in a statement. “It is deeply troubling when the outcome of a single match is exploited to advance tribal hostility, historical distortion and political provocation.”

Moyo argued that Zimbabwe’s defeat was the result of ordinary football dynamics — tactical decisions, individual brilliance and human error — rather than ethnic allegiance or political intent. He criticised the singling out of Lunga and Nakamba, both of Ndebele origin, saying their treatment reflected broader unresolved tensions rather than legitimate sporting analysis. “No evidence has been presented to suggest that these players deliberately threw the match,” Moyo said. “Until lawful football authorities conclude otherwise, they remain professional athletes who represented their country in good faith.”

Warriors Fans were quick to blame Nakamba, Lunga And Arubi For AFCON Exit (image source)

The controversy intensified after some online commentators drew comparisons between the players and 19th-century Ndebele King Lobengula, invoking a long-standing colonial narrative that portrays the monarch as having “sold out” his people. Moyo described the comparison as historically inaccurate and inflammatory. “King Lobengula did not sell out the Ndebele nation,” he said. “Colonial agreements were extracted through deception and misrepresentation. The ‘sell-out’ narrative was crafted to justify conquest and land dispossession.”

He warned that the casual use of such language risks reinforcing harmful stereotypes and escalating social tensions. According to Moyo, history shows that violence often begins with dehumanising speech, particularly when political grievances remain unresolved. The MRP linked the backlash to deeper historical and political issues, noting that Matabeleland and Mashonaland were amalgamated during the colonial period without popular consent. Moyo said that when structural grievances are left unaddressed, symbolic spaces such as sport can become arenas for broader contestation.

Despite its political stance advocating self-determination, the MRP stressed that its rejection of tribal hostility is unequivocal. Moyo said that in a hypothetical restored Mthwakazi state, sport would not be ethnicised, athletes would not be profiled, and history would not be weaponised. “Devine Lunga and Marvelous Nakamba are footballers, not symbols of betrayal,” he said. “Football must never become a tribunal for unresolved political grievances.”

The statement comes amid broader calls for restraint and unity following Zimbabwe’s Afcon exit, with football analysts and former players also urging supporters to separate sporting disappointment from political and ethnic narratives.