MRP Petitions Govt, ZIMSEC To Ban Heritage Studies Textbooks

The Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) has petitioned the government, the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC), and the international community to withdraw and ban Heritage Studies school textbooks, which it claims promote a single culture and language while marginalising others.

The petition, signed by MRP secretary-general Velile Moyo, National Women’s League chairperson Kinalimang Magaseni, and National Youth League chairperson Mkhululi Jele, was dated February 10, 2025.

It was addressed to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and copied to ZIMSEC, the Zimbabwe Republic Police, the President’s Office, the authors of the Heritage Studies textbooks, the Southern African Development Community, the African Union Commission, UNICEF, UNESCO, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Defence for Children International, and the Child Rights International Network. The petition reads in part:

We demand the immediate removal and ban of all forced tribal and culturally-biased educational school literature, including Heritage studies school textbooks that perpetuate the forced teaching and learning of Shona-oriented heritage to all students in all school grades up to tertiary level in all provinces in Matabeleland and Midlands [provinces]…

We demand that Primary and Secondary Education minister Torerai Moyo take immediate action to withdraw and ban all heritage studies school textbooks that promote one language and dominant culture, but to develop and implement a new, inclusive curriculum that celebrates and promotes the cultural diversity and heritage of all Zimbabwean communities.

The Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) argued that the Heritage Studies textbooks violate the Constitution of Zimbabwe (2013) and international human rights law, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

MRP claimed the Heritage Studies curriculum is not only oppressive but also discriminatory, contributing to the marginalization of Ndebele-speaking communities.

The secessionist party called on authorities to intervene and protect the rights of Ndebele children and learners in Matabeleland and the Midlands.

Government departments and SADC have yet to respond to the petition, while international organizations such as Defence for Children, the AU Commission for Human Rights, the Secretariat for Child Rights Connect, and UNESCO have acknowledged receipt.

In a recent statement, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education clarified that it had not approved the use of the textbooks in question in schools.

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