KUMHUNGA HAKUNA IPWA!
BY AARON GONO
The just ended 20th Zanu Pf Annual People’ s Conference congress which was held in Gweru last week (27/10/23), was an eye opener to all progressive Zimbabweans.
The days of political bantering are over, and it’s now high time Zimbabweans need to unite inorder for the country to prosper and move forward. Those who won and lost in the past elections must rejoice and work together and avoid stoking more divisions on an already polarized nation.
Those also holding public offices must also behave and be responsible for whatever they do. What necessitated me to write this eulogy to Cde Oppah Kashiri Muchinguri’s closing remarks on the conference, is not to praise her but to emphasize on her speech.
The speech was pregnant with words of counselling and warning. She warned Zanu Pf cadres not to bring the name of the party into disrepute by their deeds, knowingly or unknowingly.
Last week some Zanu Pf supporters were accused of unlawfully releasing their comrade from the police custody, after smacking them. If it is true, action against the culprits must be expedited.
Failure to hold them to account will simply taint the name of Zanu PF; as a group of anarchists or nihilists. For the past years we heard so many of our compatriots being investigated for parceling out urban expanses. Nothing tangible came out of that commission, as many urban regulations were flouted by these phony engineers.
And most of these newly established suburbs have no proper roads, electricity, and good drainage systems. Nonmatter how we try to regularize them, an experienced eye can tell that something went AWOL during the construction of those suburbs.
This one is not a Zanu PF scourge alone, even the enlightened opposition is also entangled in the game of land surveying. Agricultural inputs which the government annually try to subsidize rural farmers, are always misappropriated and given on nepotistic approaches. If you are not in good books with the issuer who happens to be a Zanu PF councillor, be certified you won’t get the inputs.
These are the outlaws my mother Oppah, were warning to toe the line. Misuse of Zanu PF regalia and cars emblazoned with the face of His Excellency, are daily occurrences. Taxi drivers (Mushikashika) also abuse the name of the party, they also adorn their cheap Japanese cars with the flags of the party to avoid scrutiny by the police. The police also do not want to mess up with the party’ s supporters.
That is culture of impunity which Minister Oppah Muchinguri was trying to address. Critics were quick to boo her as another moral stunt, which doesn’t stick. But those who were warned will change course, they know themselves. During the days of Joseph Madhimba the news anchor on ZTV, those guys were called fundamentalists (vakomana vaidarika mwero).
Nowadays they are in shape of ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant). These guys are known for not respecting authority the world over. But these ones fear no death. But ours fear Chik Max, all law breakers must serve sometime at the penitentiary, and sanity will prevail.
And we have those who speak on behalf of the party, although the party didn’t authorise such a speech. Last week at the burial of Gary Mapanzure in Masvingo, a Zanu Pf youth secretary was accused of banning non- Masvingo artists performing in the Province because they have snubbed his burial.
Even l myself if workmates of my any relative do not pay their last respects to the deceased, l will also go bollocks. The youth secretary was very right but in the wrong place. Remember public figures like him, carry a clout, that dunderheads if not properly handled will commit a crime. Public figures are given much attention, respect and idolised by many.
So any wrong move by them is expanded beyond its elasticity especially by their enemies.