Things fall apart is an apt description of the recent Budiriro trinity of madness featuring apostolic faith sect members, Zanu PF youths and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP)
Guest Columnist James Maridadi
Panoramic media images of our “revered” ZRP members in their full riot paraphernalia, being violently tossed to the ground and whacked by “men of God” in full regalia were received with revulsion and confounded incredulity.
Just as the nation was getting to grips with this callous foolishness, Zanu PF youths decided to outshine themselves in their usual “wisdom”.
In a demonstration of sublime arrogance buoyed by their political parentage, they went on a rampage in Budiriro in Harare, destroyed Madzibaba Ishmael Mufani’s shrine and declared the high-density suburb “no-worship zone” for the sect.
As if getting a hiding the previous day was not enough on their reputation already in tatters over unrelated matters like taking bribes at roadblocks, the ZRP decided to join Zanu PF youths on this ill-advised show of solidarity.
One of their (ZRP) own was captured on camera grinning in excitement in front of the marauding youths. And Hatfield MP Tapiwa Mashakada, who once called for the retraining of ZRP officers, was vindicated. It’s true our security forces need training.
The Budiriro debacle is a manifestation of the political construct of Zanu PF’s social and administrative disorder authored by our country’s feeble leadership. It is sadly replicated across society and vividly so within the corridors of power.
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There can be no chaos worse than government ministers disagreeing on policy interpretation and engaging in mortal verbal combat or law enforcement officers getting beaten by the public in full glare of the media or worse still the same law enforcers joining hands with a bunch of clueless youths on a sordid escapade.
Talking of a legacy of chaotic discord, this is how it is unfolding. It started with Foreign Affairs deputy minister Chris Mutsvangwa calling his boss Simbarashe Mumbengegwi “hopelessly incompetent and not befitting of a man through whose person Zimbabwe could possibly fruitfully re-engage the international community”.
Next was Tourism minister Walter Mzembi characterising his Cabinet colleague Saviour Kasukuwere as an excitable and overzealous busybody incapable of articulating government policy.
Hardly a week later, Indigenisation minister Francis Nhema said his counterpart Jonathan Moyo was given to thinking aloud and as such should not be taken seriously. This was after Moyo had pontificated about latter-day wisdom on the controversial indigenisation policy.
As if the above was not embarrassing enough, the best was served for the last. Chimanimani Senator Monica Mutsvangwa came out guns blazing, vowing to teach good old Zanu PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa a “big lesson”.
But what are the origins of all this lunacy that has driven an entire nation into a cul-de-sac of desperation, deprivation and pervasive crises?
I proffer the regrettable genesis as follows. In a bid to consolidate its political hegemony, Zanu PF created a State administrative framework that fused government structures with those of the party in which the former is essentially subservient to the latter.
This political architecture is modelled in such a manner that it is an inescapable frame of reference permeating all facets of life and activity in the country. One cannot possibly be in opposition politics and hope to be able to do anything worthwhile with their life.
Businessmen must simply toe the party line for survival. In order to get some permit or licence for any form of economic activity, one must go through Zanu PF party structures camouflaged as government bureaucracy. Belonging to any other political formation with a divergent view to that of the ruling party is akin to a declaration of war.
Everything in Zimbabwe is defined politically. It is for this reason that our sport is in the doldrums, agriculture is in intensive care and health care, health insurance and education are in a state of paralysis.
The apostolic sect who attacked law enforcement officers has known relationships with the ruling Zanu PF. They are allocated transport to ferry them to State or Zanu PF-organised functions to boost attendance numbers.
They are part of the Vapostori crowd strategically seated for cameras and dutifully break into song and dance and wave flags when convenience demands. This un-wholly alliance based on patronage bred arrogance and impunity which made leader Madzibaba Ishmael believe that he was untouchable. It is highly unlikely that any religious group without links to the ruling party would have behaved in that manner.
The same Madzibaba Ishmael’s impunity was sumptuously displayed by Zanu PF youths who decided to take it upon themselves to “bring order” to Budiriro in wanton violation of public order.
In any case, police clearance is a prerequisite before staging such a demonstration. Who issued the clearance for such an illegality? We all remember that just a few weeks ago, the same ZRP denied journalists their right to march peacefully in commemoration of the World Press Freedom Day celebrated globally.
The flimsy excuse was that the police force could not muster enough manpower to man the demo and yet they had enough such manpower to allow for a violent Zanu PF youth demonstration to go ahead.
These are the same Harare youths who erected tollgates at Harare municipal bus ranks and collected thousands of dollars daily from hapless commuter omnibus operators whilst those in authority looked the other way. The same thing prevails at Mupedzanhamo in Mbare.
Deserving people operating businesses at municipal stalls are not the registered owners. A few party officials who include known government ministers own the stalls which they sub-let to the poor who in turn pay rentals of up to 10 times that remitted to City of Harare by these shameless greedy sharks.
Shameless entitlement and impunity as recently proved by Madzibaba Ishmael and the Zanu PF youths caused by their links to the ruling party has gone to their heads.
I rest it for today lJames Maridadi is MDC-T Mabvuku-Tafara MP
