A Westlea man known as Madzibaba Chacha has allegedly been arrested following publication of his picture dressed in a police uniform that was posted on various social networks.
Ropafadzo Mapimhidze
The picture appears with different captions ranging from commissioner-general Madzibaba, conqueror of the police force and many others.
This is, however, a continuation of the humour that has been coined or created by various people ever since the day policemen were sent onto their heels by angry members of the Johanne Masowe sect in Budiriro that was being accused of violating women and girls rights.
Bishop Johannes Ndanga, president of the Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbabwe that governs operations of apostolic churches, had gone there in the company of police details and members of the media to announce a ban on church activities on that piece of land.
The Vapostori members led by a Madzibaba Ishmael who is still at large, reacted violently and descended on the entourage resulting in serious injuries to a Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) cameraman who fell down and received a thorough beating from the marauding men in white garments.
The camera person sustained serious fractures in both hands.
However, these events have created a humorous platform by people from different walks of life stemming from this incident.
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It all started when Augustine Chihuri, the Zimbabwe Republic Police Commissioner-General, passed out at a pass-out parade where President Robert Mugabe was officiating. He was later to apologise to the President for this embarrassing episode which sent Zimbabweans into a frenzy of humorous articles and caricatures.
Chihuri said he had mistakenly worn two different size boots, a size six and a size nine and hence the reason why he collapsed. But someone on social networks had this to say: “He should sue Zesa for load-shedding that resulted in him picking the ‘banana’ pair in the dark . . .”
“Banana pair” refers to shoes that are always worn by little children on the wrong sides giving the shoes a banana shape. “I can’t believe that a police general wears his shoes (the banana way) like a two-year-old baby. . . ” screamed another one.
Just as readers were getting over the drama on Chihuri did this one of the Vapostori sect get into travelling drive gear.
There is one that I thoroughly enjoyed that went like this . . . “I was stopped by a team of cops at a roadblock along Seke Road when one of them noticed that I had a shepherd’s staff on the dashboard of my car. The cops bolted in all directions, leaving their ticket book and other items on the tarmac . . .”
The shepherd staffs were the weapons used to clobber the policemen that fled the shrine in Budiriro, and these were captured so well by the news media.
The impressions created by members of the public were that these Vapostori were a stronger force than the ZRP which is legally in place to protect everyone from harm.
The arrested bearded man is apparently a tailor who was stitching that uniform which he put on and had a photograph taken and posted on social networks with a caption that read as commissioner general Madzibaba . . .
This inferred that Vapostori can make a better police force using the shepherd staffs’ than the present one under Chihuri’s authority that carry guns. This was so amusing, but something, however, caught my attention.
How did this fella get the uniform which he was apparently stitching at his business concern?
Is it not true that these uniforms are property of the State which can only be tailored by contracted firms identified by the ZRP? I found this rather strange.
These humorous articles keep the nation in laughter especially these days when everyone seems to be weighed down with effects of a melting economy.
This has brought out so much creativity which I think should be tapped for television or street theatre purposes.
Not a day passes without seeing one of two caricatures or jokes about the Budiriro fracas.
But it would seem as though authorities are not tolerant to such creativity as this is deemed as provoking the status quo.
Recently, Freshlyground, a South African funk musical band that was billed to perform at closure of this year’s edition of the Harare International Festival of the Arts (Hifa), was deported because authorities perceived the group as having mocked Mugabe in one of their productions titled Chicken to Change.
The satirical musical cartoon strip created by famous cartoonist Zapiro is very funny and speaking from an artist’s point of view; this video clip I think is just comical and not aimed at demeaning the President.
Zimbabwe is generally intolerant to artists that express themselves through visuals and other forms of art resulting in a handful of artists getting arrested for expressing political issues through art and music.
Some songs by local artistes have also been banned on local airwaves and yet these satirical messages just give us time to reflect and also admire the creativity involved in such productions. It is also an outlet to release the steamy tensions and stressful situations that the majorities are facing.
Zimbabwe has so much talent in the form of humour and all those that have smart phones can agree with me that this talent needs to be tapped and marketed.
We are too serious a people that are at loss given the serious economic problems Zimbabwe is faced with . . . and yet humour is an outlet that is calming and therapeutic. I have laughed so much over the past week over these funnies.
I am sure we are all familiar with phrase that “laughter is the best medicine”.
Humour and the sound of roaring laughter is far more contagious than any cough, sniffle, or sneeze.
Yes, laughter also triggers healthy physical changes in the body. Research has proved that humour and laughter strengthens the immune system, boosts energy, diminishes pain, and protects us from the damaging effects of stress.
We are a happy people, aren’t we? And best of all, laughter and humour is free.
