LAST week we expressed our serious reservations over the ruling Zanu PF’s conduct as far as respecting this country’s laws after its women’s league members unlawfully used a school bus to travel to First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa’s cooking competition in Victoria falls. If it were not for the accident that curtailed the journey, we would probably never have known about it.
Using a school bus, school children as well as school premises and property was outlawed by the High Court in 2018. We, therefore, saw it as within our purview to call out the ruling party for disrespecting out courts with impunity because Zanu PF is not sacred, like all of us.
We again stand on top of the village anthill to sound out our disquiet over Zanu PF’s latest shenanigans as we hear reports that the ruling party or some of its overzealous members allegedly barred Citizens Coalition For Change leader, Nelson Chamisa from attending the funeral of Lupane’s Chief Mabhikwa.
This, coming a week or so after Zanu PF attended a political parties soccer competition in the capital meant to thaw icy relations with opposition parties, is telling. The Harare get-together, meant to preach and instil the spirit of tolerance among political parties and their followers, was one of the many first steps that we all hope will unite this nation despite our many different and completely divergent viewpoints.
We would have thought that Chamisa attending the funeral together with Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga was a very good opportunity for Zanu PF to show its commitment, sincerity and indeed willingness to tolerate the opposition in its midst. We place the onus of Zanu PF to tolerate others because for 42 years this party has ruled this country with every intention never to accept or tolerate any opposition to its rule, good or bad.
But our hopes are being dashed each passing day as our so-called revolutionary party is clearly showing us that it is and will never be interested in making friends with the opposition, let alone exhibit our Ubuthu/Hunhu. Now we understand Zanu PF’s tweets soon after the soccer get-together that: “Every Zimbabwean will eventually join Zanu PF, everyone,” words which underlined the party’s deep-seated intolerance.
And as for Chamisa’s glaring segregation from attending the chief’s funeral, not only was it intolerance of the highest degree, it was as unAfrican as it was a clear indication that Zanu PF sees itself as some kind of demi-god at whose altar we must all worship.
The ruling party is, however, unnecessarily and inadvertently, exposing its ugly side at a time it should be showing us its best side as we head into the 2023 general elections.
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We would have thought that murderers would be the ones most unwelcome at their victim’s funeral, but for a whole governing party to bar an innocent individual from offering his condolences to the bereaved is unheard of.
Many of us are very bamboozled by this occurrence. Did Chamisa indicate that he had come to address mourners or he was simply there to offer his condolences? And even if he was to address the mourners, is it taboo or illegal to do so? If not, then what fundamental reason did Zanu PF, or anyone for that matter, have to stop Chamisa from attending a funeral?
This whole episode makes us grieve deeply. It stinks of revolting intolerance.
