WHEN we were growing up in rural Buhera in Manicaland province a long time ago, after supper, we would huddle around the fireplace in the grass-thatched rondavel listening to folktales from Mbuya Hereni.
No one wanted to miss those stories because most of them were funny and very instructive.
I remember vividly one day it was in winter and, as usual, we were all around the fireplace waiting for Mbuya Hereni to tell us her usual comic and educative stories.
“Once upon a time,” she started, “there was a troublesome hyena. Everyday it made sure that it killed either a goat or cattle in the neighbourhood.
“It became problematic that all the families in that village agreed to construct one cattle pen that could accommodate all the livestock. On this one cattle pen, boys would take turns to guard the livestock every night such that the hyena failed to attack anything.
“The decision was made after the hyena had just weaned its cubs. On the fourth night, the hyena and its cubs were all very hungry as they had gone for some days now without food. Mother hyena thought of feasting on her cubs, but there was a challenge on which one it would start with and how. She came up with an idea that whenever she wanted to kill her cubs, she would say pane ari kunhuwirira sembudzi muno, (someone around is smelling like a goat) and start to attack the cubs as they would be panicking.”
I have been reminded of this story by the Zanu PF politics of today. Zanu PF was fond of blaming the opposition, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa in particular, for anything wrong in Zimbabwe.
As we speak, the government is blaming chaos and poor service delivery in many local authorities on the opposition.
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The ruling party is saying opposition councillors are corrupt and incompetent.
Zanu PF is forgetting that its honchos, who are land barons, have been parcelling out land even on wetlands, resulting in the sprouting of illegal settlements in urban areas.
Please, can the ruling party stop this nonsense of feasting on its own children and face the people to hear their concerns.
Prior to elections, Zanu PF promised jobs, houses, anything, but ever since, people have been losing jobs, with the unemployment rate increasing. Should we watch as Zanu PF destroys the future of our children? Chief Chiduku
Peace, unity good for development
ZIMBABWE has been failing to achieve its goals day in, day out.
Policies and economic blueprints have been set and implemented, but nothing fruitful has come out of those initiatives.
The million dollar question is: Why?
I do believe if we are to see a better Zimbabwe, then our way of operating ought to change too. We definitely need a systems overhaul.
No development has ever found its way where unity and peace do not exist.
People should put the country’s development ahead of their political affiliations.
Politics of patronage has been the major hindrance to the country’s unity and peace.
If we all unite on every national programme, then peace and development will prevail.
It is not about who is in power, but it is about unity of purpose. It is about Zimbabwe.
Efficiency in implementing developmental goals will be needed, but unity is the first aspect we need to tackle so that Zimbabwe can move forward and be developed to the levels we all dream of. If political affiliations are scratched, then our country will be geared for greater heights.Mai Ruru
Zim has lived through decades of lies
THE so-called revolutionary Zanu PF party has survived through lies since its formation.
This country has been brought to its knees by the perpetuation of lies and it seems lies are part of its DNA.
During the Ian Smith era, black children were being enrolled at famous mission schools, black businesspeople and farmers emerged, the list goes on.
The nationalists lied to our parents that the Smith government was denying blacks a chance to participate in the economy.
But after taking a closer look, it can be seen that it wasn’t the case. During that time, black doctors were emerging, teachers, nurses were taking up spaces at major institutions.
This led to the Second Chimurenga, where more lies were churned out.
Our parents participated in the war and these nationalists were busy going for training in far countries, marrying, wining and dining while our parents suffered at the hands of the Smith soldiers who would be seeking information on the whereabouts of the “terrorists”.
A worrying thing is that Zanu PF’s strategy of elimination started way back and most blacks died during the war after being labelled sellouts.
It is the same strategy which is being used now. Back then, if you were suspected to have communicated with Rhodesian soldiers, you would be killed.
If you had a relative who worked in government, you were killed and that’s the same modus operandi which is being used right now.
Some of today’s so-called nationalists lied that they had fought the war, whereas they were busy wining and dining, with some studying abroad, while our parents — the real liberators were relegated to bystanders.
After the expulsion of former Vice-President Joice Mujuru from Zanu PF, we started hearing stories that she never gunned down a helicopter as earlier claimed for many years.
Fast-forward to after independence, government resolved to compensate war veterans for their participation in the liberation struggle. Some claimed that 95% of their bodies were paralysed, yet today they can use all their limbs without a problem.
Many others were smuggled into the compensation programme and claimed that they fought in the war, yet they never even touched a gun in their lives, worse even set foot at any training camp.
On November 14, 1997, the lack of budgeted financing for both the war veterans’ pension perks and the land acquisition process created investor panic about the fiscal position of the Zimbabwean government.
The resulting flight of foreign capital culminated in the Zimbabwe dollar crushing on November 14, 1997, a day that what was termed “Black Friday” by Zimbabweans, when the Zimbabwean dollar lost 75% of its value against the US dollar.Bee
