Melchizedek emerges out of nowhere, sent by God to ratify God’s message to Abram (later renamed Abraham), to leave his original dwelling place to go to a land he was to be shown. Greek and Roman mythology is awash with God’s and demi-gods who champion a certain cause or are great warriors, Zeus, Hades, Venus, Cupid, Achilles, Hera and so on, much in the line of Gideon, Samson, Isaac, John the Baptist, Jesus, Muhammad. In Shona mythology and history there have been some such figures as well, and I am sure the same applies to other Zimbabwean, African and indeed World ethnic groups too.
Years ago, I read a book by Claude Maredza called Harurwa, in which a child with four eyes, Nemeso’s life is closely linked to the existence of Jiri reHarurwa, Harurwa being an edible insect the ancestors sent for the sustenance of the people. It has a strong parallel to manna and quails in the Exodus story with a strong positive that Harurwa still exist today.
The point however is, the current crop of leaders in Zimbabwe seem to want to equate themselves to these demi-gods and others born under extraordinary circumstances as gifts to humanity. One can pick these innuendos up in the speeches they make in some rural areas or when they preach at a disinterested audience in urban centers. One can pick it up in their sycophantic praise singers’ arrogant rants and in their own conceited exhortations of their erstwhile conquests and exploits as they ‘sacrificed limb and leg’ for the liberation of the ingrates that’s you and l.
There are other gods of our common heritage who, legend has it, if you anger, their wrath will visit upon the community with a vicious vengeance. I come from the Soko/Mukanya lineage and as the priests and custodians of rainmaking, provoking us leads to droughts or floods and an inevitable consequence, problems of national food security. We are no longer talking about misdemeanors at a village level only, where Rural Party youths threaten people with suffering if they do not tow their Rural Party line, but on the grand scale too, where Sabhuku Scarfmore, yes that one with a strawberry flavored foot, which he frequently puts in his mouth and screams a loud nothing, arrogantly talks about how he and his cronies will rule Zimbabwe until eschatological happenings unfold.
How there is a clear distinction, in his reckoning at least, between vatongi nevatongwi, and I believe he aptly called his son Tongai some 40 odd years ago. How prophetic. He boasts of putting cadavers in very cool houses (read mortuaries) possibly the same people whom ‘village inspectors’ would have identified as cockroaches in the communities. In his deranged mind, he is there to bring back some balance and sanity to the Zimbabwean political landscape which has been tainted by the Tsvangirai, Kombayi, Dongo, Moyo, Chamisa, Khupe, Ncube, Mawarire, demi-god scourges since Black Friday.
Tovera, Mbire, Soko Rozvi, Hungwe, Mutapa, Dombo ???????? tisvikewo, mhuri yeZimbabwe yachema. Paita nyatwa, dambudziko, undingoveni pachigaro chaMambo apo, tioneiwo mitinzwewo kuchema kwedu Mhondoro dzenyika ino, motisvitsirawo kuna Chobwechitedza, Musikavanhu, vana venyu tayaura.
The demi-gods of the Rural Party have certainly redefined Zimbabwean politics. Almost diametrically opposed to modern trends within the borders and abroad. Theirs is a system of patronage, which has managed to make the electorate so polarized and plebiscites lose credibility over the years.
Perforated and half-truths are in their DNA. The Presidential Spokesman uses big swelling words to peddle downright lies and vitriolic nonsense which supports a faltering System. Things fall apart, the center cannot hold.
It is in times of national distress that one sees the real state of the government and their approach towards humanitarian crises, there were floods in Manicaland not so long ago and we saw how slow our government was to react, just moving people in low lying areas to higher altitude, even after predictions had been made about the floods.
Ahh varume, zvimwe zvinhu so. But we saw how quickly the same government reacted during the #JanuaryProtests; #PostElectionProtests and calls for a stayaway. It sadly only points to the fact that they only are swift to act, with amazing incisiveness, when their tenure is under threat.
Now the Nation is reeling under the threat of Covid-19 and yet the statistics that are being disseminated baffle the mind. It took the death of one of their loudspeakers for them to give a semblance of truth into the goings on at Wilkins. It took a loss of a life of one of their fierce supporters for them to step up a gear and start talking about their shoddy preparedness for the Covid-19 onslaught.
Indeed, for a regime that boasts of buying chiefs, party officials, taskforce heads big cars, it was a terrible indictment on their collective mental faculties that there was no power point in Zororo’s (zorora murugare) Intensive Care Unit. What more in Mhazi Taisekwa and Lovemore Mupata’s, ward at Chaka Hospital in Chirumanzu; dedicated Rural Party cadres, who unfortunately, do not have a direct line to Auxilia’s husband? Mai vangu MuRozvi iweee.
Shuwa kutogadzirira kufa takasvinira sematemba. Because, let’s face it Zim, if (God forbid) a serious wave of Covid-19 were to hit St Augustine’s Tsambe or Gokwe Kana what would we be left with considering the number and state of our Covid-19 referral and isolation centers, the level of preparedness of our literally financially bankrupt and figuratively mentally bankrupt government, when paracetamol is the magic cure for all ailments at our government health institutions, where staff morale is low and PPE is hard to come by, doctors on a go slow and nurses physically there but mentally and spiritually elsewhere. We are doomed ladies and gentlemen, and then the clowns at the top want me to believe we have a leader? Or is he a ruler presiding over horses that have long since bolted? There is a major dichotomy there in my estimation.
Quite frankly it boggles the mind how Obadiah can be boasting about a state of the art isolation center in Victoria Falls, and adequate thermo scanners at border points – when we should be concentrating our efforts on how to mitigate the effects of Covid-19 in the squalid conditions most of us live in in Mkoba, Sakubva, Sisk, Highfield, Old Lobengula, Dulibadzimu and Chirumhanzu Zibagwe kkk whilst the Vatongi are perched on Emerald Hill, Borrowdale Brooke, Strathaven, and some countries overseas.
The Vatongi should be frequently quarantined for 14 days at random since they travel abroad Willy Milly at the drop of a hat and whenever their children sneeze……and Generari should be the first one to undergo the quarantine right now following his China visit. I mean who in their sane minds visits us at the moment besides our Ministers of course. We the Vatongwi only hear that Mthuli Gono visits Zimbabwe whenever there is some SI Instrument to be discussed.
Or is he called Mthuli Gono? Ko tombovaziva here? Anyway, whenever he and the Bond Master errr what’s his name, Gideon Mangudya meet, boom, another spanner thrown into the economy. They never fail to disappoint kkkk. Ahhh Hakuna vana baba vakadai. Anyway, I digress…. Where were we?
Oh, an economy that has sporadic electricity shortages, serious cash shortages, stagnant salaries deploying soldiers to help enforce a Lockdown (read House Arrest for Citizens/Vatongwi), vowing to be ready to fight Corona viruses kikikiki with what financial resources?
Italy, Spain, America and other European countries are struggling with massive resources and great organization and institutions yet some mentally bankrupt official wants us to believe this regime can handle it. Ahhh, well, we know what our army can do, I guess. Yes, shoot to kill all suspected Covid-19 infected cases, then organize a Commission of Inquiry and a Taskforce, buy them cars and put them up in the most expensive hotels and for three months interview, harangue, talk, deliberate and come up with a plausible nothing. While the populace dies, and nothing is reported.
Our government failed to move people in low lying areas during the floods that hit the Eastern part of the country despite timeous warnings, yet they were quick to deploy soldiers on buses and streets when they felt their tenure was under threat. A government that uses force on its citizens loses legitimacy.
Our district hospitals only have warnings to people to cough into their elbows and paracetamol. What is the clear cut policy and intervention strategy otherwise besides the primary health care workers being drilled on educating people to cough into tissues (which they can I’ll afford, and sneeze into elbows) varume ava so. Oh and then murume uya Oppah has joined the queue of stupidity too. If not, they are in the same spirit level with our own Madungwe who does personal meeting with God. That mantra of God being angry about sanctions and killing whites with Corona was a cheap shot really. But who is not to say it is a mantra that had been chanted and discussed in that Shake Shake House?
The real gods of equity are calling on Zimbabwe to be proactive, to unlock the potential Zimbabwe is destined to get. We owe it to posterity to rid ourselves of all that closes is in. Be it a system of patrol age, a liberation narrative that has long since run its course like stale salt that has long since lost its season.
Yes, it’s good that the country is open for business, but shouldn’t we be wary whom we let in? Chinese business, has it been good to Zimbabwe? Has the look East policy also opened our porous borders to Corona too, to our faltering government institutions and private hospitals which are not adequately supported by our government? Yet the demigods continue their chant, Tichingotonga (contrast Tichingotora), at a tired citizenry.
Anyway, my fellow Comrades, until our time come, yes, time to rule keep safe and stay home until end of quarantine.
Stern Zvorwadza ndakazomuwana last week on Face Book my friends. Seems he is now out of touch with his followers who all called him a sell-out lol. All the fame gone! Chisingaperi chinoshura shuwa asi muperero wacho mmmm!
Till next time, am your Cde in arms Tichatonga!
