Zanu PF UK chapter warns party's Godfathers and Mothers

Zanu PF United Kingdom Chapter has warned the party members who have been cited as Godfathers and mothers in some provinces to stop the trend which the chapter says has nothing to offer to the people than devuided them.

The developments come when the battle for God mothership is wrecking the party in Manicaland where the Provincial Minister Mandy Chimene and the Minister of Environment and Climate Oppah Muchinguri Kashiri are reportedly battling for the control of the province in the Zanu PF structures after the then Godfather Didymas Mutasa was ousted from his party and government position accused of being linked to the former vice President Joice Mujuru. Mujuru was also ousted afrer accusations that she wanted to dislodge President Robert Mugabe through unconstitutional means.

The Zanu PF UK chapter said two government ministers are pushing the Zim Asset programme in their own very special way.

"If it had nobility then it would have been called lady-like," Zanu PF Uk said. "But then the whole saga is pregnant with ignobility. It just a mess. There are accusations and innuendo of someone taking spliffs of ganja. Someone else has gone tribal on the other. Whilst it might provide free entertainment, the good people of Zimbabwe are not in the least interested. What interests them are the more pressing national issues than who is the provincial godfather or godmother or tribal warlord."

The chapter said Zimbabweans are least interested in some of the ego trips they are being tak en on. Now the pettiness has gone even classless and trivial. "Two years ago the people of Zimbabwe chose a government to preside over their affairs in good faith," the chapter said. "They did not expect whole ministers to be calling press conferences to be telling them such triviality like so and so does not really come from Manicaland as her father came from Zimuto in Masvingo as a teacher and just settled in Manicaland. Hence she cannot lay claim to be a child of the province."

The Zanu PF UK said this type of pettiness should normally be ignored but it raises issues which people normally avoid confronting. "Issues which in many cases remain an overwhelming elephant in a room. Issues of tribalism and regionalism," said the chapter. "To illustrate the point let's start with the accusation with the raised issue of this lady who is accused of not having her roots in this particular province."

The chapter said this lady was born in Manicaland, Grew up in Manicaland, Speak the Manyika dialect.

"Possibly she has a Manyika mother. She represented Manicaland in everything she has ever done and probably identifies herself as a Manyika," said the chapter.

"Now, as if the country does not have real economic problems to deal with, it is told, well, actually she is not from there. Well unless one is a student of anthropology or is a family member tracing their roots, who cares? To put it in street lingo; who gives a damn? Does that put bread on anyone's table? Isn't it good enough for one to simply be a Zimbabwean? This is how it has been. This has always been part of nation building."

The party structure said during the Liberation Struggle, comrades from ZIPRA whose home provinces were in Matebeleland operated around the Zambezi Escapement, all the way to Hurungwe.

"This is a predominantly Shona areas," said the chapter.

"The Vice President Mphoko and his comrades operated around Sipolilo (Guruve) a predominantly Shona (Kore Kore area) and yet his own home area was Bubi in Matebeleland North. People like the Defence Forces Commander Constantine Chiwenga is from Mashonaland East."

"He operated in the districts of Masvingo. He was fed and fended for by the villagers of Masvingo. He was their son. Why? Because he was liberating Zimbabwe. As long as an area was a part of Zimbabwe everyone was ready to sacrifice limb and life for it. That is nation building. Not this twaddle people are calling for press conference to share with the media," it added.

The chapter said this idea that someone can only represent an area they come from or district of origin is plainly wrong and cheap. "The key thing is to understand the needs of the people one represents and finding resonance with their issues," said the chapter.

"The Liberation struggle deployment disturbed people and made them Zimbabweans. The same principles should be applied in all spheres of Zimbabwean life bar a very few. For example, a person originally from Matebeleland has worked as a local Agricultural Extension Officer (mudhomeni) in Chivi for years. He is well known and familiar with the challenges of the area even much better than someone born in Chivi but raised in Harare, isn't it a travesty not to vote for them as an MP for the area just because of their surname and district of origin? Can we not call this bigotry?"

The chapter said the "tribe" is a social construct and therefore is being used loosely here. The point is that resentment of different tribes and dialects is powerfully divisive.

"A Karanga should be proud of their dialect. Somebody once said that the so-called standard Shona is only a written language spoken in Harare," said Zanu PF UK.

"Some people from Masvingo have lost their sense of humour because they have endured a lot of prejudicial dialectical and regional stereotypes. A normal joke is now provoking a disproportionate response. Maybe it is because they had to contend with the retrograde connotation from being called a Muvhitori. After all their dialect is not only spoken in the former Fort Victoria in Zimbabwe. And of course how about all the Shanganis of Masvingo? Are they Mavhitoris as well?"

"There is a cliché that says that our strength is in our diversity. It shouldn't just be a cliché but an accepted reality.