Zimbabwean poet blasts SA govt

SOUTH Africa-based Zimbabwean poet and musician, Bongani Mncube has blasted the neighbouring country's government of leaping into the deference of the local government by denouncing that the planned August 16 demonstrations by the opposition, MDC over economic and political crisis.

The Nelson Chamisa-led party have planned a mass demonstration against President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government due to escalating cost of living, poverty and endless prices increase, among a cocktail of problems.

Last week, the South African government jumped into the defence of Mnangagwa's government by condemning the MDC's planned protests.

Mncube, who has produced a number of poems and songs, criticising the former President Robert Mugabe for destroying the country and forcing citizens to migrate out of the country took to Facebook to denounce both South African and Zimbabwean governments.

"When people are hungry there is no boundary that can stop them from crossing borders even rivers may not stop them. There is no normal man who can sit and watch when his children die of hunger," he said.

"The problem is to tell South Africans that immigrants come to South Africa just because they helped South Africans during apartheid that is a big lie people come to South Africa because they suffer in their countries there is poverty."

He said the South Africa government is contributing to the instability in the region.

"The South Africans must blame their government, especially the ANC (African National Congress) for protecting Zanu-PF. If they could not solve the Zimbabwe issue they should not have involved themselves in the first place. These Malawians and Mozambicans who are coming to South Africa today used to work in Zimbabwe before this economic meltdown," he said.

"Most people who came to South Africa when Zimbabwe was still the African basket were Ndebeles. Now everyone is coming to South Africa."

In 2016, Mncube launched the Ngibhace Ezizweni (I am Exiled) DVD in Hillbrow, South Africa. The DVD is a satirical lamentation of the tribal imbalances that have characterised Zimbabwe's system of governance under Zanu-PF.

"I want to use my poetry to liberate the minds of our people so that they think independently, reduce fear and also cultivate unity of purpose," he said then.

The DVD has songs and poems that all chronicle the ills faced by migrants in foreign lands and the challenges they faced back home.

Some of the songs are War of Peace, Why Africa, Zwelihle, The Soldier, Ngibhace Ezizweni, Kwamanye Amazwe and Wounded Nation.