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Mugabe rescues Tsvangirai
20 Aug 2011 at 23:01hrs | Views
President Mugabe yesterday saved Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai from embarrassment during the burial ceremony for the late General Solomon Mujuru when he promptly appealed to mourners at the National Heroes' Acre to stop jeering his partner in the inclusive Government.
Mr Tsvangirai had endured a torrid time as mourners booed and scoffed at him when the master of ceremony, co-Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi, mentioned his name in salutation.
But President Mugabe intervened when he stood up to deliver his speech, imploring the thousands of mourners not to "embarrass others".
In his customary salutation, the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, first acknowledged the presence of Gen Mujuru's widow, Vice-President Joice Mujuru.
He then saluted Vice-President John Nkomo and, as he was just about to acknowledge the presence of the Prime Minister, he paused to ask the mourners not to jeer at fellow mourners.
"Pano tiri kuviga gamba renyika. Pano tose venyika tabva muzvikwata zvakasiyanasiyana. Takamiririrwa pano saka hatidi pano kuti pave nevamwe vanoita noise vachiita boo kwete.
"Pano takabatana zvikurukuru saka hatidi kunyadzisana.
"Tiri pakupa rukudzo kugamba redu." (We are here to bury a national hero.
"We have come from various parties and we are represented here so we do not want any noise or booing.
"We are united in mourning so we do not want to embarrass each other. We are here to honour our hero).
After his appeal, President Mugabe restarted the salutations and this time, there were no more jeers for PM Tsvangirai.
Mourners first jeered at PM Tsvangirai as soon as he arrived at the national shrine.
Soon after Mr Tsvangirai disembarked from his official Mercedes-Benz, some people broke into song, denouncing him as a "sell-out".
Mr Tsvangirai attended the burial of Gen Mujuru together with senior members of his MDC-T party, who included his deputy Ms Thokozani Khupe and chairman Mr Lovemore Moyo, who is also the Speaker of the House of Assembly.
The PM and his party have previously boycotted the burial of national heroes.
Mr Tsvangirai had endured a torrid time as mourners booed and scoffed at him when the master of ceremony, co-Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi, mentioned his name in salutation.
But President Mugabe intervened when he stood up to deliver his speech, imploring the thousands of mourners not to "embarrass others".
In his customary salutation, the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, first acknowledged the presence of Gen Mujuru's widow, Vice-President Joice Mujuru.
He then saluted Vice-President John Nkomo and, as he was just about to acknowledge the presence of the Prime Minister, he paused to ask the mourners not to jeer at fellow mourners.
"Pano tiri kuviga gamba renyika. Pano tose venyika tabva muzvikwata zvakasiyanasiyana. Takamiririrwa pano saka hatidi pano kuti pave nevamwe vanoita noise vachiita boo kwete.
"Pano takabatana zvikurukuru saka hatidi kunyadzisana.
"We have come from various parties and we are represented here so we do not want any noise or booing.
"We are united in mourning so we do not want to embarrass each other. We are here to honour our hero).
After his appeal, President Mugabe restarted the salutations and this time, there were no more jeers for PM Tsvangirai.
Mourners first jeered at PM Tsvangirai as soon as he arrived at the national shrine.
Soon after Mr Tsvangirai disembarked from his official Mercedes-Benz, some people broke into song, denouncing him as a "sell-out".
Mr Tsvangirai attended the burial of Gen Mujuru together with senior members of his MDC-T party, who included his deputy Ms Thokozani Khupe and chairman Mr Lovemore Moyo, who is also the Speaker of the House of Assembly.
The PM and his party have previously boycotted the burial of national heroes.
Source - The Sunday Mail
