Charumbira calls other Chiefs 'to campaign for Mugabe' - chieftain must be scrapped not reformed

"On 28 October at the official opening of the 2017 National Conference of Chiefs in Bulawayo, Chief Fortune Charumbira, who is the President of the Chief's Council, called upon chiefs to campaign for President Robert Mugabe in the 2018 national elections. Chief Charumbira also said that the chiefs must support President Mugabe as the ZANU PF 2018 presidential candidate because, so he claimed, he recognises and respects traditional leaders. He further indicated that Mugabe was the candidate for chiefs in 2014 as agreed during the congress at the time," said a report in The Zimbabwean.

"Such statements by a public servant are not only reckless but dangerous but have far reaching implications. Chief Charumbira's statements interfere with the basic freedom of all traditional leaders and community members to exercise their right to support candidates of their choice without fear of reprisals. The provisions of the Constitution on traditional leaders are very clear. They call on all traditional leaders, as provided in section 281(1)(a) of the Constitution to act in accordance with the Constitution and treat all persons in areas under their jurisdiction equally and fairly, see section 281(1)(c). It is goes without saying that once traditional leaders dabble in party politics and openly declare their support to one political party they will not be able to discharge their traditional roles and duties impartially."

Other than the odd and notable exception such as the late Chief Rakayi Tangwana, the Chiefs and other traditional leaders have always been there to serve the government of the day in when doing so was not in the common interest of the ordinary people they are supposed to lead. The white colonialists found the Chiefs a very useful tool in helping them subdue the blacks.

Once the whites gave the local Chiefs the bell-shaped, "dengu" in Shona, explorer hard hat plus the half-moon plate with "CHIEF" inscription necklace, they had an ally to help them impose white colonial oppression and exploitation. It is little wonder many blacks referred to the Chiefs as "muDengu muneyi!" (Empty explore hard hat!)

President Mugabe is a control freak who loves to surround himself with simpletons, if they are corrupt too, the better! It is no surprise therefore that the tyrant was quick off the mark in courting Zimbabwe's tradition leaders to switch their blind allegiance the white colonialists to him and his desire to create a de facto one-party, Zanu PF, dictatorship in Zimbabwe. President Mugabe has bribed the Chiefs and other traditional leaders; the twin-cab Isuzu truck is the latest bribe for each of the 226 Chiefs. In return the traditional leaders have cooperated fully with the regime's vote rigging shenanigans even though these denied the people their freedoms and basic human rights and violated the country's laws and constitution.

The real surprise here is that the corrupt and incompetent opposition much more organisation such as Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) should be complaining about "muDengu muneyi" Charumbira publicly calling on his fellow Chiefs to continue abusing their positions in forcing the people to vote for Zanu PF in next year's elections. If ZLHR was serious about putting an end to this political culture of Zanu PF abusing Chiefs, Police, ZEC and all the other state institution to promote its selfish no-regime-change mantra; then they must join the few demanding the implementing of the democratic reforms BEFORE elections. Until the meaningful reforms are implemented, these empty head Chiefs will continue to frogmarch povo to polling stations to vote for Zanu PF!

Ian Smith had Chiefs in his pockets and since 1980 they have been in Mugabe's pockets. "MuDengu muneyi" Chirumbira and his fellow 226 Chiefs have all received their Isuzu trucks, their thirty pieces of silver, they will be frogmarching povo to vote for President Mugabe, period. Both the colonial regimes and the Zanu PF dictatorship have exploited the inherent autocratic tendencies in Zimbabwe's traditional culture and corrupting the system beyond recognition. There is little value in reforming and depoliticising the village heads, chiefs, etc.; these unelected leaders have already proven that they are susceptible to corrupting influences and dictatorial tendencies. We must scrap the whole system in favour of elected officials who are democratically accountable to the people!

The culture of Chiefs has ill served this nation and therefore it must go. Culture is there to serve the people and not the people to serve culture. MuDengu muneyi Charumbira must earn his next Isuzu truck from any honest day's work and not from frogmarching povo to attend rallies and vote for tyrants!