Desmond 'The little Bishop' Tutu should go goat-skinning

IN the village, in the land of milk, honey and dust or Guruve, the elderly with cotton tuft hair are normally not sent skinning goats when villagers preside over matters of importance.

When an elder is sent-goat skinning, it means he has outlived his usefulness and lost his moral compass, for, in the village cotton tuft hair normally comes with knowledge and wisdom.

There are, however, unfortunate instances where grey hair is not accompanied by wisdom, knowledge and depth of character. So, such elders are sent to supervise goat skinners.

Such elderly men mock their real existence and usually make utterances that make even chicken laugh throughout the village.

Once they open their mouths, they soil their own reputation, and expose their lack of knowledge.

Such is the case of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, whose knowledge, wisdom and depth of character seem to be deserting him, leaving the cotton tuft hair hanging precariously on a numb skull.

In a recent article published in Prospect Magazine and later reproduced by South Africa's Mail & Guardian last week, Tutu (81) showed his misunderstanding of the politics in Zimbabwe and was probably driven by his craving for attention from Europe and hence more international awards from his handlers yonder.

"Deliberate decisions by politicians have caused the terrible situation in Zimbabwe, our neighbour. I keep thinking how it was one of our showpiece countries? Just a few years ago, it was thriving, with a vibrant democracy and a President who was generally held in high regard.

"Obviously one is longing desperately that Zimbabwe can recover from the glory of those days. It seems such utter, utter madness, the things that they have done there - destroying a very profitable agricultural sector, for example, by handing over farms to people who really weren't able to run them and who left equipment go to seed," said Tutu.

Tutu, Tutu, Tutu, I mean Archbishop Tutu, that grey hair has surely gone to waste, so easily. Which is utter madness: the colonisers violently dispossessing the original people of their land and dignity or the indigenous people repossessing their land?

This at a time when even white scholars and journalists are hailing the land reform programme.

Of all the people, Tutu blames the Zanu-PF Government for destroying the country by redistributing land from the minority whites to the majority blacks.

At his age and supposed wisdom, does it not occur to Tutu that giving back land to its rightful owners is the best thing ever to be done by a modern day African state?

One would expect a man of Tutu's age and calibre to understand historical land imbalances brought about by colonialism and apartheid, given that he grew up at a time when colonialism was still setting up the systems and structures that effectively dehumanised the black people.

One would expect Tutu to understand that the land question was the root cause of the liberation struggle not only in Zimbabwe, but in Africa as a whole.

Tutu should be ashamed that his own country has failed to redistribute the land and that his generation of politicians in that country are concentrating on the current economic stability brought about by white dominance while failing to reverse this for the benefit of future generations.

Is it not laughable that an elderly man, from whom youngsters expect wisdom, makes a fool of himself by not challenging the illegal sanctions that were imposed to deter Zimbabweans from getting back their land.

Zimbabweans are a resilient lot, sanctions or no sanctions, they continue to lead Africa in what should be done.

Tutu is akin to a silly old man who bequeaths his wealth to neighbours and leaves his own children to fight for it after his death.

The time for Africans to enjoy their land, their minerals and everything is now. The time for Africa to address historical colonial imbalances is now.

Tutu wants to enjoy the ambience of the posh houses and life he gets from his links with Europe as a black Bishop in white skin but does not think of what the future generations in Mzansi will do to regain the land of their birthright. The land of their ancestors and the only land they will ever have.

Tutu is no doubt enjoying what most blacks in his country are not enjoying. Firstly, because Tutu chose to be a front of the white man's religion when most of his generation went to war to bite the bullet to free South Africa.

When others were in the trenches he was on the pulpit. When others slept without food and shelter he was comfortable and having plenty in the parish home.

Secondly, because Tutu dances to the whims of Europeans who flock his home on his birthday, he is probably using his verbal diatribe against Zimbabwe to invite more sympathy and more gifts. He conjures images of a monkey dancing for peanuts at a circus.

Shame!

He is now looking for another birthday gift and is seeking relevance. With an African elder like Tutu, who needs elders?

The political dynamics of Zimbabwe and the matrix of land redistribution are a matter of fact that Tutu, himself should be lecturing to detractors of the land reform and giving the correct perspective.

It explains why he has not said a word about the need to redistribute the land which was taken from Africans in his country while he watched and prayed on the alters of various churches for divine intervention.

Tutu should be ashamed even to open his mouth given that the majority of people in his country of birth are much poorer than an ordinary Zimbabwean. He should be ashamed that thousands of his kith and kin live is shacks that cover 10 times the size of Harare while the Boers enjoy.

How Tutu has chosen to ignore historical facts about the land ownership in Africa and Zimbabwe in particular and how he chooses to blind himself of the facts that have made Zimbabwe suffer, defies his age and logic. Tutu for once, gives the silly impression that he wants white domination on the exploitation of resources in Africa at the expense of the local people. Does this not sound idiotic?

All and sundry in Africa expect such elders to explain how Africans were dispossessed of their land and dignity and why the current crop of African leaders should address the historical imbalances.

This villager feels pity for the ordinary South African who looks up to the grey haired elders like Tutu for wisdom, vision and a future. With elders like Tutu, the youngsters are guaranteed to be led off course.

Here is a man, who has seen the race to free Africa from one revolutionary to another and wishes the baton is taken from the track to the mountain. Poor man!

In the village in the land of milk, honey and dust or Guruve, the elderly are not normally sent goat-skinning, but Tutu deserves to go goat-skinning with the boys.