Chihuri: Apology not accepted, just retire please

Our African culture says a man may not refuse to be accorded an apology but has the right to refuse to accept that apology, say why they can't accept the apology and agree to disagree with the person giving the apology. That's human nature.

So to Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri, thank you very much sir for the courtesy to apologise for embarrassingly and unpolice chief fainting at a parade in front of the State President, your juniors, fellow service chiefs and the nation at large. You had no alternative but offer the apology, but well sorry sir your apology is not accepted and acceptable. There is a missing element to your apology that could have helped to give it a little weight and genuineness and that element would have been to follow the apology with a retirement letter.

Before we go into the basics of police conduct which you should be the champion of as the Commissioner, let's deal with your apology first and the reasons you are giving for the fall.

You claim that you fainted because of a couple of reasons, viz: 1) You are tired because you have been working too hard and long hours of late 2) You stood in the parade for "too long" in your words from 10:45 to 12:00 that is an hour and 15 mins. 3) You blame the heat and the kind of clothing you were wearing. 4) Most shocking you claim to have been wearing two different shoe sizes and so blame the smaller shoe size for restricting the flow of blood leading to your collapse.

Now let's go through the reasons if not excuses you are giving for your mishap Chief Commissioner;

1) We start from the bottom which you gave as the main reason why you fainted, SHOES.

Except if the newspapers that quoted you are lying, which then will be an issue between you and them, we are told that you claim that you aide mixed up your shoes making you wear a size 9 on your left foot and an OLD size 7 and a half shoe on your right foot! So irresponsible and unkind of your aide. BUT, Mr Commissioner, you turned 61 this year which doesn't make you a little child who could not tell at the time of wearing shoes that you are being given an old shoe and a new shoe. I mean really even a 6 + 1 year old would have realised that the shoes are not the same and would have felt at very point of wearing them that the shoes are different.

Like I indicated, except if the papers are lying, it is said that you claim that the smaller shoe is from a pair of shoes that were donated to you in 1980! That must be a very precious shoe Mr Commissioner!!! If you have been able to keep it somewhere nicely for the last 34 years certainly no matter how much in a hurry you had been you would have realised that its your shoe of sentimental value and would not have put it on except if the pass out parade was some kind of fancy dress event. A shoe from 1980 in 2014 still looking as new and as stylish as a brand new one bought for that occasion!!!!

The shoe excuse Mr Commissioner even if you genuinely felt was the main reason for your fainting honestly you should never have mentioned it. It makes a comedy of your whole apology and the fainting.

2) In your own words you are quoted as having said that you were on parade from 10:45 to 12:00 noon which is an hour and 15 mins ONLY and I repeat and emphasis on the ONLY aspect. You are a police man Mr Commissioner and the most senior for that matter, standing on parade at attention for long hours is one sure way of testing the fitness of a police officer. Except if you did not rise through the ranks of the police force, then ask your junior officers how long they stand at attention in the open in ALL weather conditions.

Now if our Commissioner General can not stand in a parade for an hour and 15 mins ONLY then how are the junior officers expected to do it? Lead by example Mr Commissioner.

3) The clothing! You claim that you fainted because you were feeling hot because you had a t shirt under your police uniform because when you left home it was cold in the morning and turned hot in the afternoon!!! I asked one of your police officers and he says its taboo and a serious offence for them to wear t shirts under their police uniform more so if going for a parade let alone one which will be inspected by a senior officer. Suppose the president had inspected you and found you with a t shirt under the uniform what would have happened of you CHEF?

Finally Mr Commissioner, you claim to be very tired. A tired service chief is very dangerous to national security so please when tired take a rest and give fresher legs a chance to take over the job. You are indeed tired Mr Chihuri in all honest who can manage to be the police chief and at the same time try to be the country's biggest farmer and also run between this small house and that smaller house.

Thank you very much for the apology but again sir its not accepted. See you even have time to joke about your issue and say your fainting being a 61 year old proves that the President who is 30 years older than you is still strong and fit. Let's just say you did not faint you were only dramatising so to prove that President Mugabe is still strong and fit at 90 years.