Friday, October 16, 2015

Cry my beloved Highlanders!

As a member and supporter of Highlanders FC there are a number of issues that the club has to address. I'm worried about the so called Junior policy which the club is trying to implement in the middle of the season when all that is needed is experienced players to help the team finish at least in top four. While the team is clamouring about Junior policy they then let go of Ozias Emmanuel Onazi Zibande an experienced young striker. The other thing that bogles the mind is the reckless speech by the club's head coach who is on a relentless campaign of naming and shaming players who are costing the team. He started his blame game directed at the goalkeeping department accusing Ariel Sibanda of conceding soft goals and Njabulo Ncube of making goal keeping blunders against Dynamos last Sunday, now the attack is directed at Obadiah Tarumbwa who is being accused of failing to score. Mr. Bongani Mafu should understand that all that the players need at this crucial point is motivation. Obadiah alongside other players have been giving all their effort its just unfortunate that results haven't been coming our way most probably because of the tactics or should I say shortcomings of the technical department alongside the clueless executive. It's crystal clear that the team doesn't have dependable and experienced defenders but the executive and technical department over looks that. That was the same problem we had last season but no one is keen to rectify it. Bongani Mafu failed to meet his target in week 10, how he hàs survived up to this day only the executive and his praise singers and bootlickers like Ezra Sibanda knows better. It seems that there are some people out there who are compromising the Highlanders brand and soiling the pride of Isizwe sikaMthwakazi. That the Peter Dube led executive has failed is as clear as a pikestaff. Of this world was mine to give I would give it all to fire all these incompetent people and help restore the the pride of the people! Yithi Abantu!

Africa's worst dictator!

I watched a documentary of the rule of one of Africa's worst dictators, Idi Amin. Aan who thought he was invincible but his end came like a cock coming home to the roost. Yes! The day Idi Amin met his fate was on the 11th April 1979, this is the day when he was deposed as president of Uganda after his attempt to annex part of Tanzania backfired. Amin undermined the power of the Tanzanian Defence Forces much to his peril. The former stooge of Imperial Britain who , in 1971 had seized power from socialist Prime Minister Milton Obote , was forced to flee for his life by helicopter. And so at last ended the eight- year reign of one of the most brutal dictators of the twentieth century. This puffed - up beefy despot who came to be known as the “ Butcher of Africa ” was responsible for the deaths of up to half - a-million people .

Like Joseph Stalin , he cynically and callously eliminated all real and imagined opponents – including the former chief justice , the Anglican archbishop , the governor of the Central Bank , the vice chancellor of Makerere University and other prominent members of Uganda's intelligentsia, as well several of his own cabinet ministers.
Like Adolf Hitler, he engaged in widespread ethnic cleansing – systematically murdering rival tribes and ordering the expulsion of some 80, 000 Ugandan Asians . Add to that gruesome mix an army of 15, 000 henchmen trained and ordered to rape and pillage in the name of “ peace keeping”, a policy of live televised executions to instill fear into the populace , a sledge hammer to the head for political prisoners and even the alleged murder of his ex - wife . So sadistic was Amin that for years he kept a photographic collection of his mutilated victims, and was said to preserve the lifeless heads of some of his most powerful adversaries in the refrigerator at the presidential palace. So staggering was Amin's death toll that bodies were dumped en masse into the crocodile - infested Nile because graves couldn't be dug fast enough. As the self - proclaimed “ President of Uganda for Life”, “Lord of All Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Sea and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular” and, famously , “ King of Scotland”, Idi Amin was initially embraced by Britain , America and Israel. But even when his atrocities against humanity could no longer be ignored , the international community failed to intervene. Instead, during his time in power , Amin was light - heartedly portrayed in the West as a comic and eccentric figure. Unbelievably, inexplicably, there was and has never been an attempt by the International Criminal Court to bring Amin to justice. The OAU behaved like a sweet mama pacifying its aberrant child. When his rule came to an abrupt end he was allowed a brief stay in Libya, he was allowed to live out his days as a guest with several wives and at least 30 children in all -expenses -paid luxury in Saudi Arabia. At any time up until his death in 2003, any nation, including Saudi Arabia could have prosecuted Amin and held him accountable under international law, but, no one was willing to hold the dictator accountable. Maybe this adage explains it much better, "If you kill one person, you go to jail, if you kill twenty, you go to an institution for the insane, if you kill twenty thousand you get political asylum. Such is the nature of African politics. There are several others who have killed but the got away with it. Thousands died in Rwanda during 1994 genocide, thousands died during the Gukurahundi epoch in the Zimbabwe, thousands have died in post election violence in a considerable number of African countries. My premise is, are those responsible so invincible to such an next that even the regional and international justice system can not hold them accountable? It is as clear as a pikestaff that such people have created a bad precedent which is being followed by today's leaders. A new crop of dictators has been bred in Africa, and lawlessness is being tolerated by the African Union and other regional blocs. Yoweri Museveni is tormenting opposition members in his country, human rights and political activists are disappearing without trace in Zimbabwe, Omar al-Bashir was allowed to attend a summit in South Africa and was assisted to leave the country by the South African government despite the fact that he was on the run for gross human rights violations in his country, the South African government's police massacred striking miners at Marikana Mine with impunity. The list is endless. What then should be done?

POLITICS, A DIRTY GAME?

I have learnt that politics is and will always be a dirty game. My premise have been reinforced by the recent political developments in my country. The typical "struggle within a struggle" the split of the MDCT which marked the emergence of yet another MDC, the Renewal Team. The succession politics in the ruling party which have seen many being booted out of the party for supporting the the Vice President. I however admire Mrs. Joyce Mujuru for exuding her strong and courageous character under very stressful circumstances.
Yes! Politics will always be a dirty game but hopefully there will always be leaders with the guts, strength and determination to rise above dirt for the good of the nation.

The Zimbabwean situation has taught me that politics is a game with no fixed rules, some choose to play the same game using lies and deception for their own personal gain, seeking to win at ball costs. I have also learnt that the game itself promotes and encourages those that are predisposed to corrupt practices to play to win at all costs because the stakes are high as are the rewards for winning and the options for the winner.
Politicians enter the game with best intentions to make a difference but because there are no rules, personal attributes such as honesty, integrity and decency can easily become casualties for the greater good as personal morals become politically expedient for the sake of the old adage, "the end justified the means". It is the game of politics that not only allows the amoral attitudes but also promotes them. I contend that politics is a dirty game because it allows that anything goes as long as you get away with it by hook or crook.

POLITICS OF BOOTLICKING AND PRAISE SINGING

I know of young people in my constituency and beyond who have tainted their vibrant careers with politics of patronage. Spending most of their time being hired to settle political scores that they have little knowledge about, just for a few bottles of opaque beer and a plate of isitshwala lamangqina. Shame!

On the same note, politicians especially those from Matebeleland have developed into hyperbolic praise singers, hero worshippers and seasoned bootlickers. Even some sections of the media have followed suit with their flattery and well choreographed utterances praising the leaders of the land. It is as clear as a pikestaff that this has become a survival strategy for many. They are singing for their supper while people they claim to represent are slumbering in a vacuum of poverty. They are concerned about furthering their nests and creating wealth even for their unborn children. Yes they see politics as their means for survival and it had become evident that they gained their enormous wealth through patronage. A cursory perusal on the list of politicians from the southern part of the country indicates that Obert Mpofu perhaps one of the richest people in Zimbabwe, Simon Khaya Moyo, who holds a very influential position in the ruling party, Jonathan MOYO, Sithembiso Nyoni, Kembo Mohadi, Absalom Sikhosana, Jabulani Sibanda, Angeline Masuku, et al have been part and parcel of a system of patronage where they have been rewarded handsomely for their deft services to such an extent that it has become unattractive for them to fight against the plight of their people.

I have had the privilege of attending political rallies, focus group discussions, press conferences, and other social and political gatherings where I learnt of the services that are offered some of our politicians varying from bootlicking, sycophantic praise singing and showering of often undeserved accolades to incompetent government officials. It is a sad reality that Zimbabwe has blindly fallen victim to hyperbolic praises and sychophathic flattery. Our problem as a region[Matabeleland] in particular and as a country in general can be summed up as leadership deficit. Zimbabwe has fallen victim to hero worshiping. Our leaders are driven by power politics and the exude a self goddess attitude. It boggles the mind how a young and enterprising politician can turn into a hyperbolic praise singer describing Tsvangirai Morgan Richard as a replica of a biblical Moses sent by God to liberate the people of Zimbabwe from political bondage. That is blasphemy. God forbid! I feel sorry for the young MP.

I also have realised that there is nothing tangible that policians from Matabeleland have done for the region even those from the opposition who served in the inclusive government except describing Morgan as a hero and a God given leader and pumping their leader with praises. Talk of Thabitha Khumalo, Thokozani Khuphe, Dorcas SIBANDA, Lovemore MOYO, Thamsanqa MAHLANGU, Joel Gebuza, Felix Mafa, et al.
Let me borrow the words of Christopher Dell;
"You can not have a serious leader surrounding himself with sycophants, bootlickers and pimps. Such leaders are bound to fail, and fall."

ON WORLD AIDS DAY

Today we observe World Aids Day under the theme; Focus, Partner, Achieve: An AIDS Free Generation. 

Yours truly has noted that in as much as one might want to portray the AIDS epidemic as a global issue it is undoubtedly, in many ways an African story. The speed at which the diseases spreads indicates that Africa in in a serious predicament. I have noted that the story of how Africa's AIDS crisis came to be is not only controversial but contentious an issue. Researchers have theorised one potential cause after another, with some suggesting that its is a question of culture, physiology, food practices, poor governance and so on. Some even suggested that AIDS was created in a laboratory in the United States of America specifically to deal with homosexuals and Africans. None of the theories seem convincing though. Is it that Africa is cursed? Is it about Africa's cultural particulars in relation to marriage and sex? I shudder to imagine.
It is sad to note that in Sub Saharan Africa life expectancy is decreasing rapidly while mortality rate is increasing. There is no political will to deal with the epidemic.

What then shall we do?
I honestly think the onus is on the government to Chanel a considerable amount of resources and engaging all stakeholders ie the international community toward eradicating the disease.
There is a need to take courageous steps to deal with religious and cultural norms and taboos head on using mass media to raise awareness effectively.

While present strategies such as condom use should be promoted I strongly feel that there best method is availing anti retroviral drugs. Why? Use of condoms which is inexpensive is a void method when couples want to conceive or have already engaged with infected persons.

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY MY DAUGHTER

ITS YOUR 1st BIRTHDAY DARLING!

You are one year old today my lovely princess. It is my prayer that you always remember that that everyone is in your life for a reason. Appreciate those who grow with you as well as those who choose not to keep up. Always bear in mind that you are loved my darling. We look at you in awe, we hold you in our arms beaming with love as we marvel at the wonder that you are.

I pray that you will grow into a girl who likes and values her self, that you value the thoughts and opinions your parents and relatives, that you know your mind and trust yourself sufficiently that you feel able to take an unpopular stand. I also pray that you will always be sure enough of your own value that you wont rely exclusively on the approval of others. 

I pray that you never lose your respect, curiosity and interest in the world around you and that you always view the world as rich and fascinating and you keep an open and questioning mind, that you never cease to read, learn and ask questions and that you never allow yourself to be satisfied with easy answers. I hope you will always weigh what you take in against what you know already and what you will need to find out.
I pray that whatever form of adversity you confront, you will have the inner strength to face it.

Happy birthday Zinzile Nicole MPOFU
Love always;
Dad