By Everson Mushava
HARARE – A juvenile supporter of President Robert Mugabe is not nicknamed “Senator Samantha” for nothing. Probably a Grade One pupil, she packs a mean punch. Her hate speech against the 88-year-old’s political opponents is too powerful to match-even seasoned grandfatherly Zanu PF campaigners.
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe (R) and the country's Vice President Joice Mujuru eat cake as they attend a rally marking Mugabe's 88th birthday in Mutare
“Senator Samantha” took to the stage at a musical gala held in Chipinge throughout the weekend to celebrate Mugabe’s birthday and all hell broke loose.
Reciting a poem showering praises on the octogenarian leader while hurling abuses at Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, she described the former trade union leader as “weed that needs to be removed” from Zimbabwe’s political landscape.
The crowd, including a television crew filming live to thousands of viewers, went wild. An animated “Senator Samantha” was not done yet.
“Tsvangirai, ndaiona musoro kukura ndikati injere, ndange ndisingazivi kuti kurwara (Tsvangirai, I used to think that your big head is a reflection of intelligence, little did I know that it is a sign of sickness),” she said to roars of approval from a largely pro-Mugabe crowd.
She described Mugabe as a demi-god whose leadership capabilities were being chocked by Tsvangirai “the weed and coward that fled the liberation war while Mugabe fought white colonialists”.
Stung by that attack, Tsvangirai’s party is taking the matter up. Party deputy spokesperson Thabitha Khumalo told the Daily News the MDC would approach inter-party peace body, Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (Jomic).
Broadcast live on television, the use of the minor to propagate hate speech violated not only local, regional and international accords on child rights, but the power-sharing Global Political Agreement (GPA), Khumalo said.
Article 19 of the GPA prohibits media from using their space to transmit hate speech. “We condemn the abuse of children, especially teaching them to use hate language. These kids are supposed to be growing up surrounded by peace, love and
aspirations for a decent education. Yet Zanu PF is drilling them to be masters of hate speech,” said Khumalo.
“We are disgusted by the parents of the children who was abused,” said Khumalo.
Khumalo said the use of hate speech by state-run media was the main reason why her party was calling for urgent media reforms. Yes it was a party event but it was broadcast live on national television, so such hate speech should have been avoided,” said Khumalo. Daily News
To help maintain editorial independence Nehanda Radio relies on donations from readers like you. No donation is too small or too big. Help by donating to fund our operations.
Loading ...
that little brat,s parents are to blame!
Now they use your children…….they never use theirs.
Venyu ndivo ma Border Gezi Greenbombers……vavo vari overseas….
Brainwashed children of hatred just like the suicide bombers! Please do not sow the seeds of hatred in this beautiful country. Don’t be short sighted!
Most likely its not the fault of the parents. I believe this little girl was picked up randomly by the local War Vets leadership and asked to practice reciting the poem a few days before the gala. Barely in Grade 1, anga adzidza kupi liberation war history? And for Grade 1 student attacking a senior citizen of Tsvangirayi’s age regardless of his political standing is worse than any words can describe.
Robert ‘Mabharuna’ Mugabe
This is disgusting such a minor saying such things to a respected statesman. Truely this is abuse children are not learning anymore. She doesn’t know what is war and who is Tswangirai. Stupied war vets spoiling children. Who killed people in matebeleland ? Not Tswangirai our PM is clean leave him alone.They hate him because of his clean record.
Poor soul. I doubt she even knew what she was saying. And the parents, maybe she is an orphan. At that age children need to be taught to respect their elders not hurling insults. Especially to someone who is a senior government official. I wonder what the reaction would be if the reverse had happened. No matter what the occasion, this should never have been allowed. How can ZPF stoop so low!!!
mumwe akasungirwa bharuma chairo!! saka shuwa you saw it fit to teach this child to speak on hate speech, surely kana ndimiwo. Wako mwana ungamudaro iwe. nxa
I agree with everyone on this blog but the only problem is you guys are making too much common sense. If I had attended that million dollar party, I would have definitely shoved the cake in Mugabe’s face. I hate to say this, but negotiations and dialogues does not suit ZANU PF! Only an armed and united struggle for the Total Independence of Zimbabwe will help our nation move forward. Elections will happen, but he will buy time by cheating and creating violence. At this very moment there is a silent power struggle ensuing inside ZANU PF, the number of car accidents will escalate, some members will just disappear, some will flee the violence to neighboring countries and surviving family members will be killed in car accidents. Is the kind of government you want?
Mad people, abusing their daughter……..
This is disheartening and disgusting to say the least. Look at how excited about the whole drama Mugabe is. What has become our nation under his leadership? May the Lord our God, the one who welcomed children as pure to come to His kingdom knock sense into rebellious Mugabe’s old age and all the young forced to walk by him.
What most of the Zimbabwe’s populace don’t understand is where we came from. This country was liberated by the barrels of the gun and Zimbabwe is the only country that had a potracted armed struggle that spilt blood of the enemy compared to some other liberation movements in SADC. We know the meaning of being indepenedent. We cannot let it go to the political renegades of this country who are puppets of the West.
many Zimbabweans, including me are ready for armed struggle, only that no one has the generosity to give us arms. i call on Job Sikhala to arm us and we stage a bloody battle that will result in Mugabe’ s removal. Sikhala is the only one who is not afraid. preaching peace now and then like Tsvangirai will lead to nothing. im ready to be wrapped in full combat gear, and will start with the CIO. otherwise Tsvangirai will never be president if he continues to be fooled by SADC and the AU. i await the day i shall bring sanity in Zim through the barrel of my lovely gun. we in diaspora are dubbed The Foreign Legion, and guess what, our Code Of Honour is not secretive.
Judging Benzyangu’s comments, he must be living outside zim for the simple reason that he advocates for civil strife to remove Mugabe from power, knowing how vicious the old man can become at the mention of removing him from power. Mugabe is nearing his time either by natural wastage or politically.And to the parents of the abused child, I feel sorry for them because they could not refuse to donate their child to the mafia for fear of being labelled MDC supporters.
As for Tsvangirai, I would like him to consider the analogy of the man taking a bath in a communal bath in one of the townships, who hangs his clothes on the bath wall.Then a mad man appears from nowhere, grabs all the clothes and dashes .In the ensuing commotion, the bathing man forgets that he is naked and chases the mad man.
When the community sees this drama , who do they think is mad, the partially dressed man with clothes in his hands or the naked man chasing the former?
In simple terms , MDC must learn to ignore the acts of mad men and women of zanu pf, lest they can also be mistaken to belong to the same psychiatric home.