Police recruits wax political, hail Mugabe as angel
By Tatenda Dewa | Harare Bureau |
Police officers who completed a one-year training course yesterday were forced to sing President Robert Mugabe’s praises at a pass-out parade, saying he was the Biblical angel, Gabriel.
Mugabe’s second name is Gabriel and Zimbabwean liberation mythology claims a famous apostolic sect prophet, Madzibaba Wimbo, in 1957 prophesied that the country would be ruled by a person with the name of an angel.
Zanu PF spindoctors have concluded that the “prophecy” was in reference to Mugabe, who was 33 then and had not yet joined the liberation struggle but went on to become Zimbabwe’s first black leader at independence in 1980, and the only one yet.
Neither Wimbo, now 94 and being mysteriously held hostage at his shrine in Mount Darwin by the army, nor any other person has come out to testify to the claimed prophecy while theologians argue it was highly unlikely that the apostolic sect prophet would have referred to Gabriel since his church does not use the Bible.
The pass-out parade came a week after liberation war veterans circulated a communique that described Mugabe as a dictator who had run down the economy and announced the disengagement of the ex-combatants from the ruler who has held onto power for more than 36 years.
A squad of forty-five of the police graduands was made to recite a praise poem that described Mugabe as the “real Angel Gabriel sent by God to deliver Zimbabwe and Africa”.
Despite the praise, Mugabe has presided over a bludgeoning economic crisis that involves late salary payouts to the police, army and other civil servants, and is accused of serial poll fraud and gross human rights abuses.
The recruits said the president was being persecuted by his enemies, apparently on orders from the police commissioner general, Augustine Chihuri who reports indicate could be fired anytime for alleged links to Joice Mujuru, Mugabe’s former deputy who now leads an opposition political party, Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF).
Beyond Gabriel, the angel, the graduands likened Mugabe to Jesus Christ.
“Like Jesus Christ who was crucified by a people whom He saved, you have innocently grappled with all forms of persecution. Your Excellency, the writing is clear on the wall that you are the angel Gabriel sent to deliver Zimbabwe and Africa,” the police recruits recited while making a pledge before Mugabe who officiated.
The praise poem hailed Mugabe as a champion of human rights, unity and good corporate governance.
“Because of you (Mugabe), Zimbabwe is a land of peace and tranquillity, equity, equality, freedom, fairness, honesty and the dignity of hard work. You have been attacked for championing the cause of the people, justice and equality, for denouncing racial segregation, immorality, corruption, human rights abuse and violence,” the police recruits remarked.
Local and international human rights defenders, political parties and diplomats have rapped the police, often accused of bias against critics of government, for brutality in their reaction to recent popular citizen protests against the Mugabe establishment. Nehanda Radio
