Zimbabwe ‘mafia’ shamed in SA bus campaign

By Tichaona Sibanda

A cheeky campaign putting the country’s elite military junta under the spotlight in neighbouring South Africa has prompted both giggles and gasps in and around Johannesburg. The unusual campaign which has been well received by Zimbabweans in Johannesburg features a bus embellished with the pictures of the members of the Joint Operations Command (JOC).

The campaign titled ‘Red Card ZIMafia’ has a football theme—in line with the 2010 World Cup currently taking place in South Africa. The campaign, which names and shames JOC members and a ZANU PF clique who are looting the country’s national resources was launched in Johannesburg last week Thursday.

Spokesman for the campaign Munjonzi Mutandiri told SW Radio Africa on Monday that the campaign takes the form of a soccer team, named Zimbabwe’s Worst Eleven.

Mutandiri said ZIMafia was the “unofficial national team” whose club motto is “The Looting Continues,” adding that the team members, portrayed by actors, are the ones who have committed the worst crimes and have enriched themselves most at the expense of the Zimbabwean population.

Reserve bank governor Gideon Gono is designated as Number 1 in the team and is also described as the treasurer to the JOC. The team coach is Robert Mugabe and the rest of the team comprises of top ZANU PF henchmen: Patrick Chinamasa, Obert Mpofu, Emmerson Mnangagwa, Paradzai Zimondi, Perence Shiri, Constantine Chiwenga, Johannes Tomana, Happyton Bonyongwe, Augustine Chihuri and Phillip Sibanda.

The team of actors playing the parts of the ZIMafia eleven tour on the bus, dubbed the ‘bling bus’, are dressed in soccer kits. The ZIMafia team is led by ‘Coach Bob’, and performs a satirical interactive play every day at a different location in the Gauteng area. Audiences are invited to ‘red-card’ the team for cheating and foul play.

“This is a team of people who have robbed Zimbabweans of their freedom and rights. They have also bankrupted the country, leaving a legacy of debt that will take generations to repay, while amassing large personal fortunes,” Mutandiri said.

He said they were also grateful for the support from the South African authorities and citizens, whose constitution guarantees pro-democracy activists from Zimbabwe the precious freedom of speech they don’t have back home.

Mutandiri added that the ‘Red-Card the ZIMafia’ is a campaign whose main objective is to unmask the perpetrators of violence and corruption in Zimbabwe. He said it was also to alert the African Union and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) about the danger posed by this ruthless clique, to the peace and security of the region. SW Radio Africa

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