Mphoko: The sad story of a well fed slave

By Rawlings Magede

OPINION – There seems to be no rhyme or reason to Vice President Mphoko’s madness. After reading his abominable utterances about Gukurahundi in the interview he gave to Sunday Mail, I was left dejected just like many millions of Zimbabweans who had expected much from a ‘fresh’ mind within the presidium.

But nay, the man is just like many in a beeline of bootlickers and sympathisers of the system. Given the “vast” business empire that he is said to run, he is one of the beneficiaries of the patronage machinery.

The interview is so revealing. Mphoko has chosen to be a well fed slave than a hungry free man as the Legend of reggae Lucky Dube would put it.

Not Biting the hand that feeds him?

A modern day slave is not one with a goering on his neck. It’s one who sings for his supper. One who is mentally beholden to someone, one who sings the song of the slave master. This forms part of the curricular vitae of the new VP as he announced his entrance on the political arena.

Many a time since his swearing in, the VP has made damaging remarks about vendors or anything that he deems necessary to talk about.

While he has betrayed the people of Matabeleland that he somehow shares some historical facts and realities with, it seems the thought of the “bogus and dubious” luxuries that come with the gravy train has corrupted his thinking.

In the unfortunate article, the VP reduces the grave Gukurahundi massacres to a “conspiracy” of the West. It is a well-rehearsed interview that is given by one dramatizing his CV and displaying his “credentials” before his new employers.

Of course the interview can never be rubber stamped as a true reflection of what transpired unless if one is a proverbial idiot who sings wedding songs at a funeral.

Of course, Mphokos sentiments don’t come as a surprise especially to me. President Mugabe himself has only reduced the Gukurahundi atrocities to a mere “moment of madness” and has not even bothered to avail the findings of the Chihambakwe commission. Lately his spokesperson George Charamba joined the fray and added even more insults by claiming that Gukurahundi was a myth.

Now these people we hear carping nowadays mumbling about a conflict they have chosen to distort its facts, are busy perfuming nonsense about all the “theories” they have so carefully crafted to try and change facts that regrettably are already public knowledge. Theirs remains a lone and distorted voice in the wasteland using the public media to score unworthy points and to cleanse ZANU PF’s soiled hands in the genocide.

To cut a long story short, the whole interview amounts to an impulsive stubborn rejection of facts of history, facts which keep bouncing against a dishonest mind -that because of fear of the “known” remains unrepentant and heartless. All this is another matter, another story for another day. I am not chasing that today.

..Enter Organ of National Healing and Reconciliation…

Now with such naivety, can any honest, sane person expect more from this organ that has been coincidentally placed under Mphoko? Is it not like expecting output from brains without filter? Honestly, the organ that even failed during the time of the inclusive government when it was still co-chaired by the 3 political parties that were in the government. Now ZANU PF is at it alone and how can one deal with a group whose collective genius tells them that Gukurahundi was a conspiracy of the West or a myth?

It comes not as a surprise the snail’s pace in the composition of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission.

There has, however, been muted calls for the composition of this independent commission that is mandated to ensure post-conflict justice, healing and reconciliation, seemingly just ahead of this abominable utterances by the Vice President (V.P). He and the rest of his ZANU PF cabal can remain behind self-made bars of denial of facts.

What’s important is that the new V.P who is supposed to propagate messages of healing and reconciliation, is the one whose effortless downhill descent into madness has even kicked off his political career off to a bad start.

Will there ever be NPRC?

Interestingly, the tenure of the NPRC is fast expiring and there is nothing that the government has done to try and speed up its composition. Of course the deliberate delay is linked to ZANU PF stubborn rejection of facts that are well documented for all to see and verify on the need for healing and reconciliation.

The term of the NPRC might come and expire, but the need for healing and reconciliation can never be wished away. Coming up with dubious opinions which seek to show acts of unforgiveness, tribalism and hate only compounds the situation.

Unfortunately, Gukurahundi is an act of genocide that is stuck with us as a country and there is no amount of opinions or press releases that can change that unless the process of national healing and reconciliation is initiated.

If you stand for the truth, you stand alone!

That’s the bottom line!

Rawlings Magede is a rural political enthusiast who writes from Zimbabwe.