‘Pfutseki iwe’ – Thomas Mapfumo tells Zanu PF UK chairman during live radio interview

By Lance Guma

Chimurenga music legend Thomas Mapfumo was in a no-nonsense mood during a live radio interview on Studio 7 Voice of America, telling Zanu PF UK chairman Nick Mangwana “aiwa pfutseki iwe” when the latter was trying to defend 93-year-old President Robert Mugabe hanging on to power despite his old age.

Hosted by Zimbabwean journalist Ntungamili Nkomo on the programme “Live Talk: The Connection”, the interview on Tuesday featured Thomas Mapfumo, Nick Mangwana and Vimbaishe Musvaburi, a Zimbabwean female youth activist living in South Africa.

Mapfumo asked Mangwana why President Mugabe was hanging on to power and contesting the next elections despite his advanced age. 

Mangwana began his answer saying; “President Mugabe is being chosen by his party to represent it, so I think the question should be directed at the whole party, why the party is choosing President Mugabe to represent it.”

A clearly miffed Mapfumo was having none of it and interrupted Mangwana demanding he explain “who had chosen Mugabe?”

Mapfumo: Aiwa imi chimboita tichipindururana navo ava, tichitaura navo, vaka chuzwa nani. (Give us a chance to interrogate him, who chose Mugabe?)

Mangwana: Is that an interference or its somebody talking over me?

Mapfumo: Vaka chuzwa nani, tirikuda kunzwa kuti ndiani akavachuza, haikona kutaura zve mangamanga mhani iwe. (We want to know who chose Mugabe, don’t talk nonsense.)

Mangwana: Kana tichiita conversation, handiti mabvunza mubvunzo….

Mapfumo: Aiwa conversation uchitaura zvinhu zvemangamanga, marubbish iwayo, ndo conversation yacho iyo iyo, uri kutaura zvinhu zvisina musoro, murume mukuru haunyare? vaka chuzwa nani, havana kubira Tsvangirai maelections? Vakachuzwa nani, ndati vakachuzwa nani, ivo vakabira maelections?

Mangwana: I am not going to get into this….

Mapfumo: Aiwa pfutseki iwe hauna ne musoro, aiwa handichada nyaya yenyu iyi, handichada kutaura nezve… munhu uyu akapusa. Tirikushupika isu, ngaarege kutaura muromo waari kutaura uyu, handidi kutaura naye munhu uyu.”

Mangwana hangs up the phone…..

Ntungamili Nkomo: Hahahaha mukanya vakomana, vama Mangwana vadropper phone nekuti mava tuka…..

Mapfumo: Ngava drope zvavo, varikutaura zvinhu zvemangamanga, havana musoro avo.

Ntungamili Nkomo: Musadaro Mukanya. I would like to apologise to Mr Nick Mangwana of Zanu PF. You know obviously he feels offended by mashoko ava Mukanya, but I invited Mr Mangwana to be on the show and I invited all the guests and you know I’m very sorry I didn’t, when we invite people vamukanya we dont expect…

Mapfumo: Aiwa ndatenda hangu vakomana, inini hangu handichada kutaura nyaya yakadaro, zvinotondirwadza, zvinotondirwadzisa izvozvi, handisi kutombonzwa munhu we Zanu achitaura izvo, nyaya yenyu taurai mega, please ndisiyei, aiwa ndisiyei, ndakutovhara phone yangu so.

Musvaburi who was also part of the panel questioned why Mangwana has been living in the United Kingdom for over 20 years and his kids were attending in schools in that country instead of Zimbabwe, when during the interview he was portraying a rosy picture of Zimbabwe and the schools that he claimed had been built by the Zanu PF government.

“Mr Mangwana has been based in the United Kingdom for almost 20 years. If Zimbabwe is as good as he says it is, why aren’t his children at the University of Zimbabwe? Why are they at a university in England? Why is he in England?” she began her question.

“Why is he not in Zimbabwe where he is dealing with the situation right at hand as he is speaking for Zanu PF? Let him go to Zimbabwe, let him deal with the potholes. He needs to go there where people are selling tomatoes and understand it better.

“That’s when we will be able to say, we are listening to Mr Mangwana, Mr Mangwana is standing up for Zanu PF, not when he is having the luxuries of also trying to hustle in another country. He needs to tell us what drove him to the United Kingdom,” she asked. Nehanda Radio