WHENEVER President Robert Mugabe presides over State funerals he gets so overwhelmed by the solemnity of the occasion that he ends up resorting to reckless speech that borders on extreme hatred.
In most cases his insinuations are divisive, dangerous and can incite violence among the gullible Zimbabweans. Traditionally, funeral gatherings are occasions for honouring the deceased without making the living to appear less honourable. In Mugabe’s case, funerals offer him an opportunity to rant, berate and verbally abuse others for either opposing his rule or for not recognising his banana-less banana republic.
In his latest yet customary reflection session during the funeral of Brigadier-General Bandama at the Heroes’ Acre, Mugabe publicly denounced as undesirables all the Zimbabweans who sought political and economic asylum in foreign lands. Instead of comforting the bereaved, Mugabe made sure he insulted Zimbabweans who sought better fortunes abroad as cowards.
He claimed that most duped the British governments into believing that they were facing persecution in Zimbabwe. Mugabe went on to express dismay at the British government’s request to the Zimbabwean government to provide suitable travel documentation for the expedited return to Zimbabwe of failed asylum seekers. Mugabe told the mourners that he would not have his good name dragged into dignifying quislings by formalising their travel documents.
This is where Mugabe blunders. He has ruined the country by following his personal feelings and skewed values. This is mockery for a man acclaimed to be a great statesman. A true statesman has no reason to be so abrupt and insensitive towards his subjects for skipping the borders when faced with turmoil. Mugabe should therefore restrain himself from denouncing his own nationals for deserting a ship being steered along a collision course with an iceberg.
Unfortunately for the people of Zimbabwe, the president is acting like an agent of division by uttering hate-filled speeches.
His divisive nature has provided the fuel that perpetuates the ongoing zvirikufaya war which seems to pit Zimbabweans in the Diaspora against Zimbabweans in Zimbabwe. This zvirikufaya madness is a direct derivative from Mugabe’s careless talk.
It was Mugabe who mocked Zimbabweans for doing menial jobs abroad. It is Mugabe who made a mockery of the people of Plumtree for seeking employment in South Africa. It is Mugabe who portrayed going abroad as the most demeaning undertaking a Zimbabwean could think of.
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After the president had said all the hatred, the State media felt duty-bound to propagate the divisive statements. The ZBC started producing propaganda videos depicting Zimbabwe as a self-sufficient nation even when cholera, food shortages and strife were tearing the country apart.
In that light, the likes of Jonathan Moyo, Elliot Manyika, Last Tambaoga Chiyangwa and others used ZBC to record the original zvirikufaya jingles while Zimbabweans in the Diaspora could only sympathise with their relatives in Zimbabwe by posting comments on discussion forums such as Zvakapressa.com.
The advent of YouTube changed the game plan altogether. People like Chiyangwa found a platform to flaunt their filthy riches. It was during the making of the Chiyangwa videos that Mugabe’s Utopian vision of a Zimbabwe that is supposedly firing on all cylinders was portrayed.
So, out of Mugabe’s hate speeches, the zvirikufaya videos were born. The mutual disrespect and rivalry that exist between Zimbabweans at home and abroad could then be propagated without any restrictions so long data bundles, Wi-Fi, broadband and electric power were firing.
Now the zvirikufaya videos have gone viral in terms of their multiplicity. They do not make much sense as they all depict Zimbabweans as puppets who are being stringed against each other by Mugabe. While the people are busy making and watching the zvirikufaya videos, Mugabe is doing whatever he deems necessary for the pleasure of his young wife and kids. In zvirikufaya Zimbabweans have got themselves a portent toy to play with whilst Mugabe plunders their souls.
Of course the videos are imbedded with some hidden messages that need to be deciphered. The videos show that people in the Diaspora have an unbreakable umbilical connection with Zimbabwe and most long to be home in Zimbabwe despite shouts on the contrary. On the other hand, many nationals in Zimbabwe would take the first available flight abroad to escape the hardships of irking a living from nothing. Remember that although there might be hundreds of zvirikufaya videos making their rounds, there are millions of Zimbabweans who are silenced into submission by hash economic and political outlooks.
If indeed Zimbabwe is firing on all cylinders for everyone Zimbabwe would not be jittery about South Africa’s intentions to tighten its visa regime and the registrar general would not be overwhelmed by so many passport applications by citizens wishing to escape the hardships.
Those applications are not for purposes of holidaying as most Zimbabweans take holiday packages to visit their rural folks in Mbonqane, Magunje or Piriwiri.
It is a dream we all have as we all wish that zvirikufaya .
Masola waDabudabu is a social commentator.
