IT needed Mother Nature to expose the shoddy preparations for this year’s independence celebrations that were held in Nembudziya, Gokwe, on Friday last week.
Before the national event, authorities were gloating that they had ticked all the boxes to ensure the holding of one of the country’s key national events.
They claimed roads had been rehabilitated while a soccer pitch had been constructed, a legacy infrastructure that will host future Division One matches.
To cap it all, bucket seats were installed.
However, the rains that lashed the area on Thursday and showers that followed on Friday exposed poor workmanship, despite claims to the contrary.
The roads were impassable, with some cars and buses getting stuck in the mud.
The bucket seats fell off while the pitch was waterlogged.
It was the same pitch that hosted the Independence Cup final, pitting FC Platinum against Simba Bhora. The match was forced to resort to penalties after 15 minutes as the pitch was unplayable.
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Independence Day is a crucial day on the Zimbabwean calendar as it is a time to reflect on the arduous journey to self-rule after 90 years of colonial domination.
It is a day that Zimbabweans commemorate the attainment of universal suffrage and the end of racial discrimination. It is a day that unites Zimbabweans despite race, tribe, religion or political affiliation. That explains why at previous editions, party regalia was banned as organisers wanted the citizens to be united, away from political parties that paddock people along ideological lines.
It is a day when politics is set aside. This did not reach the ears of the co-director of ceremonies and Local Government minister, Daniel Garwe, who forgot that he was not at a Zanu PF rally, declaring that “God wanted President Emmerson Mnangagwa to rule till 2030”. This is in line with a plot by a clique in Zanu PF to extend Mnangagwa’s stay by two years when his constitutionally-mandated two terms end in 2028, although the President has said he intends to retire in 2028.
That the main celebrations in the Midlands province turned out to be a farce reflects badly on the authorities who led the process, despite telling the nation that preparations progressed well.
Can organisers say it was an appropriate honour to the fallen heroes from the Midlands such as General Josiah Magama Tongogara, Leopold Takawira, Cephas Msipa, Richard Hove, Stephen Vuma and Subusiso Moyo, among others?
They are likely to bury their heads in the sand, blaming Mother Nature.
It did not need Mother Nature to tell the organisers that the pitch was unsuitable to host a soccer match.
That the organisers saw it fit to have a soccer match played in a water-logged pitch is in itself criminal and explains why the national soccer team is playing home matches away from home. Authorities believe any flat ground can be turned into a soccer pitch.
The players want to support national events. However, they can’t jeopardise their careers by playing on a water-logged pitch.
Friday’s episode will trigger debate on the wisdom behind the decentralisation of the main Independence Day celebrations. We believe it is the way to go, provided that adequate planning is done to give the event the befitting status it deserves.
The second republic should take credit for decentralising national events under the tag “leaving no one and no place behind”.
It has taken Independence Day celebrations to far-flung areas, triggering development in host districts.
Our sister paper, The Standard, reported yesterday that the government could have sunk US$10 million into Friday’s chaotic event.
There was nothing to show for such a huge investment after all the wheels came off.
