MEMORIES AND THOUGHTS OF A FORMER ZANU-PF CADRE
PREAMBLE:
I think many of us have seen movies/films that have a very complex plot!
To the real deep thinker, the more complex the plot, the more exciting the movie!
One that has really been great to me was "THE FUGITIVE."
A very successful Medical Doctor rushes home to find his front door open.
He rushes up the steps and is nearly knocked over by a man rushing down.
Someone had informed him that his wife's life was in danger, so he decides whether to go down the steps to try and apprehend the intruder that has descended down from his bedroom or to continue up the stairs to check on his wife.
(As we are to learn later, the person who had informed him that his wife was in danger was the very person who had sent the assassin to kill his wife!)
When he gets to the bed-room door, his wife is lying in a pool of blood and is already through to 911 and she manages to say, " Richard, attacked, Richard, dying."
When Richard, the husband, checks her out he finds that she has been struck by some metal object and is indeed dying.
Then he manages to replace the receiver and calls for the Police to proceed immediately to his house.
Incidentally, the Police were already at his door having received an urgent report that a caller had made a call from a number traced to his to the effect a certain Richard was murdering her!
So the Police rush up the stairs and immediately arrest Richard!
The only person who would have freed Richard was already dead, and that was the wife!
She would have clarified that 911 had misunderstood her call!
Her message had included Richard's name only because she saw him as she was making her desperate 911 call and therefore the message really was both to Richard and to the (already dialled 911) that she was dying of wounds inflicted on her body (but not necessarily inflicted by Richard.)
Then started the troubles that were to make Richard (a normally respectable figure in the Community) turn into a FUGITIVE (ONE THAT IS ON THE RUN, FLEEING THE "ARM OF THE LAW!"
The Prosecutors had produced in Court what they called "A VOICE FROM THE GRAVE" which was the recorded 911 call that had been made by the dying wife!
So apart from Richard himself (and the group that had master-minded the dastardly act); no-one else knew that Richard was innocent!
By some strange set of circumstances, he managed to flee from a Prison Van and went into the woods to hide and to plan how to investigate the murder of his wife!
So here was an innocent man, hiding in the woods, being both a "FUGITIVE" and a "PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR" to the murder mystery of which he had already been convicted by a Competent Court!
But there is another plot!
There is a gang of criminals.They wreck real havoc in the community.A new policeman is very zealous to get rid of the gang.He collects all the information.
He gets the leads that will definitely get the gang "nabbed".He tells his boss of the clarity of the evidence,
On the day when he is sure the gang will be caught in action, he informs his boss of his intricate plans. He is so happy that at last the gang will be nabbed and the community will be free of harassment.What surprises him, though, is the cold nature of his boss's responses whenever he mentions the progress of the investigations.
His boss just gives cold, standard replies. But the "policeman instinct" in him tells him there is something terribly weird but he never seems to get to bottom of the story.
But just before he leaves his office one day, something catches his attention.
A message meant for his boss is erroneously delivered to his office.
The message simply says: " The new bastard in your.bloody Dept is spoiling the fun! If you can't get rid of him (as we have been telling you for the last 3 weeks, then don't blame us if we 'take him out' ourselves."He quickly re-seals the note and puts it in his boss's in-tray!He sweats profusely as he drives the Police Van home!
Of course the million-rand question is:
What does an upright person do when "illegal and immoral" orders are received from above?
What does a man of principle do when his superior is the leader of the crooks?
What does an honest citizen do when he discovers that the Executive President of the country is the "Master-Assassin"?
Lets leave that one for now. We will return to it later in the "second-half"?
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There is also a true story that happened in a city that I will not mention by name.
My friend in the Police Force was attached to the dog section. An urgent call was received that a Police dog was required to help sniff out some robbers that had fled in a certain direction into the thick bushes. He duly answered the call and his dog did assist apprehension of the two robbers. My policeman friend then had to return at top speed to answer to another call!
The Police-van overturned in the dirt road and a passing motorist managed to take out my bleeding Policeman friend and his colleague.
The blunder they did at that juncture was to open the back of the van to "free" the dog that was trapped in the cage there!
The dog rushed to sit next to its wounded master (Inspector Mpofu/ my Policeman friend!)
They then tried to reach Inspector Mpofu so that they would carefully lift him and put him into a Bakkie that had also stopped by to help at the scene of the accident.
The huge, vicious animal vowed that noone would get anywhere near his master who by now had lost too much blood.
The more they signalled for the "loyal" beast to get away, the angrier the animal became and really showed everyone present that he meant real business!
In his programmed thinking process, these 5 people had attacked his master and they would not get the opportunity to finish him off!
He was going to show everybody what he was made of if they dared approach his master who (in his illogical instinct) needed him most at this time and he would let him down at this, his greatest hour of greatest need!
So for 30 precious minutes even a Medical Doctor that had stopped by could not reach the now unconscious Inspector.
So Zimbabwe lay bleeding as the "guerrilla instinct" in the Octogenarian prevented the whole International Community from rendering any assistance!
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I have marvelled myself at the complexities of Politics!
When I was young, I saw my parents suffering the effects of RACIAL DISCRIMINATION and I said to myself that when I grew up, I would do all I could to fight that evil system of RACIAL DOMINATION of ONE RACE GROUP by ANOTHER!
I did not go to Mozambique or to Zambia or to Botswana but I hold in High-esteem those that did!
Their patriotism was of the highest level and their sacrifices were of the supreme level!
The snares on their journey were too numerous and only a few have survived to tell the stories and the nightmares!
Unfortunately a lot of them died in conflicts which were not advancing the cause of Zimbabwe's liberation!
Some of them were "used" to fight "private and personal" battles by unscrupulous Commanders!
Some were sent by their "Chefs" to collect beautiful women from the villages and deliver them to the "lust-filled" Commanders!
Details of such negatives are never fully told since it is expected that during war situations, many unfortunate things happen!
The fighters then learnt to fit in within the system and learn how to survive within the Hierarchical Set Up!
(Here I'm trying to explain why a true ZANU cadre will never agree with you that his "Chef" is wrong even if he sees it himself!)
So when men "fell" during the so-called "NHARI REBELLION", different versions of the events leading to that rebellion will be offered by this side and by that side according to the allegiance of the story-teller!
Another example is the version of events leading to the "ENTUMBANE REBELLION" after Independence!
Some say a certain Politician issued a very "inflammatory" statement which led to the events that saw many soldiers lose their lives.
I referred to the movie "THE FUGITIVE" to highlight that in many instances things are not always how they appear to the eye of the simple observer!
For an example, were it not for the formation of the MDC, ZANU-PF would not have engaged in the Land Reform Programme in the manner that it did!
All I'm saying is: The very existence of the MDC gave ZANU-PF the reason to engage in that exercise (although everyone, including Robert Mugabe himself, admits that it was not at all done properly.)
But the blunt truth is that is that it had to be done in a proper manner sooner or later!
The versions vary as to why ZANU-PF did not accomplish much before the formation of the MDC.
Some say ZANU-PF received money to finance that exercise and bought a few farms for a few senior Party Leaders!
Others say the British Prime Minister reneged on promises that had been made by his predecessors to fully fund the Programme!
ZANU-PF justifies all the evil that it metes out to the Opposition by alleging that they are a formation of the Westminister Foundation which was hoping that if the MDC came into power, the story of the black man's hunger for land would not arise!
Today, Sunday, the 25th of March, 2007, I've just been watching an SABC Programme just a few hours ago and Mr Andrew Meldrum was live on the talk-show with another journalist and the Zimbabwean Presidential Spokesman was "hooked up live" by telephone!
The two versions came up with Cde George Charamba articulating the ZANU-PF position.
But, of course the full story is not being told!
The MDC is the Political Party which asked why "some" farms which were lying idle could not be purchased by the Government so that the unemployed could benefit from the use thereof!
ZANU-PF was desperate for Political Survival, anyway after losing the Referendum on the Constitution and wanted something to "give" to its supporters as a "dangling carrot".
On the other hand, the NCA (The National Constitutional Assembly) was the one that was making a lof of noise about the need for a new Constitution.
ZANU-PF then picked up that whistle and went blowing it desperately but still lost the Referendum in the last "free and fair" of the will of the people of Zimbabwe!
All I';m saying is:
THINGS ARE NEVER WHAT THEY APPEAR TO BE AT FIRST SIGHT AND TO THE EYE OF THE SIMPLE OBSERVER!
Now lets go some memories I have of certain events as I saw them through the eyes of an active, dedicated ZANU-PF CADRE and then lets go through certain questions and observations I have as a CONCERNED ZIMBABWEAN OBSERVER!
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It is extremely and vitally important at the outset that I, Mufaro Stig Hove, inform you, the reader, that I was one of the most ardent supporters of ZANU-PF (THE ZIMBABWE AFRICAN NATIONAL UNION –PATRIOTIC FRONT).
It was not out of coersion that I supported ZANU-PF!
I supported ZANU-PF out of a real and fervent zeal, out of a real patriotic allegiance to such values as freedom, socialism (whether it was Scientific Socialism or raw Communism) and the general desire to see mankind live in a country with Human Rights availed to all regardless of the colour of one's skin or any other qualification.
ZANU-PF and PF-ZAPU (THE ZIMBABWE AFRICAN PEOPLES' UNION)were the Political Parties that represented the Liberation Movement and won between them 77 seats in the first Democratic Elections in 1980. There were 80 seats for the "blacks" in a 100 seat HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY.
ZANU-PF got 57 seats and PF-ZAPU had the other 20.
The UANC (THE UNITED AFICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS) of Bishop Abel Muzorewa got the 3 remaining seats.
It is vitally important, too, at this stage of my submission that it be mentioned that when the Rev Ndabaningi Sithole broke away from ZAPU in 1963, there was a lot of fighting between the ZAPU members and the members of the newly founded ZANU. (ZAPU being the original Party of the late Dr Joshua Nkomo and ZANU being the newly founded Party of the late Rev Ndabaningi Sithole.)
These in-fightings and rivalries were threatening the over-all progress of the black man's struggle to emancipate himself from the shackles of white settler domination and discrimination.
The tragedy of this scenario was that Ian Smith and his CIO ( The Central Intelligence Organization) would "plant" men and women into both of these Organizations who would then commit crimes or mislead others into committing crimes so that Ian Smith would then have the excuse to arrest, detain, ban and even physically eliminate the leaders of both Political Organizations.
The other tragedy of such a scenario is that the very first casualty is the truth and usually there is no time for both parties to sit down and discuss in a "cool frame of mind" to see what exactly is the reason for certain happenings etc so that both Parties can review their positions and see where they share common aspirations, common goals, a common vision etc etc.
Fortunately for that difficult time of the 70s, "operatives" within the Intelligence Community would leak information to the leaderships of these Organizations highlighting the true state of affairs so that these leaders would discover that some in their midst were being used and hence their only way forward was to "close ranks" so that they would fight the common enemy (Ian Smith) and hence minimize the opportunities of "infiltration" etc.
(Note that I said "minimize" because "infiltrations" can never be completely removed from any situation no matter how effective and rigorous the "vetting" systems may be!)
The tragedy occurs when a very senior person on either side of the divide decides to "preach" falsehoods or "half-truths" and to incite his followers to hate/ attack etc members of the other Political Formations.
Ian Smith fully employed various evil and dirty tactics in his war against the guerrilla forces of ZANLA (The Zimbabwe National Liberation Army) , the military wing of ZANU and ZIPRA( the Zimbabwe Peoples' Revolutionary Army), the military wing of ZAPU!
"Selous Scouts" would be briefed by "deserters" from these forces on certain details about these respective forces, their patterns of behaviour, their signals, their language "codes", their dressing styles etc so that these "Selous Scouts" would then go to strategic places eg Mission Stations, kill missionaries there, loot stuff and then leave, say, ZANU-PF material eg pamplets etc in order for "Public Opinion" to sway against the legitimate ZANLA Liberation fighters and, of course, ultimately their Leaders (in this particular case) Robert Mugabe and on the ZIPRA side, Dr Joshua Nkomo!
So these same leaders learnt the very hard way of the evil nature of Politics and the abuse of Information to subdue and, if possible, permanently "neutralize" your "opponent."
The real tragedy occurs when within the Intelligence Forces there arise "disgruntled elements" who will make it their commitment to inform and advise the "opponents" of every detail of the plans of each and every impending "operation" etc.
The "State Machinery", for instance, can never "succeed" if the greater part of its members are disgruntled and are themselves privately "wishing and praying" for a change of Administration.
They will make sure that the so-called "Opposition" Forces are well briefed and updated and they would actually "aggressively" encourage these "opposition forces" to increase their "onslaughts" and a very intricate system develops of information dissemination and co-operation.
The "State Machinery" will then provide equipment eg "Arms" to the their "friends" in the "Opposition" who they will be viewing as their "liberators" from a perceived "evil" Administration.
The worst comes when certain of the very close "Protection Units" decide to do the "Laurent Kabila" on the very object they are supposed to protect!
In my humble analysis of events in Zimbabwe at the moment, I don't think we are very far from that scenario!
In that situation, the very personnel that are used to "rig" the Elections, to assassinate and eliminate are the very people that give detailed reports to the "other side" on the full details of these "activities."
In that situation, the only way out for a sitting Government, for instance, would be to call for , say, an "ALL PARTY CONFERENCE" so that there is a renewed National and Common Vision so that Points of Agreement and Points of Disagreement are fully discussed then the various Forces (whether Military, Intelligence etc) get a new "allegiance" to the new "Status Quo."
Any propaganda, any misinformation etc must then be done away with and apologies must be made and restitution and compensations paid out to all those that will have been "caught up" in various "cross-fire" situations.
Let me now go back to the events that occurred immediately after independence in Zimbabwe!
Dr Joshua Nkomo of PF-ZAPU was offered the Ceremonial Presidency and he declined. Many are of the opinion that he had been advised that Robert Mugabe would have effectively "killed" ZAPU then because as a Non-Political President, he would not be legally "allowed" to oversee the affairs of his Party.
I agree with that perception because it was in Mugabe's vision all the time to have his ZANU-PF as the "One-Party" that would remain in his envisioned "One-Party State."
Mugabe himself does not hide his deep disappointment in Dr Nkomo's turning down of that "noble and well-meant" offer. (Of course, there had been nothing "noble and well-meaning" in that supposed "offer", anyway!)
So Cde Nkomo was invited into a Government of National Unity with the post of Minister of Home Affairs being given to him.
The more strategic Ministries of Security and Defence were kept on the ZANU-PF side.
We were shocked and disillusioned when we heard one evening on the radio and on State Television that the ZAPU members had been expelled from Government and that there would be arrests of Senior and Junior Leaders of ZAPU as investigations were going on that Dr Joshua Nkomo was collaborating with the then- Apartheid South Africa and other "Imperialist" forces to oust "my" (Mugabe's) Government by military means.
What happened during those years from 1983 to 1987 can be got from various other writings and also from postings I made on my www.gukurahundi.blogspot.com
Suffice to say that I, myself, was a Secretary in a ZANU-PF District in Kadoma and we beat up and literally killed a lot of ZAPU members in various "Operations" which were well planned by the late Cde Robson Manyika and the late Cde Enos Chikowore (among others.)
What was most painful to me was that I was made to supervise the brutal beating of many of my friends and compatriots with whom we had worked and suffered in the 70s as a unified force under the umbrella of the then UANC.
I had either to be fully involved or risk being labelled a ZAPU "dissident" myself.
Incidentally, I had a Zulu wife then and to the simplest ZANU-PF "activist", a Zulu and a Ndebele were one and the same and were ZAPU "elements."
I remember clearly on the morning of the 16th of June, 1984 (at about 0530 hrs) that I left our house at No 23 Masina Street in Rimuka Township (near Kuredza Primary School/ opposite the Maternity Clinic) and rode my bicycle to buy the "Herald" newspaper.
I came across a big "mob" that was singing such songs as "Tondokudubura 'madhizi'….Takabata ma'sub' nezvimbambaira." (We are going to crush the dissidents….we are armed with sub-machine guns and landmines.")
(Of course, they were only armed with sticks, chains and other such "weapons").
As a fairly Senior member, I was surprised that I had not known of such an arrangement!
I was told, "Chef totoenda tose kubasa!( Boss, you are joining us in the task at hand.")
I remember I left my bicycle somewhere along the way at a member's house as I joined the growing crowd!
I only collected it late at about 18.00 hrs.
May I at this stage reveal that other ZANU-PF leaders confided with me that Cde Robson Manyika was at the "Moores Motel" and was awaiting the progress of this "Operation."
Back home, those at the back of the crowd knocked for my wife to open the door ( as they were doing at each and every house, anyway!)
My wife could not reply in good Shona and was only saved the beatings because a certain woman in the crowd shouted that she was "Cde Mapetere's wife" and could they be "very careful of what they were planning to do". (Cde Mapetere is my lineage name and I was using that one in ZANU-PF business!)
My Zulu wife was 8 months pregnant ( and was carrying our second baby).
I will never forget the dates and everything because she had a threatened miscarried a few days after that but God was good to us and she delivered the most healthy bouncy baby-girl on the 14th of July, 1984.(who today is a very pretty 23-year-old darling.)
My wife was then "covered" by Women's League members but was made to accompany them (for her own protection lest another group that would not be as discreet would inflict harm on her.)
So (as I was made to understand later), she accompanied the League women for some time until someone noticed her swollen feet and suggested that she be excused from this "Perm" Operation.
The terminology of "Perm" came from the straitening of women's (or sometimes men's) hair using a very hot steel comb.
So the "cleaning-up" Operations in the various (mainly High Density Areas) was likened to that very dangerous hair-straitening exercise!
I only got to know of my wife's experiences when I met another group at the last point of Assembly at about 14.00 hrs.
The events in question had occurred at about 05.30 and I was worried if she was okay and if anyone had come across her since she was heavily pregnant!
I was assured that some Women's League members (and up to now I still think they are the Biblical "Good Samaritans") had offered to accompany her to my mother's place (which was at the other end of Rimuka Township at Stand 135 opposite Tafadzwa Primary School) so she could rest.
My mother (although Zulu also) had firmly established herself as a ZANU-PF member (although she made it a point that she informed them that the real Liberation was from sin and from the Devil and the real Liberated place was Heaven where we all had to "prepare" for even as we did our earthly chores.)
(She saw herself as one and the same with such brave , gallant heroes as Cde Victoria Chitepo and Cde Ruth Chinamano!
What a great woman my late mother was!
She once asked Cde Richard Chemist Hove what exactly had happened to Cde Josiah Tongogara.
She said Cde Hove just looked down and did not reply her!)
The "Good Samaritans" then met my mother (who was with another ZANU-PF team).
At this juncture may I mention that it was really torture for my mother to accompany these murderous gangs.
The only things my mother could kill were flies and I do not remember her killing a chicken! ( That MaNgcobo woman of God!)
So I sincerely believe she was overjoyed to find an excuse to return to her house with her heavily-pregnant daughter-in-law to look after her as the "Perm" Operations progressed elsewhere.
By the way, she had left behind my father whom everyone knew as asthmatic and would have had a serious attack on that very cold winter morning if he had been forced to join the Perm" Operations.
Me as a good loyal "Cadre", I supervised over the beatings up of not less than 30 ZAPU members.
At least two died as I watched with my own eyes.
It was thick sticks, chains and fists that did the job!
I must admit, though, that my conscience (as an Assemblies of God Pastor) did not allow me to personally beat up anyone myself!
In fact, I wasn't really "comfortable" with the whole situation but the "orders" had come "from above" and who was I to say anything?
"What of the Police? Where were they in all this?"
What good questions!
Those that ran to seek refuge at the Rimuka Police Station gave us the opportunity to "deal" with the "Dzaku-Dzakus" and "Dissidents" there (including members of the Police themselves!)
There were Policemen who were known to "support" ZAPU or were ex-ZIPRA and some were fervent UANC supporters (having a "hang-over" from the previous short-lived Muzorewa's "Zimbabwe-Rhodesia.")
("Dzaku-Dzaku" was the pseudo name for UANC and, of course, "Dissidents" were ZAPU supporters but loosely-extended to mean any Ndebele-speaking person!
One plain-clothes Policeman was beaten to death as I watched with my own eyes (and within the grounds of the Rimuka Police Station!) What a vivid and graphic reminder of the "suspending" of the rule of law!
Unlike the Saul (Paul) of the Bible, I wasn't really consenting to what was happening but I had no alternative!
A good number of my friends and compatriots (some of whom we had suffered detentions with in 70s were beaten to death as I watched!)
It was about 1400 hrs that we all had to march to an open place in the town of Kadoma (in front of the TM Supermarket) where there are shops like Jaggers now) and
Cdes Robson Manyika, Enos Chikowore and others stood on top of open Police Bakkies (Vans) and addressed us all (including of course the "repentant" ZAPU members we had brought with us!)
The TV crews were told to switch off their equipments!
Then Cde Manyika said that what had happened that day was the beginning of what all ZAPU members were going to face as ZAPU was like a snake (mhakure) which had entered the children's house and had to crushed with all the force possible!
The TV crews were then told to switch on their cameras.
The message now was "Please we don't want any violence! Please don't take the law into your own hands! If you suspect that your neighbour is involved in "illegal" activities, please go to the Police Station and report them and return to your house! Leave the Police to do their investigations and verify the facts. Remember we are a Multi-Party State and everybody is free to join and belong to a Political Party of his/her choice including PF-ZAPU and even the UANC!"
You have guessed right!
The latter message was the one that was broadcast on ZTV that evening as the then-Prime Minister Robert Mugabe also joined in the chorus of the ZANU-PF leaders who condemned the lawlessness that was being perpetrated by certain of his "over-zealous" members who had decided to the law into their own hands.
But the "anger was appreciated", said!
These "dissident activities" had gone on for too long and members of "his" Party were running out of "patience."
But he did not omit to add that the real "suspicion" was that the ZAPU members were organising these events in order to give an impression that ZANU-PF was doing an indiscriminate "cleansing exercise" in order to mete out a "blanket punishment" on all ZAPU members (many of whom were not even involved in the "dissident" activities.")
What transpired in Kadoma was simultaneously done in Chinhoyi (Mashonaland West) and in many other towns of the Midlands eg Kwe-kwe and Gweru!
At Political Rallies (where every household was forced to attend and ZANU-PF "Cell" Chairmen were to write registers of which household did not have at least one member attending), Dr Joshua Nkomo was depicted as the Devil who had come straight from the pit of Hell to destroy the good work that the Angel Gabriel had been sent straight from Heaven to accomplish!
(Remember Robert Mugabe's middle name is "GABRIEL!")
I remember clearly the then Governor of the Midlands, (Cde Benson Ndemera) asking us what should be done to such a Devil!
The crowds shouted, "He should be killed!"
And those were the days we heard that Cde Joshua Nkomo had disguised himself as a very old woman and had fled to Botswana!
(My intention here is not to relate the whole story!
The story can never be told in full by any single individual or in any single book!
I'm only trying to relate the pattern of events as they would be experienced by members of the MDC (The Movement for Democratic Change) sixteen to twenty-three years later!
I still continued, though, to serve and to vote for ZANU-PF!
I had no other real choice also because ZAPU was (about three years later) "swallowed" by ZANU-PF on the 22nd of Dec, 1987 when DR JOSHUA NKOMO signed that so-called Unity Accord where he also had to carry the picture of Robert Mugabe in his wallet like every other ZANU-PF member!
What an anti-climax after the events that were later so vividly described in the "Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace".
For your information,I posted the full "Gukurahundi Report" on my www.gukurahundi.blospot.com ( and I'm sincerely thankful to Mr Mduduzi Mathuthu of www.newzimbabwe.com for the numerous pieces which I joined together and posted onto the said blog.)
As I said before, I continued to religiously labour and vote for ZANU-PF until another event Gweru which had a very permanent effect on my life!
Cde Patrick Kombayi (having left ZANU-PF and now a Senior member of Cde Edgar Tekere's ZUM- The Zimbabwe Unity Movement) stood against the late Vice President Muzenda in the Gweru Urban Constituency!
He was shot and wounded as he drove his vehicle like any other private citizen in of the streets of Gweru!
A certain CIO Operative called Kanengoni and a ZANU-PF youth leader had done that "unholy" act.
Those two assassins were arrested, charged, convicted and sentenced by a "competent Court of Law."
Our dear Executive President, Cde Robert Gabriel Mugabe wrote a Presidential Pardon which was urgently delivered to the Judge as soon as he finished reading his Judgement
So instead of being handcuffed, they were immediately released and joined the world of the free and the innocent!
From that day, in 1990, I made a vow that I would never vote for ZANU-PF again!
I voted for Cde Tekere, instead, in the Presidential Elections that were held in that year (1990.)
Another thing happened that was to again affect my perception of ZANU-PF!
As I was in the queue to vote, my metal ID (Identification Document) was checked, as normal, and my name found and was deleted in the Register (Voters' Roll) as is the standard procedure.
Then next was a young man who asked for my ID again
As he detached the Ballot Paper I was to use, I clearly remember seeing him writing my ID number 24-033249-W-03 on the corresponding Counterfoil that remained.
I didn't think much of it then and I proceeded to the next stage where I had my hand dipped into that ink stuff!
I then proceeded to the "private" corner at the other end of the Hall (which had been prepared like a "fitting-room" of a Clothes Shop).
Without any hesitation,I put my mark against Cde Edgar Tekere's name, face and mark signifying that he was my choice for the Executive Presidency of The Republic of Zimbabwe for the Presidential Elections of 1990!
I had broken with my tradition and I felt free but strangely "guilty"!
I left the little corner smiling (my heart beating as one would feel after "cheating" on one's partner) and dutifully inserted the neatly folded paper into the Ballot Box!
A few hours later (at home), I started re-living the evemts that had transpired at the "Cooksey Hall."
I wondered why the young man had written my ID number on the Counterfoil of the Ballot Paper!
After a few weeks I confided this "query"with one of my "friends" in the CIO and he said it wasn't really done to everybody!
I told him his answer wasn't good enough!
"To whom was it done then?" I was very eager to know.
He answered that there were a few selected individuals who were being "monitored" and the State wanted to know how they were voting!
"SHIT", I quietly thought to myself!
I thanked the "friend" and passed on pretending that his explanations had not worried me at all!
But inside I was boiling and sweating!
I had just submitted an Application to join the ZNA (the Zimbabwe National Army) as a Chaplain and I was awaiting their "rigorous" "vetting" process!
So I could "kiss that vacancy Goodbye!"
I've since related this experience to many people and they do not see the very serious implications of this "Devilish" intrusion into one's private life!
"What exactly is the fuss, Mr Hove?" you may ask.
The Ballot Paper has a serial number which is exactly the same as the one on the remaining Counterfoil!
(Exactly like the cheque-book!)
After all the counting has been done and the results have been announced, the boxes are then sent to a "special place" for "auditing."
It is there when the audits are being done that the selected Ballot Papers are matched with the Counterfoils (as the "auditing" requires, anyway).
Simultaneously (or as a separate "Operation", it is then realized that 24-033249-W-03 (who is Mufaro Stig Hove) voted for ZUM and not ZANU-PF!
But even at that stage, that information is kept to a very selected few because that "extra" activity is completely illegal and unconstitutional!
Or am I wrong? Can someone assist me!
Are these "things" also happening in other countries, say RSA, Britain or the USA?
But I have never felt so 'abused"!
So "cheated"!
"So is this the Independence we welcomed in 1980?" I used to ask to ask myself for days on end.
"So we can't remove this Government, even if we wanted to, for fear of these 'things'?"
But as they say, "I HADN'T SEEN ANYTHING YET!"
The worst was to come when the MDC was formed in 1999!
REAL HELL BROKE LOOSE AND EVEN THE DEVIL (LUCIFER) HIMSELF IN THE VERY DEPTHS OF HELL MARVELS AND IS SHOCKED AT THE VIOLENCE THAT IS METERED OUT TO MDC MEMBERS IN THE INDEPENDENT, "MULTI-PARTY" DEMOCRATIC STATE OF ZIMBABWE!
It is not my intention in this particular submission to relate all the experiences of the MDC in the "Democratic" country we know as Zimbabwe!
You can read elsewhere that in my blogs an article entitled "THE SAD STORY OF THE MDC (1999 to 2006.)
For now I think I can close this submission.
I, however, think that if there could be dialogue in Zimbabwe, a lot of issues could be discussed and a way forward found!
The suffering of the people has gone on for too long and a way out must be found.
In a separate submission, I will try to show that Mr Robert Mugabe, himself, in not a sincere leader.
I believe a true leader of the people could have worked for a solution of his country's problems even if it meant him stepping aside to allow others to work on the intricacies of the problems facing the beautiful country!
Unfortunately, as most of us know, Robert Mugabe himself is the problem!
AS A BY THE WAY…….
I have never understood the true nature of the man!
I have watched him as he speaks. I've tried to closely watch him as he is interviewed. I'm convinced that we do not have a ordinary man as our leader!
He does not do a normal eye contact with anyone!
His very blinking is too terribly strange.
Am I only one who has made that observation?
I'm encouraged because I remember my muzukuru Tanonoka Hwande (Joseph Machenjera ) also observing that the very proof that something was terribly wrong in the coutry could be felt in the "President's" voice.
You can hear the shivering of anger and various mixed emotions in his voice.
Joseph Machenjera then asked , "Whom is the President angry with?"
Is the President angry with everybody?
What crime did everybody commit to him?
I can testify that this so-called "President" has never been a "normal" person even before the formation of the MDC in 1999.
The way he has handled certain emotional momemts have completely baffled me!
For an example, we expected him to at least attend the funeral of the Rev Ndabaningi Sithole.
Not making him a National Hero was "evil" enough but not, at least, attending his Funeral was completely unforgivable!
I have perceived in Robert Mugabe a very evil heart! (What English word means our Shona "hutsinye"?)
I can bet my life on the fact when Robert Mugabe puts a certain type of smile on his face, he will be describing another person in a very bad light.
If he speaks of his "lazy" or "incompetent" Ministers, he will really put a strange smile on his face!
Or when he describes how these Ministers go to "witch-doctors" to seek for "muti" to get favours from the President!
I wonder why he always refers to himself as "we" even when he is not really referring to to the "Party".
I also wonder what exactly he meant when said in Malawi (at that road named after him), "Do you really know who I am?"
Is there a real bigger force that is in him that has not yet been "known"?
Does anyone have any answers?
Then there is the aspect of "mysteries"!
Was Mugabe "castrated " during the detentions he suffered at the hands of the equally evil Ian Smith?
Then what happened? How was it rectified?
Did Mugabe go for various "face-lifts" ie "plastic surgery" on his face?
Did Mugabe ever authorise or get involved in the taking of assassination of certain of his people?
Please kindly refer to a submission posted elsewhere on these blogs as "Is Robert Mugabe the 'Master-assassin'?"
Does Mugabe or has ever used certain certain drugs eg "mbanje"("dagga?"
I'm asking because he used to talk with pauses where he sounded like one "inhaling" smoke from a twist of dagga!
Then has Mugabe ever taken time to explain all the questions that people ask about him?
Or are people afraid of really getting "down-to-earth" with the man and ask him about his real private life!
Is he always tense even in the "private intimate moments?"
I have a feeling that we have never had a normal human being in our midst.
Was he always that strange or did the "war experiences" "harden" him?
But why did certain other people like Cde Nelson Mandela come out of 27 years of Detention and seem to have adjusted well to "normal" life?
Why did Mugabe seem to belittle Cde Nelson Mandela?
Why did Mugabe react with exaggerate anger to the revered Archbishop Desmond Tutu?
My final question is :
Does Robert Gabriel Mugabe have a serious "inferiority complex" and hence hides under the exaggerated rage to confuse his real emotions?
I hope I have opened a few "Pandora's Boxes" with the mixed "thoughts" and "memories" that I have presented to you, dear beloved reader, in this "Mixed Masala" type of submission!
My submission has been like a "Punch Drink"…..all sorts of flavours and mixed tastes.
Yours for the love of Zimbabwe and its wonderful, smiling people,
The Rev Mufaro Stig Hove….THE RADICAL SOLDIER!
Cell: 0791463039 RSA.
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