Christpower Maisiri (12) died in an inferno in Headlands, in a case that clearly betrays an act of politically motivated violence. His father, whom I understand has survived several previous attempts on his life, is an aspiring MDC-T parliamentary candidate.
While Mugabe was being feted by grovelling faithfuls—some of them not so faithful—Headlands was a theatre of tears and sorrow.
In Harare and Bindura, where hundreds of people gathered for the presidential birthday commemorations, there was opulent celebration of a ripe old age; miles away, a village was heaving under the tragedy of hunger, poverty and grief.
One life, Mugabe’s, was being hailed for having lasted so long; the other life, Christpower’s, was being mourned for having gone too soon.
Christpower had his whole life before him and was just rising from the sunrise – while Mugabe is trudging through the twilight.
This contrast is enough to make me sad for a whole generation, and beyond. There is nothing more heart-breaking than seeing a young life carelessly butted into the ground like a spent cigarette. But the tragedy doesn’t end there. The 21st February Movement is supposed to be a celebration of youth and the future. That is what we have been told all along.
Yet Mugabe used the occasion at Chipadze Stadium to display uncouth disregard for Christpower’s death, virtually downgrading it to political spin and a platform to defend his party against imagined local and Western encroachment into the Zimbabwean space.
The following are the remarks that are attributed to him by the Sunday Mail, and I have no reason to believe he was misquoted, considering where the publication comes from.
• MDC-T acted dishonestly by accusing Zanu (PF) members of killing Christpower and failing to talk to him and his party
• MDC-T fabricated facts leading to the general conclusion that it was members of Zanu (PF) that killed the innocent boy
• MDC-T is in the habit of sniffing out for any kind of funeral and blaming Zanu (PF)
• In this regard, it has been joined by regime change-seeking agents from the west, particularly the US and British governments, through their embassies
• Where it is perceived (alternately to read established) that Zanu (PF) is responsible for politically motivated murders, the aggrieved and mourning should first seek dialogue with Mugabe and Zanu (PF).
Quote: If you suspect Zanu (PF), then why don’t you discuss that matter with Zanu (PF), end quote.
• The police have already concluded, in their preliminary investigations, that “there was no foul play”, so no-one should have accused Zanu (PF) members of killing Christpower.
These are the most disturbing statements I have heard from someone who is supposed to be a statesman and father figure. To start with, I don’t see any sense in aggrieved people seeking audience with him and Zanu (PF) over a death, because whatever measure of discussions, he and his party have no power to resurrect the dead.
Christpower’s life is not like the draft constitution. You can’t cut and paste the life of a human being as Copac did to the draft for over three years. Second, there is absolutely no reason in acting on the basis of “preliminary” police investigations. In recent weeks, there has been talk around the need for the police to bring to account all those that were fingered over political violence in the past.
The point is, the police have done a dirty job of it in the past and cannot be trusted to come up with objective and professional findings in cases where Zanu (PF) is named as the culprit in politically motivated violence. The ZRP has repeatedly demonstrated its partisan nature. History reels under police omissions where people have been victimised by the party.
The police investigations say fertiliser and tobacco chemicals MIGHT have exploded resulting in an inferno, and we know that the Maisiri homestead HAS been a target of arson attempts in the past.
Third, I don’t see how MDC-T could have fabricated the arson that killed Christpower. I hold no brief for the party and do not dismiss the fact that, just like Zanu (PF) that has over the decades been seeking political capital by burying every Jack, Jill and Tendai at the Heroes’ Acre, MDC-T could have seized on the death to boost emotion around itself ahead of the 2013 elections.
To say that the burning alive of Christpower in that hut is a case of mental manufacture just beats me. I wonder how many votes Mugabe will get out of making that pronouncement, especially given the fact that he said it in front of hundreds of young girls and boys and during an occasion that he says is for youths. What message does he give to these young ones, and what creatures will his plain arrogance and disregard for life turn them into?
Not at any one time did I hear that Mugabe mourned with the Maisiri family. This is what he should have done, especially considering that he has in recent months been preaching peace, unity and harmony.
With Mugabe’s recent statements at Chipadze, I am almost certain that the stage has been set for a repeat of the violence that we have come to accept as a gruesome reality whenever Zimbabwe goes for elections.
I am throwing into the trash bin all his talk about peace and bracing for the worst.
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Post published in: Analysis