We need to compromise,though its painful

A friend of mine,Tatadzei grew up in a luxurious home with relatives visiting them almost everyday .It was really fun because my friend’s rich parents would package groceries for their relatives. The relatives used to pamper him especially the uncles claiming that if he visited them they would slaughter a cow. He would visit them and indeed they would spoil him. He would be treated different from other children so that he would go and give a good report about the relatives to his parents.Uncle Mosinyi became very close to their family because he would send a lot of goodies during harvest time from the villages.Unfortunately this was short lived as Tatadzei’s parents were involved in an accident when they were coming from a business trip.All of a sudden the young man found himself an orphan; this was indeed very tragic for him.
As you know in our African custom that when a rich person dies everyone want to be guilty in terms of ownership of property,even those who were not greeting the deceased will begin to make incredible claims from the deceased’s estate.Remember the words of the deceased becomes diamond,if you say “he/she said….”there will deafening silence from the audience to the extent that you can hear the sound of a pin when it drops.Uncle Mosinyiclaimed that Tatadzei’s father had phoned just after the accident .He had said”U..ncle M..u..par..a..dz..i look after my so…n and wealth unt..il my child grows up”.There was silence from the other end as he kept saying “hello hello hello”.After these emotional words from Uncle Mosinyithere was another round of great mourning,others wailing,screaming ,hitting themselves against the wall claiming that they wanted to kill themselves and follow the deceased.I assure you there was enough to drink and eat after the dramma,so you can imagine the noise and action.
It was clear to everyone that Uncle Mosinyi was going to take over the estate.When he took over the first three months he was very nice to Tatadzei,he would give him pocket money for school,ensure that the maid look very well after him.After three months Uncle Mosinyi decided to relocate with his family to the city that’s when Tatadzei’s life became a living hell.The wife of the uncle reminded the husband that there was no one looking after their home in the village.The uncle suggested their eldest son to go to the village instead and there was a serious protest from the mother who refused to eat claiming that the uncle was favouring his brother’s son.So after emence pressure Tatadzei was sent to the villages to look after the homestead while learning at a nearby school.
Tatadzei was in the rural areas staying alone and attending a very poor school where students will reach form three unable to finish a sentence in English while the Uncle’s children had been taken to a plushy and expensive boarding schools. After two years Tatadzei had become a pure village boy who used to survive from handouts from neighbors and little harvest from the field.In the meantime uncle Mosinyi had forgotten totally about the boy in the village,he had even changed his accent.he was sitting from board meeting to another plundering Tatadzei’s wealth.When Tatadzei miraculously passed Uncle Mosinyi told him there was no money for him to go to university because he was supposed to go with his family to Dubai on holiday.Tatadzei had given up hope of better life when the village chief sold his three beasts to fund the bright and promising youngman to go to university.In life its very sad that when you are down your relatives laugh at you ,but friends often help.The boy went to university and Uncle Mosinyi came fuming at the village chief for sending the youngman to university.He even threatened the village chief and told him that he was good for nothing oldman who was throwing his few beasts in the drain as nothing would come out of the youngman.The oldman was left with only eight cattle after helping the youngman.
When Tatadzei got at the university he got a scholarship to study in Europe and that was the last time anybody heard about him.Being an orphan nobody cared anywhere.After many years everybody just declared him dead as no one had heard about him
In the meantime Tatadzei became a successful scholar and businessman right in the Queen’s land(UK).When he heard that there was cholera epidemic in Africa he was very troubled because he had not forgotten the village chief who had helped him.He decided to fly to Africa and check the safety of the village chief who seemed to have become his only true relative.When he arrived in Africa ,Tatadzei bought a range rover for the village chief and employed a driver to chauffer the oldman.He even opened a supermarket for the village chief.
The village chief requested Tatadzei to escort him somewhere and he accepted.The village chief gave directions until they saw some house which was about to fall on its own.When he got off the car he was greeted by a stench like that of a carcass and flies hovering around as if there was a party for them.He heard a frail voice from inside the house and decided to go and see who it was.He was taken aback to see Uncle Mosinyi and three of his children lying lifelessly like a skeleton.They were all dying from cholera ,themother and the daughter had passed on a week earlier.Tatadzei sighed andfainted.When he woke up he wanted to attack Uncle Mosinyi for what he had done to him.This was the man who had plundered his father’s wealth denied him a penny from it.His wound of anger and bitterness became fresh and he wept uncontrollably like a child lost at the market.After minutes of crying he went back into the car and became stone cold,no trace of emotion,anger or hate.He just wanted to leave the place and let these heartless relatives perish for what they had done to him.They had failed to run his parents’ business until it was taken over by messengers of court ,the messenger of court took everything including the bed and even clothes, thank God , at least its illegal to confisticate people otherwise they would not have survived. So they just came to the village with nothing except clothes they were wearing.All his children had failed school resulting in some of them becoming thieves ,gangsters and murderers.
When they were leaving in the car there was deafening silence, suddenly Tatadzei instructed the driver to turn back.Tatadzei would not have been arrested by police if he had gone leaving those relatives to die.He adopted the spirit of compromise,and believe me its difficult to compromise with a person who has persecuted you before.Tatadzei saved lives and relatives because of the compromise.If he has neglected his relatives the whole community were going to label him a wicked witch, possibly bring a curse upon his life and history was not going to forgive him.
Compromise is painful,but practical and definitely bring results.An example is South Africa,Mandela compromised that’s why we are going to attend world Cup,that’s why Mr Zuma(Msholozi) is President today,that is why all national Televisions in the world are featuring South Africa for confederation games.If he had not done that Umkonto WeSizwe could still be running in the bushes and ditches brushing with snakes ,lizards and all the filth of the bush.I was told by comrades who fought the liberation struggle in Zimbabwe that there is no Nandos and peri-peri ,no dates except with bullets and bombs(zvimbambaira),no comfortable beds,no air condition….the list is endless.We have seen nations of hardliners involved in unending wars .I was born knowing there was conflict in Somalia and now I am old,but there is still fighting.There have not done anything for their nation except to bring more pain and starvation.They are millions of Somalian refugees in almost every nation in Africa.I am sorry to use Somalia,but it’s a fact that there are where they are because they don’t want to compromise.This is the same situation in DRC,if you can’t compromise you are guaranteed of exterminating each other until there is no-one in the land except dead decaying bodies ,vultures and hyenas.I want you to picture that country ,but I definitely don’t want to be part of that.
In Zimbabwe President Mugabe and Prime Minister Tsvangirai came together to avert a catastrophe in Zimbabwe.If Mr Tsvangirai had not done what Tatadzei did people were going to die from hunger and desease.I want the world to know that there are hardliners in both MDC and ZANU PF,those who are not interested in the welfare of the nation ,but want to see a perceived enemy who is actually a relative perish.I want the hardliners to know that they are the enemies of the nation.Such kind of people do not belong to our beautiful nation rather they belong to the seas with pirates.What was done by those Zimbabwean asylum seekers in UK to Prime Minister Tsvangirai was a non-event,it’s a sign of ungratefulness and lack of respect for that nation and their own leader.Those to me were only misguided hardliners who needs to respect elders.I think that these people have lost their manners as Africans because being invited as they were,there were always better avenues to channel their concerns.Even if you baths with expensive soaps that will not change who you are.Don’t forget that you used to eat rice and chicken and have new clothes on Christmas day.You really embarrassed us as a nation because Mr Tsvangirai was representing the interests of the nation not any political party and surely you should not be proud of what you did.Mr Tsvangirai should not be dettered by such selfish elements because the bigger struggle has already been won.Ever since the two fueding parties agreed to work together there is no going back and Zimbabwe has surely come out of the doldrums of uncertainity without any iota of doubt.
President Mugabe and Prime Minister Tsvangirai have given us hope as a nation.We appreciate that there are hardliners in both MDC and ZANU PF,but my advise to you gentlemen is ignore them and do what is right.I want to congratulate you gentlemen for averting a Somalia situation in our nation.If you remain resolute and true to the cause a beautiful Zimbabwe hardliners have no place in Zimbabwe and history.Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai should climb the highest mountain in Zimbabwe ,order coffee from there and look at the vast plains and lands of Zimbabwe and say what should we do for our people because they have suffered a lot.Crack jokes and laugh a laughter that will reverberate in the whole nation of Zimbabwe and the country will be one again,rain will begin to pour freely to the earth and give life to the dry ,thirsty land.Your attitudes towards each other is a temperature gauge for the national behavior.So far genuine patriotic Zimbabweans are happy with the way you are resolving differences.Keep that respect for each other and definitely we will be the most proud generation of the time.Prime Minister Tsvangirai’s life and experiences has taught me a great lesson on compromise and forgiveness and I hope we will all learn something and make a better future for our children without hate,bitterness and revenge.President Mugabe himself compromised a lot after 1980,so compromise is the key to a better Zimbabwe.Brothers and sisters do not loose hope Zimbabwe will rise again,this time better than ever and I will surely be there to celebrate with you.
Simbarashe Chirimubwe is the President of Concerned Africans Association(CAA) and Global Zimbabwe Forum Coordinator for Africa.

Military honours awaits Tsvangirai in Germany

Harare (ZimEye) – THE German government has announced that it will receive Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai with full military honours during his visit next week.

Tsvangirai is currently on a three-week tour as he “seeks re-engagement with the international community.”

Reports say German Chancellor Angela Merkel will host Tsvangirai for talks on Monday.

Tsvangirai's trip to Germany will succeed talks between him and US President Barack Obama at the White House Friday.
(ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

MDC-T welcomes the lost sons of the struggle

ZIMBABWE - BULAWAYO - The Movement for Democratic Change led by Prime Minster Morgan Tsvangirai has welcomed the move by the Nkayi District leadership and 23 councilors to cross the floor back to the MDC, saying it was a triumph for democracy.

In an interview with ZimDaily, MDC party spokesperson and Minister of Information Communications Technology Nelson Chamisa said it was good news to hear about the move, as people should be united under one banner of the MDC, which was championed by workers.
“ Well in the minds of every Zimbabwean there always been one MDC and that MDC is alive and kicking.

It is also growing from strength to strength and we have enough space for all democrats who want to participate in the building of this country,” said Chamisa.

He said when MDC was formed in 1999 it was a united force and people should unite under one banner than to have splinter groups.
“ In fact its good news for democracy and people should be united under their movement of MDC.

When we formed the MDC it didn’t have surnames, prefixes or suffixes,” he said.
Chamisa’s comments came in the light of a decision made by the Nkayi District executive and all councillors in Nkayi Rural District Council belonging to Mutambara to cross floor to the real MDC apparently irked by the “dictatorial” tendencies of their leadership.

However, reacting to the defections MDC-M, deputy spokesperson, Renson Gasela said the defected should inform the leadership about their decision in writing so that they would know that there are vacancies in the wards they represent.

“In terms of the GPA on the Electoral Act section 21.1 stipulates that if vacancies arise in the wards there is no other party which can nominate candidates except for the one in which vacancies have arisen.

This means MDC and Zanu PF could not file candidates in the event of a by election. But all other parties are not forbidden to field candidates or participate as independents,” said Gasela.

He said if it was true that the councilors have defected to MDC, then it entailed that they are now vacancies and by elections would be conducted.

“However, we can not go on to say there are vacancies before we get a formal communication from the councillors. We can’t proceed on the basis of a newspaper article because tomorrow, they might turn and say they never said that,” he said.
Gasela said if the councillors and the party’s district leadership have defected in sympathy with Bhebhe then it meant that some provisions of their party’s constitution were flouted, since he was not allowed to participate in any party activities because of his suspension.

“ Bhebhe still remains our party member because he hasn’t been expelled from the party. However if the leadership and the councilors defect because of him then they have flouted some provisions of the party’s constitution because he was suspended from being involved in any part activities.

Bhebhe’s case matter is still pending at the National Disciplinary Committee but the councillors’ meant they are no longer councillors. But we can’t proceed to take action because they said it to the press,” said Gasela.

On Saturday the party’s district executive called a meeting to examine the circumstances surrounding the suspension of the Nkayi South member of the House of Assembly, Mr Abdenico Bhebhe held at Ziminya village in Nkayi.

The move came after the councilors refused to accept a directive by the party to sideline Mr Bhebhe in all party business.

Letters, which were signed by the party’s secretary general, Professor Welshman Ncube, addressed to the district chairperson and copied to all ward chairpersons and all councillors in the district, indicated that Mr Bhebhe should be sidelined until his suspension is lifted.

“This is to advise that Mr (Abdenico Bhebhe) was suspended on 9 May 2009 by the party’s National Disciplinary Committee from being a member of the party.

Therefore, until such a time that his suspension is lifted or deposed of in whatever manner by the National Disciplinary Committee, he is suspended from all activities to do with the party and should be excluded in all party activities. During his suspension he is treated as if he is not a member of the party.

Please ensure that this information is communicated to all structures in your province, particularly those structures in the district from which Hon Bhebhe comes from,” read the letter dated 14 May.
However, the councillors ignored the directive, saying they would stand by Mr Bhebhe until the leadership comes to explain to them the charges, which are being laid against him.

That prompted the Nkayi District party executive to call for the Saturday meeting, in which Mr Bhebhe was asked to explain to them the circumstances surrounding his suspension.

A resolution was then made after the meeting to cross-floor to MDC-T with the party’s executive and councillors saying there was no legal reason to suspend Mr Bhebhe and accused their leadership of disrespecting them.
Reports say leaders from other party districts whose MPs were suspended were likely to adopt the same move as they had also reportedly ignored the directive to sideline their representatives in Parliament.