By Tapiwa Nyati,
recently in Chipinge
THE atmosphere was highly charged; each car, bus, truck heading for Mutema High School appeared to generate power that sent people into a delirium.
The presence of the revolutionary Party ZANU PF in Chipinge could not be ignored. For once in the vast land of the baobab tree, business was brought to a standstill.
Multitudes of ZANU PF supporters from the country’s 10 provinces and nearly all of Chipinge thronged Mutema High School for the official launch of the ZANU PF 2023 Election Campaign.
Mutema High School is situated in Chipinge District, Manicaland Province, bounded to the north by Chimanimani District, Masvingo to the west and Mozambique on the eastern side.
Ndau is the main dialect in the district.
The province is home to some of the finest sons and daughters of the soil who significantly contributed to the effort of dislodging the brutal Ian Smith racist regime.
Names of illustrious cadres from the region that quickly come to mind include Chairman Herbert Wiltshire Pfumaindini Chitepo, Benjamin Burombo, Edson Sithole, Chief Rekayi Tangwena, Edgar Tekere and Ndabangini Sithole, among many others.
All the above mentioned cadres are interred at the National Heroes Acre with the exception of Cde Reverend Ndabangini Sithole who had not been granted national hero status until the Second Republic.
Reverend Sithole was one of the founding fathers of ZANU and hails from Chipinge.
His remains are interred at his Freedom Farm in Mt Selinda and a historical error was rectified following his conferment of national hero status by President Mnangagwa.
The presence of ZANU PF in Chipinge, the gateway to Mozambique, the country which hosted and supported the liberation struggle was steeped in more than nostalgia.
Along the way to the venue, veterans of the party were taken back in time, each seeing the route they traversed, the points they used to get to Mozambique to receive military training to fight the Rhodesians.
It was a trip down memory lane, a reminder that theirs had not been a futile journey.
A car, a bus stopping here and there had mothers and fathers, grandfathers and grandmothers showing their sons and daughters, grandchildren the routes they took to Mozambique.
Sad and horrendous stories, action packed adventures and acts of bravery in the rolling hills, tea and banana plantations were brought to life.
In Chipinge, the gigantic ZANU PF, which cannot fit in anyone’s pocket but in whose pocket everyone can fit, melted everyone’s heart.
Its gesture to remember Reverend Sithole at the momentous occasion of the launch of its campaign revealed its magnanimity.
With that gesture, many more were added into the ZANU PF pocket.
“It is obvious who I am voting for,” said Talkmore Matsito.
“It is no brainer who is going to get my vote,” said Zanele Mlambo.
Even non-politicians were impressed.
“l tell you ZANU PF will be around for a very long long time simply because of how it operates — it is a humane party, led by wise leaders who have a deeper understanding of people, a party that empathies with the masses not just as lumps of people but individuals. It should be highly commended that such a gigantic party towering into the skies has the ability to come down, has the capacity to feel the pulse and yearnings of every group in the country no matter where it is,” said history student Aiden Chigidhini.
“When a party, a Government has the humility to correct a historical anomaly, that system inspires confidence. It highlights its humility and it is there to serve the people and is not egocentric. It is no secret that the history of Zimbabwe will be incomplete without the mention of the late nationalist Reverend Sithole, also a distinguished scholar who wrote books which inspired Africans to rise up against the white minority.”
And the icing on the cake was a gala.
It was a gala not to celebrate ZANU PF or Emmerson Mnangagwa but that son of the soil whose name was not mentioned at those celebrations 42 years ago.
“It was not said we will find an ‘appropriate’ date to celebrate this illustrious son of the soil but that the day of the launch of our ZANU PF campaign manifesto is as good as any time. Let us do it, this is sincerity and genuineness at its best; no talk of shadowing what or who, it was just done,” mused Chigidhini.
The presence of ZANU PF in Chipinge was the people’s Party being true to its words. The ruling Party has decreed that no place and no-one will be left behind.
As I sat by the verandah of Kentucky Bar, a few metres from Mutema High School, I had a front row seat to everything that happened on that big day.
This was definitely not a political meeting, this was not a rally, this was a gathering of kith and kin.
Even as the aroma of braai meat wafted all over the place and all sorts of beverages and wise waters flowed freely, it was more than a gathering to fill up stomachs, it was a feast connecting kith and kin.
As Chinua Achebe would say: “A man who calls his kinsmen to a feast does not do so to save them from starving. They all have food in their own homes. When we gather together in the moonlit village ground it is not because of the moon. Every man can see it in his own compound. We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so”.
Having been mesmerised by hundreds, if not thousands, of baobab trees along the road, I settled for a Baobab drink, my first tasting of the Chipinge beverage.
It is very good I must say, it has a distinct nice tart, refreshing flavour.
With Education 5.0 in the Second Republic hinged on innovation, soon millionaires will be coming from Chipinge after commercialisation of the baobab fruit.
While business was brisk, shopkeepers also wanted to see President Mnangagwa.
“ED is here among us, with us, I know he has been to every corner of the country and do not doubt in the near future he will return here but I think I will close shop for a short while just to go and lay my eyes on him,” said shopkeeper Lelani Tangu.
The conferment of national hero status on Reverend Sithole really struck a code.
“President watiremeredza maningi tinode kubonga izvozvo kurangarirwa ukwokwo. Nekuremeredzawo dhodha remuganga the late Ndabaningi sithole kumupewo Hero Status zvakanaka maningi, zvinoronza kuti atina kurashwa kana kukanganikwa,” said Makasi Munengwa.
And people doing various projects, such as chicken rearing, were all smiles.
“Ndakatengesa huku dzakawanda maningi ndanga ndotoneswa neanhu vaide dzumwenu huku . Anhu akatenga huku veikocha veidakararira President. Takadakara yaambo. Nemabanana akatengwa maningi paJoppa payani,” said Amanda Nyoni.
“I had 70 birds in my fowl run, and I slaughtered them all. This is what we have been waiting for all our lives. To be remembered as a people of Chipinge. We thank you Mr President for honouring us by starting your campaign here,” she said.
The Second Republic has fulfilled many of its promises.
It has resolved the age-long fuel crisis and electricity shortages after opening Hwange Units 7 and 8.
And when the helicopter had landed and the dust settled, I found myself all alone at the verandah; everybody else had dashed to Mutema High School.
When President Emmerson Mnangagwa took to the podium, so overjoyed were the people; many could not contain themselves.
The shouting of: “Mnangagwa huchi baba! Huchi! Uku ndokuhwinha-ka, huchi aiwa Mnangagwa anotapira vakomana!”
There was no way the masses could not be delighted with the man who has vastly improved the fortunes of the nation.
The Second Republic has, in a short period of time, turned the agriculture industry from a US$3,8 billion industry to US$8 billion while mining has grown from US$3,7 to US$12 billion.
The President has emphasised the importance of using locally available resources to drive the economy.
This has involved the harnessing, development of new technologies and enhancing local skills.
It was a victory celebration before the elections.
