THE late former Zanu-PF Bulawayo youth leader Magura
Charumbira, one of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's staunchy supporters at the
height of the ruling party's factional wars in 2017, must be turning in his
grace following the latter's failure to improve the welfare of party youths, a
playwright has said.
Charumbira etched his name in the party's history books
after he led of group of brave youths to publicly heckle former First Lady
Grace Mugabe at a rally in Bulawayo in November 2017. He later died in a road
accident in January 2018.
The booing angered the late former President Robert Mugabe
who spoke shortly after his disgraced wife, accusing his then deputy, Mnangagwa
of organising and sponsoring the hecklers.
Mugabe vowed at the time to fire Mnangagwa, which he did
two days later, in a dramatic move that was seen at the time as opening the way
for Grace to succeed him in office.
This, however, failed to materialise as the Zimbabwean army
intervened, subsequently leading to the overthrow of Mugabe from power on
November 21, with Mnangagwa taking over on November 24.
Playwright Charles Munganasa said it was sad that
Charumbira and other youths risked their life and limb booing Grace as they
fought in Mnangagwa's corner, but now three years down the line the same youths
are yet to reap the fruits of their bravery.
"We were not armed with any form of weaponry, but we were
pregnant with the desire of giving birth to a new Zimbabwe," Munganasa
said.
"However, the same cannot be said of the late
Charumbira's children who are probably languishing in poverty. Yes, he led from
the front on that day. He was declared an enemy of the State and a prize was
put on his head."
He added: "Charumbira sacrificed himself on that day
of justice, freedom and equality. The sad reality is that if the situation
continues like this, his children will remember him for not being remembered. It's
not just about Magura, but it's about the millions of young people he
represented on that day.
"It's about the dream of living in a better Zimbabwe
where people are rewarded for their efforts and not for their proximity to
power."
During his 2018 election campaign, Mnangagwa promised to
deliver jobs and a brighter future, but his tenure has seen more company
closures, rising cost of basics and goods, a collapsing economy in an
inflationary environment has left many disillusioned.
Corruption has also scaled new heights under Mnangagwa.
"Today, three years down the line, that dream of a
better future is fast becoming a nightmare. Well-known criminals have once
again colonised government buildings in the same manner they did under the
Mugabe regime." Newsday
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