How I met Chris Mutsvangwa
The month of may appears to have begun on a high political
note in Harare as news of the arrest of Neville Mutsvangwa spreads like
wildfire in offices, pubs and bedrooms alike.
Neville Mutsvangwa is son to the the zanu Pf power couple,
Chris and Monica Mutsvangwa who at one point in both Mugabe and Ed Mnangagwa
administrations became the notorious cabinet couple a rare occurrence in
politics usually accompanied by a feeling of being king makers and
invincibility! This enigma can become one’s downfall politically!
As I lie in bed in the wee hours of the morning I read that
Neville has been denied bail and remanded in custody to the 30th of May. News
is his father Chris has accused the VP General Chiwenga of being the power
behind his son’s misfortune! This leads me to walk down memory lane and share
with you my own experience with Chris the war veteran!
In March 2016 Chris had been fired by his boss Robert
Mugabe for various offences ranging from fanning factionalism and supporting
Team Lacoste after he had allegedly organised a meeting of war to discuss
Mugabe’s successor! It now appears as if the first quarter of the year is a
miserable phase for Chris as he would be fired by Ed in February this year!
Upon his dismissal by Mugabe, Chris sneaked into South
Africa and began his arduous work of plotting against his former boss. He would
look for all anti Mugabe voices in the diaspora, sit down with them and plead
his case, he would go on to meet President Tsvangirai and other like minded
forces in the diaspora. His tag line was revisiting the objectives of the
liberation war accusing Mugabe of becoming a sellout.
For some of us who had spent years fighting to dislodge
Mugabe from power this very message resonated well. At my first encounter with
Chris we quickly exchanged numbers in front of Save. Save had already hinted
Chris on the nature of work that I was doing for him! Chris instantly liked me
and we became buddies.
I remember Chris calling me one midweek evening to come and
pick him up from Sandton. He had suspected that G40 elements were out to kill
him on the orders of the highest office of the land. I asked him why he would
put my life in danger instead of taking a taxi to his base in Florida in JHB
west. He said he wanted me to bear witness to his demise if it were to happen.
My encounters with Chris would continue for a very long
time indeed as he learnt that I knew a few people who he wanted an audience
with. These people are the ex Rhodesian farmers and industrialists spread
through out Johannesburg. With the promise of giving them their land back
setting up the meetings became very easy. The Rhodesians appeared frustrated by
Save failure to take power from Mugabe. In Chris they saw a real chance of
seeing Mugabe’s back.
I would introduce Chris to guys like John Stanton and
Russel Herbert’, these guys showed an undying love for Zimbabwe! I must also
mention that during this time Chris appeared to be financially unstable as he
would ask me for money to get a hair cut or whiskey. One day I took him to a
barber shop in ridgeway Johannesburg south passing through my own home. My
uncle was mesmerised- here I was with Chris the all powerful ex minister of war
veterans.
We would spend our weekends at his favourite drinking spot-
sipping whiskey at the corner of Gordon and Ontedekkers Road. I think it’s
Bootleggers if I’m not mistaken!
Now in the months leading to November 2017 Chris plans were
now in full swing. We would watch all the pressers by war veteran leaders
Mahiya and Matemadanda from Sandton obviously in the company of our Rhodesian
friends. We had to show them that things had moved a gear up. To their very own
delight and satisfaction!
Fast forward to 2017 the coup has been carefully executed-
like any other Zimbabwean enthusiast I find myself in Harare. The new president
Ed has a meeting at the rainbow towers - I bump into Chris who barely
recognises me. I try frantically to remind him of who I was and mention our
days in Sandton while the coupe unfolded. He replies vafana munoshupa
hatikuziviyi! I was bewildered and left the the gathering dejected.
A few months later Neville would contact me looking for a
TV opportunity in South Africa. He had a message and the message was Chiwenga
can’t be vice president- who had sent him I don’t know, but with the current
utterances by his own father it may be very obvious he was doing his dad’s
bidding.
With all this happening to Chris I have no kind words for
him. The man gets easily intoxicated by power. The last time he addressed a
presser in Johannesburg he told us that if we are not happy with zanu Pf we
must do exactly what zanu Pf did to Smith and everyone knows what that is!
Regai zvakedero musabata kani hamaweee!
Unfortunately the majority of Zanu PF members I interact with seem to think that VP
Chiwenga should never ascend the throne. Kwahi Mukanya havapinde……
Factionalism will be the end of zanu Pf. We watch from the
terraces, but I hear that Wezhira wakarangarigwavo tisu takabata dura remari!
He was writing on X
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