Watching the faux-outrage that greeted the leaked audio of what many assume without proof to be Wicknell Chivhayo boasting about how he has chinhu by the balls, it was almost tempting to laugh but for the seriousness that the matter deserves.
Chinhu is of course not defined in the audio, but the slang is easy to decipher: the speaker means the government. Not any government, but the government of President ED Mnangagwa, who he references by signposting well televised occasions and how he appeared (or is?) more important to the President than the elected Vice Presidents. It could just be me, but you detected an attempt to even mimic the President’s voice when quoting him, almost disdainfully as if to show that even he, your President, does my bidding and answers to me. Perhaps because the speaker akabata chinhu kuti dzvi maybe?
It is the reaction of Mr and Mrs John Q Public however that was almost comical. There was shock. There was surprise.
For the why? It was fine when the man, if Mr Chivhayo, was buying himself top of the range motor vehicles and splashing on musicians and their hangers on. But, whatever money he had from whatever business was never going to be a bottomless pit. Anyone and their dog knew once he started splashing cars on anyone and everyone that took his fancy that the money had to come from somewhere and not a your ordinary 8 to 5.
Now we know, it was not criminal at all. The audio revealed that he gets his money from perfectly legitimate tenders for government: ZEC, police, passports, and something else that has started paying or is going to pay in excess of $5 million “next week”. Then there is the “Militek” or “Mealietek” (audios do not offer spellings, sadly) and you know that the dance goes on.
The faux-outrage is simply that: fake.
When the first donations for cars started happening, unsupported claims about ZanuPF campaign funds started flowing. Nary a letter to ZACC or the NPA to activate the law on unexplained wealth. Some grown up men even started twerking for said cars: and a certain well endowed lady that gyrated a generous posterior into a car for said behind to rest in perhaps.
When Neville got hisself arrested for dealing in foreign currency (yeah, the same foreign currency that the government accepts for the purchase of fuel and passports and which the President was filmed gifting someone with to buy a suit), no-one agreed with what the rest of us have been saying all along that the NPA is not fit for purpose. Or found it worth referring to ZACC that a certain person holding chinhu by the balls suddenly emerges as the sole licensed local agent for that monumental danger too national security: Starlink. I expected to read a lot about the wisdom of that Shona saying “chembere yorashika, bere rovonekwa richirutsa imvi” (an old woman disappears, and a hyena is seen vomiting grey hairs), but not once.
And, of course, no-one at ZACC and the NPA bated an eyelid.
Some rights, like press freedoms, are a waste of time when said press becomes paid mouthpieces of tenderprenuers, land barons and Ukrainian mafia fronts I tell you.
How many headlines have you read about some Greek accusing his prosecutor of corruption and, when said prosecutor gets to become ZACC Chairman, how many “journalists” said “wait a minute, isn’t he the one…..?”
So, if it is indeed Wicknell Chivhayo in the audio, and I express not claim that it is, blaming him or the government or ZanuPF is just stupid.
Politicians are by nature egotistic and power hungry control freaks that will always seek to expand their power. The power they actually exercise is limited to what the citizens and the fourth estate (the press) grant them.
It is quite obvious that both have failed.
When something like this happens, you hear some foolish citizens saying if only Chamisa was President. Based on what logic? The unaccounted for donations, the less than transparent nomination processes, the failure to have governance in a small entity like a club of like minded persons, don’t they all tell you that there would be no improvement? Worse, who do you think anyone in ZanuPF fears the most: an idiot citizen who goes around saying Chamisa would have been better or a rational citizen who says I don’t care that I voted for Chamisa but you are now my leader and I demand answers?
Then you have the truly despicable and worthless citizens who happen to think that their support for ZanuPF means they cannot and should not point out when something is wrong. Hanzi hee, leave him alone he is a businessman utilising an opportunity. Like, seriously? So it is just by accident that he is the Starlink supplier and that Neville was not utilising an opportunity? So these opportunities, the ZEC tenders, the passports, the mealie-meal thing, where are they awarded or picked up so that we too can go utilise these opportunities and get an upfront payment of $5 million next week?
Who in this day and age pays upfront payments anyway, ha?!
What the audio revealed is, in my opinion, and if true, state sponsored/enabled looting and corruption of the highest order. It also revealed, in my opinion, the incapacitation of democracy whereby some unelected toad, whoever that is on the audio and I make no claim that it is Wicknell Chivhayo, boasts of holding elected officials in his pocket, or, to use his language, by the balls. That is very dangerous.
Instead of the faux-outrage, we need proper and reasoned responses. The NPA must use its powers to investigate the staggering wealth that was being mentioned. ZACC must investigate ………, oh please, who am I kidding, ZACC will not investigate anything. The NPA worse.
Okay, I change my mind, we have no choice but to just be outraged. And, in 2028, we will be presented with the option of choosing between the bad we know and the worse we not only do not know but aren’t allowed to even question.
As someone whose frankness I admire would say: tine error. Trump was right about one thing: we live in a shithole country. But, why worry Goromonzi after Form 4. VOTE TRUMP 2024! After all, we were promised an election in 2024, were we not?
Advocate Tinomudaishe Chinyoka
Well written piece, thanks for the sharp incisive thinking
We need to go back onto the drawing board. I wouldn’t want to hear about another election no. We need a national concensus all hands on the deck. We can not move foward as a nation with such a high level of corruption knocking write infront of highest position of authority. We begin to ask about his integrity. Whichever the way it is damaging.