Dewa will be sadly missed

The Late Igwe-Tongai Moyo at
the peak of his career

By Blessing Vava

nb-this article was taken from the archives, it was published in the DailyNews  on the 19th of October 2011. One year on..we remember Dewa

I have always followed the late Tongai Moyo’s music and live performances. I have known fans to mob him and cheer each time he stepped on to the stage. But it was only at the recently held Chibuku Road to fame finals at the Glamis Arena where giants Oliver Mtukudzi, Alick Macheso and Allan Chimbetu were also performing   that  when Dhewa went on stage, it was not the usual happy cheers.

Instead a sombre atmosphere engulfed the whole stadium as the thousands who were in attendance  shook their heads in disbelief seeing how their favourite musician's body had deteriorated due to non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Having known this man as a fighter who did not want his condition to stop him from dishing out his star studded performances had deteriorated so rapidly.

He nevertheless gave his best performance. I and hopefully all other fans, thought the man was going to recover, but unbeknown to me, that was the last time I was to ever see him alive.

As news of his death on Saturday  the 15th of October filtered, Zimbabweans went into deep mourning.  Dhewa was one of the country’s  finest sungura musicians having carved his own niche of music over the last two decades. A  great entertainer whose outstanding contribution to the music industry is unquestionable. I received the news with great sadness and disbelief,  for he was a musician whose humble beginnings was an inspiration not only to other younger musicians but to all in the entire arts industry.

For a musician who hailed from a small town like Kwekwe it is only hard work and sheer determination to reach the levels of Dhewa. The colourful Kwekwe based musician who was affectionately  known in the music circles with an array of names including Dhewa, Samanyemba, Murozvi Mukuru, igwee, Mopao Mokozi, Father Flower or Muchina Muhombe died on the 15th of September after a long battle with cancer.

I first knew of Dhewa in 1996 when he released his debut album Vimbo, an album laced with classic hits such asChechete,  Chenesayi nzira and Ndinotenda Dhiya to mention but a few. Though the album was well received critics went guns blazing on him accusing him of being a mere Leonard Dembo copy cat, and this marked the beginning of a long musical journey which had its success and wonderful moments that earned him a permanent place as a top sungura musician whose only challenge was self proclaimed sungura king Alick Macheso.

After years of singing what sounded like Dembo's music, Dhewa finally carved his own beat, a fusion of sungura and rhumba and that move earned him respect in the music industry. This is one lesson young musicians should learn from the late sungura maestro that music is all about originality if you are to make it in this highly competitive industry.

For years i had been a Macheso fan who rarely missed his shows but it was Dhewa’s all time great Zvinoita murudo from the album Chingwa that transformed me into a great follower of his music.    Dhewa was a sungura musician with a  difference, he  redefined the fashion of sungura artists where in the past sungura musicians were identified with shabby dressing but he was always smartly dressed.   

He had style, swag and full of confidence and he changed the complexion of live performances by his well choreographed and unmatched performances equalled to none in the local music fraternity so far. Gifted with a great voice, composing and guitar playing skills, Dhewa was a polished entertainer whose departure will be sadly missed by the entire nation and even beyond.

Many had hoped that after managing to acquire the much needed drug to save his life, he was going make it and hopefully carry on with his work. But sadly that was not to be, as the man above called decided that his time was now up and called him home to rest, in a painful way though.

During his last shows you could hear Dhewa chanting, mandiregerera, (you are letting me down) maybe this was in reference to  those in the arts industry whom he felt they  had left him at the greatest time of need. Surely Dhewa had to struggle on his own for six months to raise US$15 000 to raise his medical bills. This is despite statements by some musicians and promoters who promised to assist Dhewa but nothing materialised until his condition became critical. Maybe had it that the  funds  had been availed for Dhewa’s medication the story could have been different today. Dhewa’s death is a call to in the arts industry to assist one another when befallen by such unexpected calamities.

We should not wait until the situation gets worse like what happened to Dhewa. His death has also exposed Zimbabwe’s decaying health delivery systems, for with better and up to date medical facilities Dhewa could have lived long. He has gone but his great works will continue to entertain us. We all hope that those he left behind, Peter and the rest of the Utakataka Express ensemble  will continue from were Muchina Muhombe left from.

They should remain focused, united and determined for them to remain a force reckon even despite that Dhewa is nolonger there. Peter should be inspired by Sulu, Tryson and the Dembo brothers who are keeping their late father’s legacies. 

Rest in peace our great musician till we meet again. 

Blessing Vava is a blogger, he can be contacted on blessingvava@gmail.com

COPAC 2nd ‘All’ stakeholders-much ado about nothing

By Blessing Vava

Obsessed with violence
War veterans leader
Joseph Chinotimba

The postponement of the 2^nd All Stakeholders conference is a clear indication that all is not well with Zimbabwe’s constitution making process which is proving difficult to come to its fruition. Initially scheduled for the 4^th to the 6^th of October, COPAC postponed the dates to the end of the same month citing logistical problems. The postponement did not come as a surprise noting how the process has delayed its completion, initially pegged at 18months, but surprisingly dragging to 36 months. The delays, missed timelines, squabbles, violence were as a result of political bickering and sharp differences that has been the daily recipe in Zimbabwe’s political environment. The COPAC process has failed the test of time and everything they touch turns to rust. But what really is the importance of this 2^nd All Stakeholders Conference? Is it really worth it? Looking at the amount of resources needed to conduct the process-$1.2million and the sharp differences existing between the parties in government this is likely just another waste of money and it will likely turn into a chaotic process, and this might signal the collapse of it.

War veterans disrupting the 1st Stakeholders meeting in 2009

Seemingly the conference is proving to be another charade, a waste of money and time. Apart from fulfilling Article VI (c) (iv) which says the draft Constitution shall be tabled within three months of completion of the public consultation of the public consultation to a second All Stakeholders Conference, it is not clear on what ought to be done at the conference. Though COPAC representatives have been quick to say that the Conference will not be a drafting conference, but that   the conference is to enable delegates to make comments and recommendations on the COPAC draft for consideration before it is tabled in parliament. One wonders its significance because it is the same three parties still driving the process and again the ones to decide on what to do with the recommendations.

One-man organisation-
FONGO 'President' Goodson Nguni

Also, COPAC  came out with the composition of the delegates who are going to attend the conference. From the total number of delegates 1100, 280 will be Members of Parliament, GPA parties 246, (each party nominating 82), the remainder 574 will be civil society. With such a breakdown and composition it does not need a rocket scientist to tell you that there is nothing ‘All’ Stakeholders about this conference, but rather a gathering of the three political parties and their erstwhile friends disguised as civil society.  Other political parties have been left out; ZANU Ndonga, MKD, MDC 99, ZAPU to mention but just a few, and again the process is still in the hands of the three political parties. Never mind the 70% which they are claiming has been reserved for civil society. It still remains the prerogative of the three political parties in GPA which make up COPAC to choose which civil society groups are to attend the conference. Obviously the two MDCs will choose their proxy civil society organisations, which we all know as witnessed during the first stakeholders meeting, same with ZANU PF which amongst its civics will be having names like Upfumi Kuvadiki, and Goodson Nguni’s briefcase organisation Federation of Non Governmental Organisations ( FONGO) and of course the notorious Chipangano and war veterans who will start singing and are likely to spark violence.

Left in the cold-MKD President
Dr Simba Makoni

ZANU Ndonga insignia 

So there is absolutely nothing new to expect from this conference, this gathering still remains a process being controlled by the three political parties and continuously excluding the people. The voices which will dominate are from these parties and also via their civil society organisations, hence it is no secret that the process is as defective as the draft itself which will not see the light of day come the referendum. As said before, nothing much is going to change at this conference as it is only for recommendations and comments. These are the same parties that crafted the draft; the delegates who will come to the conference belong to the three political parties, plus their ‘chosen’ civil society organisations. The same parties will be the ones again to debate the same draft in parliament, and the same parties may choose to adopt or ignore the recommendations from this all stakeholders conference.

 In a way this meeting is just meant to rubber stamp the positions of the parties in the GNU, a position which will ultimately carry the day. Many Zimbabweans are now tired of all this hide and seek game by COPAC and the GNU, they have wasted enough time, enough  resources, it is now the time Zimbabweans should be given a choice to choose what they want through the holding of the referendum so that we move forward. And talk of resources,   COPAC should also tell the nation how they used the monies allocated to them since the process started. There has been noise about the national statistical report to be tabled at the conference, we hope COPAC would be able to make a compilation of their financial report with a detailed breakdown on how much they used since the process started to date. Zimbabweans deserve to know how much and what was the money used for. 

Blessing Vava is a blogger from Chipinge. He can be contacted on blessingvava@gmail.com

ZCTU and the history of constitutional reform in Zimbabwe

By Blessing Vava

They left an indelible mark-former ZCTU leaders
Morgan Tsvangirai and the late Gibson Sibanda

In 1999 two historic processes occurred in Zimbabwe’s political landscape that shaped the political discourse of the country.  The processes, namely the first National Working Peoples Convention in 1999, as well as the first People’s Constitutional Convention.  The two processes led to the formation of a strong opposition political party the MDC, with the latter leading to resolutions that rejected the Presidential appointed Chidyausiku Commission draft constitution in 2000. All these processes were as a result of a strong, coordinated, principled labour union that massively contributed to blocking attempts by politicians to force a constitution on the people of Zimbabwe. The  trade union then was under the tutelage of Morgan Tsvangirai and Gibson Sibanda who fought fearlessly for a new constitution as a result of the flawed Lancaster House Constitution that was being systematically used to suppress the working class people and the vulnerable sectors of society. Hats off to that generation of trade union leaders for putting that much needed pressure, forging alliances with the students and peasants in bringing the constitutional debate on the political arena.

The working class people who gathered in Chitungwiza were fully cognisant that the writing of the new constitution should not and never be a prerogative of politicians. That is why they agreed that the process should be led by an independent  constitutional commission defined by and accountable to a conference of representatives of elected, civil and other social groups.

This is one of the principled as well as progressive stances that has always been associated with the workers of Zimbabwe in particular the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU). With the economic scourge that closed down the industries and depleted the working class people, still the ZCTU had remained a critical voice in as far as the plight of the working class people, the economic and democratic revolution is concerned. That is why the ZCTU, continued being part of other revolutionary democratic processes that were to follow namely the 2^nd Peoples Convention of February 2008 that authored the Zimbabwe Peoples Charter. The Zimbabwe Peoples Charter is a social democratic document that aims for a social democratic state. It has a bias towards the working class people and above all it clearly spelt out and re-affirmed what the working class people said in 1999 advocating for a genuine people driven constitution for Zimbabwe. It was not surprising that the ZCTU again joined the students and the NCA in July 2009 in resisting the politician driven process by COPAC and that meeting called for the abandonment of COPAC because the framework as enunciated through Article V1 of the GPA deviated from all these historical processes. The Chitungwiza Convention which the ZCTU leadership was part of agreed to this, ‘’If the inclusive government and/or parliament do not heed our call to cease forthwith the constitutional reform process as outlined in Article VI of the Global Political Agreement (GPA), we will actively seek a rejection of any draft constitution produced by the same process through campaigning for a No vote should that draft be brought to a referendum,’’and one wonders what has changed now.

The working class people clamoring for  better  remuneration 

 However as the processes unfold, with leadership renewal, infighting, factionalism and bankruptcy of the ZCTU, the labour movement has suddenly made a U-turn.  The once vibrant, principled labour union seems to have backed down on their earlier position of resisting a politician constitution and they have since endorsed the COPAC draft. Such inconsistency in application of principle has left me wondering what has really happened to the once principled ZCTU? Some media reports have it on authority that the union received a ‘paltry’ $US87 000 funding from a European donor organisation called 3Fs, the handout, which we are told was conditionally disbursed on condition that the ZCTU endorses the COPAC draft.    If the truth be told without fear or favour and without a pinch of doubt the ZCTU leadership is out of touch with its membership which did not participate in the COPAC process. This is a clear case of personal interest overriding principle. 

ZCTU secretary general Japhet Moyo  seating 3rd in the front row,
President George Nkiwane  standing 4th from left

The ZCTU leadership should be reminded that the workers of Zimbabwe are not dunderheads, they are not lifeless bodies, they are neither robots nor toys, they are breadwinners, fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers and family heads of many households and they are aware that this draft was fraudulently produced without their input, and does not carry their aspirations. Only two unashamed individuals, George Nkiwane and Japhet Moyo want to force their unpopular position on the working class people of Zimbabwe. It is very clear that the position to support the draft is not shared collectively by the working class people but rather it is a position of these two individuals, and their drinking partners disguising themselves as a ZCTU general council. These two individuals have clearly sacrificed principle on the altar of political convenience and cheap pieces of silver. The real workers want a people driven process; they said it in 1999, 2000, 2008 and they said it again in 2009, and there is absolutely nothing in that draft that will lift the aspirations of the working class people.

Minister and unionist in one-Lucy Matibenga

Its an open secret that the ZCTU is a now beleaguered union, led by career  unionists who are now serving interests of political parties especially the MDC-t at the expense of its membership, the workers.  The ZCTU has lost ground and does not represent workers; hence they only shout from their air conditioned offices at Chester House when workers are wallowing in poverty. It is now an empty shell of its former self in that like any empty vessels making a lot of uncoordinated noise aimed at massaging the egos of factional politics. They are busy bringing commissions to investigate internal feuds in the MDC-t and paying lip-service to collective bargaining. Spending time eating cakes and drinking tea with the minister of labour and that of public service while forgetting the bona-fide workers who are chasing after the blood of the same. What sort of a workers union that endorses a process where MPs were grossing $100 a day at  a time when majority of its membership are getting salaries way below $250 a month. A process, in which they never participated and still will be participating on the peripheries and still declaring to vote YES. A constitution that does not clearly carry the aspirations of the working class people. Shockingly in their leadership, still is Minister of Public Service Lucia Matibenga, as one of their Deputy Presidents.  Talk of corporate incest, this is what exactly they are doing. How does she act the boss and the servant at the same time? It doesn’t work. She has to be clear on what she wants and relinquish one of her posts. What is clear is that the workers are lacking leadership as exhibited by the guys at the helm of the ZCTU, whose ambitions for positions in an MDC-T led government should the party wins the next elections is now open. The workers union has to re-invent itself and rising above personal and egoistic interests and strive for the uplifting  of the livelihoods of the working class people. Zvazviri!

Blessing 'Vuvuzela' Vava is a blogger from Chipinge. He writes here in his personal capacity, the views expressed in this article are entirely his and not in any way views of an organisation. He can be contacted on blessingvava@gmail.com

MDC-t a smaller ZANU PF in the making

The late UP President Bishop Abel Muzorewa

By Blessing Vava

Last week I had a rare privilege of having a discussion with one of the co-chairpersons of COPAC,  the energetic Doglous Mwonzora whose meticulous rise   in Zimbabwe’s political landscape deserves special mention in the county’s political history. A former member of the now defunct United Parties (UP)led by Bishop Abel Muzorewa. Mr Mwonzora is a founder member of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), and served the constitutional reform movement in various portfolios. At the NCA he worked very well, eloquently defending the position of the NCA, he spoke passionately about the need of having a people driven constitution  as he rightly believed that the process should not be led by politicians. In our interaction, the former NCA deputy chairperson  openly admitted that this was not the way to go, but because he was following his party position hence he had no choice.

Mugabe is a fountain of experience
-Tendai Biti

On the contrary, he has been widely quoted discrediting the process as not perfect, but insisting that the outcome will be better than the Lancaster House charter. However what incensed me was his counter-accusations against the NCA arguing that its giving ZANU PF an advantage. After the discussion, which obviously was dominated by Mwonzora I was left wondering how and why the NCA was now working with ZANU PF and giving it an advantage? Foolishly, Mwonzora’s sentiments are widely shared by many of his colleagues in the MDC-t who have gone on a diatribe against the NCA for its principled position with regards to the constitution making process.   Some ill-advised quarters have even gone  to the extent of saying NCA has joined ZANU PF, ah ah because ZANU PF is appearing to be against the COPAC Draft they helped craft.

 Further the arm-chair critics are also accusing the NCA for what they call favourable coverage from the state-media namely the Herald, ZimPaper’s StarFM and ZBC and hence they have declared that NCA has sold out and is now dining with the enemy.

Swearing allegiance to the Head of State

My other question is selling out to who? For the record the NCA has not joined any political party and will  never join one, worse ZANU PF, the NCAs position on the constitution has always been consistent. That the writing for a constitution should not be led by politicians but an independent commission. That is what the NCA said in 1999 at the peoples convention in Chitungwiza and other historical processes to follow, like the Zimbabwe Peoples Charter, lately the 2^nd Constitutional Convention in 2009, where the NCA  re-affirmed that position. In that light the NCA  launched the Take Charge Campaign, which essentially was a declaration against Article 6 of the GPA which provided for a parliamentary driven process. In a typical show of lack of consistence the MDC-t invited the NCA, ZCTU, ZINASU leadership at the party headquarters to find a common ground on the constitution making process but later backtracked. In that meeting it was unanimously agreed that Article 6 fell short of a people driven process. A committee was then set-up drawing two representatives from the four organisations to come up with a critic against Article 6, the dossier was meant to aid MDC-t president to inform the other principals that the MDC-t was not going to continue participating in the COPAC process.

 Shockingly, after that meeting the MDC-t joined their ZANU PF colleagues and still continued participating in the COPAC process and again the NCA was labelled spoilers. The two parties' love for each other is well documented their bond strengthened like Siamese twins. They enjoyed the 45million  together in COPAC (the money they should account for), bought nice cars together in a show of unity as they are in a unity government and in doing all this they were all in agreement. No Zimbabwean will ever forget Mwonzora’s infamous statement, ‘’Even if I leave my pilsner beer with ZANU PF’s Paul Mangwana I will still come back and drink it.’’ ( they have been cases of beer poisoning) There he was simply implying that he trusts Mangwana and leaving his beer with him and still come back to drink it was a sign that Mangwana was a trustworthy comrade. I wonder if Mwonzora can still say or do the same now? Now that ZANU PF is showing its true colours and the romance seems to have ended the MDC-t is now pointing its dirty fingers to the NCA labelling them traitors. What hypocrisy. ZANU PF has never been a good ally, ask those who were in ZAPU.  MDC-t was invited to join government by ZANU PF and they graciously joined at a colourful ceremony at state house. All of them including Tsvangirai swore allegiance to the state, the constitution and the Head of State.  Every Monday they have teas with President Mugabe, he gives them assignments in cabinet, and some of the MDC-t leaders have been heaping praises to Mugabe and these people include the likes of Biti,  and even Tsvangirai lest they forget.  Biti said: “He is a fountain of experience, knowledge and, most importantly, a fountain of stability. There are a lot of horrible things that would have happened in this country if he had not said, ‘No’. History will prove the correctness of this statement. He has been the number one symbol of stability . . . Us, the younger generation, are lucky to have gone through his hands. “We find counsel and wisdom in him. His importance in this country will be seen once he is gone. When he is gone that is when you will see that this man was Zimbabwe. Some of us who came from different parties have had to learn a lot from the man.’’

So if there is anyone who has joined ZANU PF it is the MDC-t and not the NCA.We do not even know the door of the state house nor have we been  close to Mugabe except on television. Therefore we urge the MDC-t to first remove a log in their eyes before pointing at a speck in others eye. Regarding their Yes vote it is rather ambitious, immature and a case of jumping the gun. Why are they rushing to campaign for a yes vote for a draft which one of the parties is still contesting. This has been a negotiating game from the start and the MDC-t should finish what it started and its very much likely that Tsvangirai will give in to ZANU PF’s amendments as we have seen before. And the MDC-t’s argument that the draft is not perfect but they will write a good one once in power is parochial. They have openly admitted  that it’s not perfect why can’t they renegotiate to have a perfect document if they are really sincere. The NCA’s  (NO VOTE) has been about principle as it is against the process that was bad and led as well as dominated by politicians.  We will not be cowed and moved from our principled position. The MDC-t should concentrate on cleaning their own mess with their newly found Zanu-pf friends. In conclusion, it is now very difficult to differentiate the MDC-t from ZANU PF, they seem to have inherited everything, arrogance, corruption, dishonesty, lying, violence and intolerance to dissenting  voices. Zvazviri!

Blessing Vava is a blogger from  Chipinge and a member of the Take Charge Campaign Technical Committee. he can be contacted on blessingvava@gmail.com

COPAC’s accounts must be audited

Principals to the GPA with SADC Facilitator President Zuma

By Blessing Vava

Last week South Africa’s president Jacob Zuma SADC appointed facilitator in the GPA, dispatched his facilitation team  among other issues  to break the so-called impasse in the constitution making process. But, specific to the issue of the constitution,  the so-called deadlock is as a result of ZANU PF’s sponsored amendments to the COPAC daft. This is despite the fact that its pool of negotiators appended their signatures on the 18^th of July draft produced by COPAC. The COPAC final daft is a product of the management committee who also happen to be negotiators in Zimbabwe’s unending negotiations in the GPA. Interestingly, when the  management committee members appended their signatures and handed over the document  to their principals, what that meant was that their role has now been complete and it was now up to the principals to discuss and agree on the final document. In the same way the Kariba draft, and the GPA, were done, after the signatures of the negotiators it goes to the principals.

 As of  now I do not believe  that there is yet a deadlock to talk about until principals meet to discuss the document. The principals are the ones who assigned these negotiators and logically if you are sent with a message by your superior you have to relay back the message. That is what the management committee did. They came up with that document and handed it over to the principals meaning that it was now left to their principals to decide. However  this GNU has set a bad precedence. After a deadlock between negotiators, the principals come in. This has been the game in town.Three individuals now have the power to decide on the contents of a constitution which is to govern more than 14million Zimbabweans. This has been a bad process from the start and sadly  the country lost considerable time and resources to a process which is now seemingly a mere circus. They failed even to honor up to what they agreed in the GPA, and what guarantee do we as Zimbabweans have that they will respect the constitution they are writing should it be accepted in a referendum?

Nolonger see eye to eye-COPAC chairperson
 Paul Mangwana and Doglous Mwonzora

That has been the tragedy of allowing politicians to write a constitution. They will never do it in earnest, it is all about their power that is why no one is questioning  the blotting of the National Assembly for example at a time  many Zimbabweans have been complaining about a large government. And talking about MPs, I was left dump-founded after reading media reports alleging that members of parliament are demanding more money which they allege were their dues from COPAC, a complete fraud and scandal which should never be entertained. First and foremost the MPs should understand that the cars they were leasing and even driving during the outreach process were bought using tax payers money through the treasury and none of them paid a single cent for their purchase. To have such cars is a mere privilege and not a right our ignorant members of parliament should be reminded. Their levels of greediness is shocking and utterly disgusting.  This only shows that they participated in the COPAC process to make money and nothing else. With the high allowances they were getting everyday and hotel accommodation is sheer extravagance. Some of the MPs even abandoned their families to stay with their girlfriends in hotels despite some of them residing less than a 5km drive from the hotel. This is despite the fact that many Zimbabweans are earning salaries that hardly allow them to afford descent accommodation and transport fares to their work places. Under such circumstances, legislators should consider themselves fortunate to own cars.

Clearly the notion of being servants of the people is now alien it now appears that the people are now the servants of these politicians whose alarming rate of resource and wealth accumulation deserves a chapter in the Guinness Book of Records. Surely the 45million spent by COPAC was money wasted luxuriously  by politicians and their cronies and no one else. And as we move forward COPAC should be forced to account in detail for every cent used since the process started. These were resources sourced under the guise of writing a constitution for the country and as such they should be audited and the results be made public. We would want to know how much they used for their allowances, their hotel bills, and mark my words it wont be surprising that much of the money was for allowances and hotel accommodation. That being said, it is high time that the process being concluded to pave way for a referendum so that the people of Zimbabwe be given a chance to finally participate in rejecting the COPAC daft which they did not input.  We are tired of this political posturing,  Zimbabweans should now demand a referendum. Politicians, for far too long have been taking Zimbabweans for a ride.

Blessing Vava is a blogger from Chipinger. he can be contacted on blessingvava@gmail.com