ZIMBABWE - HARARE — I was among the hordes of journalists and interested parties who had gathered in the Harare International Conference Centre on Monday morning waiting for the beginning of the anticipated consultations on the new constitution of Zimbabwe. 

 

As parliament speaker Lovemore Moyo began his welcoming remarks, I heard Zimbabwe’s self-styled leader of farm invasions, Joseph Chinotimba, muttering that they were outnumbered by sellouts who had been “paid by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to write a new constitution that would take away our land”.  He said so as he went to confer with Youths Minister Saviour Kasukuwere.  

 

 

Then Kasukuwere went outside the auditorium and returned a few minutes later with an unruly group of about 200 ZANU PF thugs toyi-toying and singing, “Zimbabwe ndeyeropa remadzibaba . .. .” Among the unruly crowd was Patrick Zhuwao, President Robert Mugabe’s nephew.

 

 

 

The ZANU PF thugs were outnumbered by conference delegates 5-1 and had we wanted to descend to mayhem, we could easily have overpowered them.

 

We did not. We remained calm. We watched as the thugs shared fruit juices meant for the conference‘s dignitaries and sprinkled water at the high table to which Moyo left the podium to take his seat, raising his arm in an apparent appeal for calm. The riotous crowd perceived it to be the opposition MDC salute.

 

It was then that most of us in the conference centre stood up en mass and drowned out the outnumbered thugs singing below. As conference officials continued to appeal for calm, we sat down quietly and watched the madness that was going on below.

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The majority of the hooligans, feeling embarrassed as we remained calm, left the HICC auditorium but continued to toyi-toyi and sing outside. Riot police came long after the majority of the thugs had left the conference room and only a handful remained. They escorted these out.

 

Then wonder of wonders. They began to threaten us who were sitting quietly, ordering us to vacate the building. We firmly refused.

 

“Where were you all along?” we asked. “Are you not supposed to protect us from the thugs outside instead of ordering us out to confront them?”

 

Red-faced riot police then left the conference room and escorted the ZANU PF thugs outside the Harare Rainbow Towers Hotel grounds.

 

As we all trooped out of the HICC, it was clear in our minds Chinotimba and his group, at the instigation of Kasukuwere, had come to the conference with one aim: to disrupt the beginning of consultations on the new constitution of Zimbabwe.

 

The constitution that will see Mugabe’s powers clipped. The constitution that will see the return of the rule of law. And, the constitution that will see ZANU PF and Mutambara buried like Bishop Abel Muzorewa’s United African National Council.

 

 

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JOKE OF THE DAY - Pane chembere yakanzwa kuti paitika accident. Chembere yakamhanya kumapurisa kunomhangara.

 

Yakasvika ichiiudza mapurisa kuti kwaitika accident. Mapurisa akabvunza chembere iyi kuti vainge vaona accident yacho here? Chembere ikati aiwa ndaita zvokunzwa.

 

Mapurisa akati garai apa timirire awona. Chembere yakagara pabench. iripo yakatanga ku**ra zvainhuwa chaizvo. mupurisa akamboedza kuda kushinga asi chembere yakaramba ichi**ra.

 

Mupurisa akati "ko nhai ambuya zvaita sei? Hindava muri ku**ra?"

 

Chembere: Wanzwa here kana kuti waona?

 

Mupurisa: Ndanzwa

Chembere : Huya ugare apa timirire awona..

 

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