by Innocent Mujeri
Renowned African-Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe is well known for his famous novel, A Man of the People, which mirrors Nigerian political culture through the eyes of a corrupt politician, Chief Nanga. Closely reading the book now, one can’t help but wonder if those negative depictions didn’t have an inverse intended impact on its recipients, giving birth to Zimbabwean politician, Saviour Kasukuwere, who has turned out to be a replica of Chief Nanga - a womanizer, corrupt, power hungry and nepotistic in nature. Nanga was also a violent fellow who terrorised his perceived political opponents, who only lost his parliamentary seat after the army intervened to stop his political madness.
When one looks at Kasukuwere, one would be convinced that he is the modern day Chief Nanga.
Since his fall from glory in November 2017, Kasukuwere is frantically trying to come back from his political hibernation under the banner of #Tyson wabantu Movement. This article will proffer four reasons why Kasukuwere cannot be our saviour as he purports to be.
Number one reason that makes Kasukuwere a bad presidential candidate is his allergy to development. Kasukuwere first became a legislator for Mt Darwin South in 2000 but he has nothing meaningful to show for his presence in the constituency.
For seventeen years, he was entrusted by the people of Mt Darwin South to spearhead developmental activities. However, under his stewardship of the constituency, the area further deteriorated.
For instance, the Camperdown road, largely known as Mt Darwin –Chibondo, road was tarred when Kasukuwere took over from James Makamba in 2000. The same road has been turned into a dirty potholed dusty road by this same man who calls himself Tyson.
No single public building was erected in his constituency for seventeen years! The only building he tried to construct opposite Mt Darwin sports club has been left at the foundation level and only God knows when it will be completed.
The guy is good at hijacking other people’s projects and claiming ownership. For instance, he forced the headmaster of Kandeya Secondary School in ward 23 to inscribe the name Saviour Kasukuwere on one of the new blocks, although the block was built through a donation from Hear Africa Foundation with the locals providing labour.
Kasukuwere is also a man of fake promises. At one time he promised to construct more dams in his constituency to promote irrigation activities, but until his dethronement, nothing was done. The only notable thing he constructed in his entire political career are graves for his relatives at their Matope homestead which resembles a paradise.
This is the guy who thinks he can spearhead the development of the whole nation when he failed to develop a single constituency. Zimbabweans must continue showing Kasukuwere’s movement the middle finger as they are currently doing.
If Kasukuwere was only anti-development but good in other aspects, Zimbabweans might have been tempted to associate with him, but the guy is nepotistic in nature. This is reason number two why the guy must not be anywhere near the Presidential throne. Nepotism is a word that Kasukuwere has mastered and implemented in his short stint in politics. Just like Chief Nanga in Achebe’s A Man of the People, Kasukuwere used his influence as a legislator, Minister and ZANU PF Politburo member to appoint or facilitate the appointment of members of his family in top political positions.
When he was still a ZANU PF politburo member, Kasukuwere made frantic efforts for his half-brother Itayi Dickson Mafios to be voted the Mashonaland Central provincial chairperson although the electorate huge misgivings about his competency. Kasukuwere provided financial backing for Mafios’s campaign to become the Provincial chair. Anyone who echoed sentiments of disapproval of Mafios’s leadership was threatened with unspecified action by Kasukuwere. Ask Sydney Chidamba, he is a victim of the “politics of fists” loved by Kasukuwere.
Not only did Kasukuwere abused his political power for Mafios to be the provincial chairman, but he also picked his young brother Tongai from the political wilderness to become the fourth powerful man in the ZANU PF youth league. Through Kasukuwere’s influence, Tongai was first voted in absentia to become the DCC Youth Affairs secretary, a position which was earmarked for Godfrey Tsenengamu, and later catapulted to be the Secretary for Finance in the ZANU PF Youth league.
Another person who benefited from Kasukuwere’s nepotistic tendency is Kennedy Banda, the former Pfura Rural District Chairperson, who was imposed on the people of Mt Darwin by Kasukuwere. Banda although married, was in an illicit affair with Kasukuwere’s sister Sarah, and he was rewarded with a council seat by Kasukuwere for philandering with his sister.
I cannot mention how Kasukuwere’s sister Dadirayi Mapiye was made chair of the Constituency Development Fund in Mt Darwin South, although she was not qualified to do so. I will also not mention how Kasukuwere’s uncle Terry Maroodza was catapulted to become the National Consultative Assembly member ahead of other deserving comrades. The bottom line is that Kasukuwere is nepotistic and he thrives to promote his relatives to influential posts in society.
Zimbabwe needs a President who is all encompassing and above the bane of nepotism. Kasukuwere’s nepotistic tendencies disqualifies him from vying for the top post in the country.
The third reason that makes Kasukuwere a bad choice for President is his penchant appetite for violence. The guy just loves fighting. This is how he got the moniker Tyson.
Kasukuwere is a self-proclaimed thug who is not shy to proclaim it to the world.Addressing a campaign rally in May 2015 in Tafara-Mabvuku, where he was drumming up support for the party's parliamentary candidate for Harare East, Terrence Mukupe, Kasukuwere described himself as the biggest thug in the party.
He was not lying as his years as a legislator for Mt Darwin was characterised with fighting with fellow party members. He at one time bashed the late Cde Chinyandura at a political gathering. Cde Chinyandura’s crime was his alignment with Cde Kadzinga who was challenging Kasukuwere for the parliamentary seat for Mt Darwin South.
In one of the ZANU PF Mashonaland Central provincial meetings in 2017, Kasukuwere had a misunderstanding with the then Minister of State for Mashonaland Central Martin Dinha. He rose from his seat and charged towards Dinha to slap him but was only restrained from doing so by other members who were present. This shows how Kasukuwere fancies fighting rather than dialoguing.
Kasukuwere is the guy who wants to settle misunderstandings with a fist. To then imagine such a person at the helm of the country is scary as people will be ruled with an iron fist and all voices of reason will be suppressed under such leadership. This makes Kasukuwere a big No No for the Presidency of the country.
Reason number four which earns Kasukuwere a no for the country’s top post is his lack of respect for the war veterans. The country’s top seat is a sacred one and must be occupied by an individual who is aware of his or her history. The person must be in the know-how of how this great nation was birthed. It is no secret that this country is as a result of a protracted struggle where a lot of men and women sacrificed their previous lives to free Zimbabweans from the jaws of colonialism and oppression.
Kasukuwere seems to be unaware of this important part of our history. If he knew about it, then he was supposed to respect the veterans of the liberation struggle.
In May 2015 in an interview with Newsday, Kasukuwere portrayed war veterans as ‘drunkards’ and he went further to say ‘some of them are not real war veterans’. Kasukuwere went an extra mile in his lashing against the war veterans when he depicted them as ‘taxi drivers’ and not veterans of the liberation struggle.
Kasukuwere’s verbal attack against war veterans is not surprising as he comes from a family of sell-outs and war deserters. There is no war veteran in his entire family. Not even a war collaborator. Instead, it is believed that his father who had a small tuck shop at Josiya under Chief Matope in Mt Darwin, was a chief sponsor of madzakutsaku. This explains why the sell-out blood is in Kasukuwere’s DNA.
Zimbabwe deserves better leadership and a leader who has no respect for his country’s history which is embodied in the sacrifices made by the war veterans is not fit for the Presidency. Only in his wild dreams, will Kasukuwere be the President of this country.
