Funerals are not rallies – Zimbabwe MP says

So, this is why I am saying today is not about Vimbai but us. I want you to understand me when I say these things, that it is about correcting the things that we do.  We went on Friday and there is this wonderful feeling and everybody is thinking you know we can go back again takabatana.  I do not know kuti chirwere chakazosvika the next day change chave kubva kupi because after that beautiful night where people had been able to control the young people; the reason why I am saying so is, my belief is that it is about us the leadership.  What we do and what we say is the message that is followed by the people that are in our political parties.  If we follow the message of the honourable there, be it your mother or your aunt, these young people will not do anything different.

I am saying so because now that we are having this debate, let us go back to our political parties and say, when it is a funeral, it is a funeral.  We are all together and we are celebrating the life of this individual.  Politicians, let us not take the issue of politics to funerals.  Funerals are not rallies for goodness sake.  Funerals are about talking about this particular individual.  Yes, we can refer to Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai to say he was the father but at that stage, it was about Vimbai.  It is not about Vimbai as this political figure – yes we acknowledge that she was a politician, we cannot run away from it but do not box her into that politician because we are taking out this greatness that this particular individual was.  I am saying so to my friends and cousins veku MDC-Alliance that can you go and say this to your young people because my friend Thokozani Khupe was totally hurt because of that booing that happened the next day.

It was totally unnecessary and like I am saying, you had done a fantastic thing the day before, and I can attest to it that it was brilliant.  In fact, if you had not moved a motion Hon. Mushoriwa, I wanted to move that motion kuti isabve kwamuri imi because when you say it yourselves, it is as if muri kuzvirovera mega.  I wanted to come back and say we have a history where we say we have a history in parties and we insult and assault each other at funerals but today you guys have shown me that there is a particular shift from the previous to now.  But at Sports Centre, it was completely different, and at the funeral, it is completely different and it takes away this greatness that can be in you.

I am not saying that from my political party I am an angel and I am not saying my political party does not have those problems.  I think we are talking together as people who are coming from political parties so that we can create a culture that respects, that builds and that unites.  So, if there is anything; in the Bible it says, a person would say, chii chakabuda musi wandakafa, vamwe vanoti ndakatendeuka musi wandakafa.

If there is one thing that we need to learn from Vimbai’s death is to say, it should be a uniting death.  It should be something that brings us together as a nation.  There is no one who cannot be hurt by death.  All of us were in pain and even now when you sit back and you think about it, you cannot understand.  I was saying, there is somebody who stood up, I think it was Hon. Mushoriwa who said kana Mwari vatonga you have to accept it.  Inini I say Mwari Havana kutonga paya.  This was the hand of the devil.  Whoever that devil is, it was the hand of the devil and the question that we need to keep praying about is to say, devil, you cannot have power over us and you cannot have power over young people.

I think we need to pray for it and we need to pray for ourselves.  But, I stood up just here to say thank you for Friday, thank you for growing a person like Vimbai, thank you to Vimbai’s husband and thank you for the church.  I really, really acknowledge the work that you guys did and the good sendoff that you gave to Vimbai because she was a really wonderful person. My only regret is that I never said this to her when she was alive.  I thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.

(259 VIEWS)