MDC MPs pay tribute to Chindori-Chininga

Members of Parliament mostly from the Movement for Democratic Change today paid tribute to Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front legislator Edward Chindori-Chininga who died in a car accident last week.

The motion to pay condolences to Chindori-Chininga was moved by MDC-T legislator for Glen View South Funny Munengami and was seconded by Mazowe Central legislator Shepherd Mushonga also of the MDC-T.

Only one ZANU-PF Paul Mazikana of Mbire.

Munengami who catalogued what Chindori-Chininga asked why such a gallant legislator had not been granted a national hero status.

Below is Munengami’s contribution.

MR. MUNENGAMI: Edward Chindori is no more, in flesh and blood but in his words and deeds will remain permanently in our memories to allow us to celebrate his life and death as part of an inevitable exit mankind faces. His death is a big blow to parliamentary democracy. But one might want to ask who Chindori was.

Edward Chindori Chininga was born 58 years ago. He completed his Ordinary Level education at Kabulonga Boy’s Secondary School in Lusaka, Zambia in 1976. In 1978, he obtained a Diploma in French Language at the University of Clement Ferran, France. In 1978, he completed the Diploma in Sales Management and Marketing (UK). In 1979, he obtained a Diploma in Hotel and Catering Management (France). In 1980 he gained a Certificate in Classic Cuisine and was subsequently attached to Aeroport Hotel in France on a year-long internship where he gained experience as Front Office Trainee Manager and as Night Duty Manager.

In 1981, he was appointed Assistant Conference Manager based at United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in Geneva, Switzerland. Between 1981 and 1983, he was the Marketing Manager for North America based in Chicago Illinois, USA.

In 1983, he became Director for North America for the Zimbabwe Tourist Office in New York, USA, a position he served up to 1988. Between 1988 and 1992, he was appointed Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism in Harare, Zimbabwe. He rose to the position of Director for Southern Africa in the Zimbabwe Tourist Office in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1992 and was subsequently posted to the Harare Office in the same capacity.

He was subsequently appointed Deputy Minister of Environment and Tourism in 1995 and served up to June 1997. He was appointed Minister of Mines, Environment and Tourism in June 1997 and later transferred to become Minister of Mines and Mining Development, a position he held until February 2004.

He was elected Member of Parliament for Guruve South Constituency in April 1995, in 2000, 2005 and in March 2008 elections. That is when I now came to know him when I joined the Mines Committee. He served as the Chairperson of the heroic Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy from the inception of the Inclusive Government to the time of his death.

Mr. Speaker Sir, this committee which Hon. Chindori chaired became the talk of Parliament, if not the whole country, through its oversight role when it conducted enquiries into the diamonds, chrome,energy and the Mashava-Zvishavane Asbestos Mines.

It was this committee Mr. Speaker Sir, which even the Clerk of Parliament, Mr. Zvoma here to my knowledge, will always remember because it put him on the world map when he presented a paper on Zimbabwe’s Parliament’s oversight role in Europe. His paper was well received internationally when he eloquently spoke about the achievements of the Mines Committee.

It was through this Committee Mr. Speaker Sir, through the leadership of the late Hon. Chindori which, exposed, through its report and investigations, Mbada, the largest diamond producer which had lied that it contributed about 293 million dollars to Treasury when in fact only 4 million was remitted to Treasury.

It was this Committee Sir, which exposed that Government may have been disadvantaged through investments which were made in diamond mining by its joint venture partners. Hon. Speaker, Mbada and Canadile were supposed to invest $100 million each for a start but only $5 million was invested and this was revealed when ZMDC expressed reservations in its diligent report.

It was this Committee Hon. Speaker Sir, through the leadership of Hon. Chindori, which exposed the entire diamond chain of disorder; like the aborted auction sale which took place in Harare which shows the lack of coordination within Government institutions.

It was again this Committee Sir, which became the first in the history of Parliament to invoke Section 9 of the Powers of Parliament to force mining bosses to come and appear before it.

It was Mr. Speaker Sir, this Committee which brought to the world, the untold suffering story of the Mashaba-Zvishavane mining community at a time when such voices were missing in action. This Committee gave this mining community their voice in Parliament. And as stated by Mutumwa Mawere that although as a Committee we lost the battle, we did not lose the war. The Mashava-Zvishavane story became a reminder that change can only happen when people choose to act and through Hon. Chindori, we acted and this legacy will forever be secured in our world.

Hon. Speaker Sir, it was again this Committee which almost brought Senator. Chinamasa down to his knees only to be saved by you Sir, when we wanted to charge him with contempt of court.

It was this Committee through Hon. Chindori-Chininga which exposed how the issuance of chrome mining claims had affected the industry, and how political heavy weights were protecting the miners who were defacing the environment.

Mr. Speaker Sir, I could speak on and on, on the achievements of the Mines Committee. I know this might take two days and you might be forced to extend the life of this Parliament up to next week, but only to say because of Hon. Chindori-Chininga, the Committee became a thorn in the flesh of the Executive and Minister Mpofu can testify to this.

In his speech on the eve of our independence, the then Prime Minister, now the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, His Excellency President R. G. Mugabe said, “as we become a new people we are called to be constructive, progressive and forward looking, for we cannot afford to be men and women of yesterday. Our new nation requires us to be a new man, a new woman with a new heart and a new spirit. Hon. Chindori-Chininga was indeed very constructive and progressive.

Mr. Speaker Sir, Hon. Chindori-Chininga wanted to change the system not just to understand it. He knew what he wanted in life. He was focused and very outspoken about national issues, yet he was humble and non controversial. He was forthcoming in terms of his work and he knew his subject so well. Hon. Chindori-Chininga was one politician who worked so hard for his country. He could speak his mind out and could defend his thoughts without fear or favour. He respected his party’s leadership yet he could not be bullied around, no wonder why he was chucked out of COPAC.

Mr. Speaker Sir, Hon. Chindori-Chininga was a highly accessible and accountable person through the social media platforms. This allowed him to be invited and present papers to different foras both locally and regionally. As a Committee we looked up to him for guidance. He was like a father to us. He provided the needed leadership.

We became a formidable force with the assistance of the Committee staff (Mr. S. Manhivi, Ms. A. Gutu, Mrs. C. Mataruka and of course, Tezvara Nyamuramba, the Public Relations officer). He could laugh, joke and even allowed us to mock each other about our different political parties. I remember one of his jokes when we argued about Hon. Kay better known as Baba Davie here and Hon. Haritatos also better known as Baba George. When we talked about them being whites that they should be chased away, he would say, “no comrades, Baba George is not white but Greek. So only Baba Davie should go”, such was Hon. Edward Chindori-Chininga for you.

What is worrisome to me Mr. Speaker Sir, even to many honourable members here is that, Hon. Chindori-Chininga, the gallant son of the soil, the Parliament hero, the Zimbabwean populace hero, was not granted national hero status. It brings me to the question of who a hero in a Zimbabwean perspective should be. Even here at Parliament where he excelled greatly, where he raised the name of Parliament high, where the clerk spoke highly of the good work of the Committee, where a bus was provided during our tours in the country, the administration of this august House found it not important to provide a bus to go and bury him because this has never happened before.

Surely Mr. Speaker, does it need the SROC to make that decision? Does it need this august House to make that decision just to provide a bus kuenda paGuruve. When the Executive declares someone a national hero, you rush to give us coupons but one of our own, a backbencher you refuse to give us a bus which is actually cheaper. Why Mr. Speaker Sir? I believe we need to change the way we do things here Mr. Speaker Sir.

Lastly, as we celebrate the life of Hon. Edward Chindori-Chininga, we would always remember the statement by Mrs. Margaret Thatcher as stated by Mr. Mawere that says, “society does not exist but individuals do”. This is also applicable to political institutions and if it is correct that individuals give society character and personality, it must be true that individuals also shape and define political institutions.

Mr. Speaker Sir, it is often easy to assume that political institutions, the character and personality required to exist and survive; Hon. Chindori-Chininga did that. In his small way, he gave ZANU PF party a character and personality which was not known to them. He was appointed to be chairperson of the COPAC’s All Stakeholders Conferences.

To conclude Mr. Speaker Sir, I will quote what Mai Mujuru said when she visited the Chindori-Chininga family, “why Chindori” and I am also saying “why Chindori”, my mentor, my leader, my father, advisor, why has God done this to you? Why die tragically? Why die after a successful meeting we had at the Rainbow Hotel on Tuesday?

How can we as a nation, as a people, as a Government not give such gallant sons of our country national hero status? Why, why, why? As his mother said, “only God knows” and I will also say “only you the Almighty know the reason why you did it.” I thank you.

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