Opinion by Nicholas Gochai
President Robert Mugabe’s death on September 6 has opened a can of worms.
First, it has shown the unmitigated discord that is in both Zanu PF and the government. For long, we were made to believe that the Government of Zimbabwe footed all the medical bills of the late nonagenarian while he was in Singapore since April this year. But in what seems to be a contradiction to the above claim, close family members such as former minister Patrick Zhuwao said Mugabe was taken ill only a few days prior to his death. So, what is this all about government covering all the late former President’s medical bills? Could it be that the money purportedly meant for Mugabe’s medical bills was finding its way into private pockets? Can those who were always with Mugabe in Singapore come clean on this issue.
Then the body itself of the revolutionary icon got caught up in controversy! There is word going around that Mugabe’s was not a mere corpse but also a “carcass”, with those close to his death expecting their “pound of flesh”. To some among the Mugabe family and close friends, Mugabe’s “carcass” or body, whatever one’s take, was a negotiating chip. There are some who jumped borders soon after the November 2017 military intervention and beyond, who expected the “body” to bail them out from whatever wrong they had committed during Mugabe’s tenure in office. This, of course, they expected to achieve by holding on to the body until their wishes were granted; something that failed to materialise.
In another matter, the majority of Zimbabweans thought The Blue Roof in Harare, belonged to Mugabe. Now, we are being told that the mansion always belonged to Zanu PF. We, at Zim Morning Post, are convinced that such revelations were a bombshell to most surviving members of the former First Family. Could such a revelation have cut former First Lady Grace’s wits and have her agree that the former President be buried at the National Heroes’ Acre despite hers and her Generation 40 kingpins’ vehement initial misgivings?
We are also sure that the journey the late nonagenarian traversed from 1980 to September 2019 was replete with other false dilemmas, chicaneries and anticlimaxes which this country should learn from and probably avoid, going forward!